Using keg cards in counseling to create a life long learner - malta eac-2014 04-02

Using KEG Cards (Keys to Emotional Growth) in
counseling to create a life-long learner
EAC 2014, Malta
Eleanor Avinor, PhD, MSc, MA
Joanne Yona Silman, ME
April 20141 KEG Cards (Keys to Emotional Growth)
© Copyright 2009 by Avinor & Silman

Building the bridge to life-long learning:
an integrative positive learning model
KEG (Keys to Emotional Growth)
projective identification therapy cards as a
cognitive and emotional
intervention
to life-long learning
Building the bridge to life-long learning: IPLM -
an Integrative Positive Learning Model

an integrative positive learning model
Overview
1. Introduction
2. Connection between creating an adult life-long
learner and TA (Transactional Analysis)
3. Description of Projective Identification KEG Cards
4. Process of how to use KEG Cards: exercises in the
process of becoming a life-long learner
5. References

• The life-long learner goal of KEG Cards is
to help the learner connect the people,
events, and life of the past with a more
positive attitude towards learning.
• Whole brain techniques and processes:
how to help the adult and child understand
his/her motivations, visions and blocks in
order to improve and enhance attitudes
towards learning.
Using KEG Cards (Keys to Emotional Growth) in
counseling to create a life-long learner

Eleanor Avinor5
Conceptualization of an individual who is not a life-long
learner: Lack of motivation; poor past experiences
Poor
Concentration
Physical
Symptoms;
ADHD
Low
Self-
Esteem
Low
Self-
Efficacy
Reduced
Problem
Solving
Hopeless
Concerning
Academic
Challenges
Reduced
Learning
Activity
Helpless
Afraid,
Anxious in
Academic
Tests
Lack of
Motivation
to Learn
Received
Negative
Feedback
I am not
good enough
or smart
enough

6
Conceptualization of an individual who is a life-long
learner: motivated; understanding past experiences
Good
Concentration
Physical
Symptoms:
Feels
Good
High
Self-
Esteem
High
Self-
Efficacy
Problem
Solving
Activities
Hopeful
Curious
Cognitively
Active
Confident;
Knows what
he/she
wants
Happy
Likes
Cognitive
Cooperation
Confusion

an Integrative Positive Learning Model (IPLM)
• Talk is not enough: You need to understand and
use emotions and pictures to help the adult
learner become a life-long learner
• Becoming a life-long learner is an integrative
process which combines cognition (the guiding
questions on the back side of the cards) and
emotions (pictures on the front of the cards
which evoke emotions)
• Whole brain activities appealing to the amygdala
are effective

• An important theoretical underpinning of
Projective Identification KEG Cards is
Transactional Analysis.
• The individual has three ego states:
the Parent, the Adult and the Child.
• The Parent ego state is created from the
“shoulds” that the child learns from the
important people in his life.
• The Adult ego state represents the individual’s
ability to cope with reality.

• The Child ego state represents the basic life
energy that the child is born with, and supports
the individual in enjoying life and includes his
creative abilities.

Ego States & Personality Structure:
a functional analysis
CP NP
Critical Parent
(ex. judgmental;
demanding;
never satisfied)
Nurturing Parent (ex.
hugs; care-giving;
unconditional love)
Adult
NCAC
Natural Child
(ex. curious; happy;
creative, spontaneous)
Adapted Child
(ex. The pleaser;
the child who
functions as a
parent )
(ex. logical; rational;
reality testing,
problem solving)

A Metaphor of the three ego states (1)
• There may be seen a parallel
between the ego states and
the three part
Triune Brain of McLean (1973).

• In human beings the reptilian brain and the neo-
cortex are separated by a structure that is called
the limbic brain.
• The neo-cortical brain could be compared to the
parent because it developed in the later stages of
human evolution.
• The reptilian brain supports the basic
physiological functions of the
individual, and it could be compared
to the child ego-state because it
consists of the drive and the energy of the child.

• The reptilian brain is involved in defending the
individual and contains the energy of aggression
and emotions of anger and fear, which are also
included in the child ego-state.
• It seems to perform similar
functions in humans as it does in
reptiles.
• It also communicates with the
limbic brain which evolved after it and
communicates with the neo-cortical
portions of the brain.

• As evolution developed in the human being, he
began to protect his offspring with the limbic
brain fulfilling this function; comparable to the
Adult which is the reality testing part of the ego
states.
• Seen in the hunger for attention, love & touch.
• In the human being the emotions of fear, love,
happiness, sadness and jealousy are located in
the limbic brain and can be seen in dogs, in cats
and in apes that do not have a well developed
cortex.

This metaphor is connected to creating a life-long
learner or not:
• in that the parent ego-state may have in it a
nurturing parent which could help the learner
become a life-long learner
OR
• the parent ego state could have a developed
critical and judging parent that could depress the
learner and keep him from becoming a life-long
learner.

The Adult ego state, the Child ego state
and the life-long learner
• The adult ego state can be utilized to help the
individual see and appreciate all the benefits in
becoming a life-long learner and how it may be
used in problem solving.
• At the same time the child ego state can be
implemented and triggered to motivate the
learner to enjoy learning and to overcome
obstacles.

Connection between connecting an
Adult Life-Long Learner and TA (1)
• One way of defining the life-long learner is the
individual whose parent ego state, adult ego
state and child ego state are in appropriate
balance and homeostasis.
• The three ego states of personality are energy
resources.
• When using the projective art work, the client
describes his view of the figures in the art work
and how he is relating to these figures: whether
it is from the parent, adult, or a child ego state.

• The client projects the energy of the ego state
that he is in, on the picture, thus his
interpretation or description changes from
session to session and even in the same session.
• One of the techniques used is to analyze the ego
states of the learner so that he can analyze and
understand where he is coming from when he
relates to topics of learning and
to the process of learning.

When the parent ego state is dominant, the
learner learning out of need to please this critical
parent part of himself may have internalized a
parent that told him: “You have to study in order
to be worthwhile” or “If you do not have a
university degree you are not a valuable member
of society”. This parent ego state is
the part of the personality that
represents the most important
figure with which the child has
bonded and modeled his life upon.

• The individual may decide to study or learn, not
because he wants to, but because he feels he
should. This parent has internalized a historical
record of the adult figures in his life that
determine what he should and should
not learn, and how to learn.
• The individual’s attitude towards
learning in the Parent are
internalizations of all the adult figures
that impressed on him their attitudes
towards learning.

• In addition to the parent ego state there Is also
an adult ego state that represents reality testing
and problem solving. This adult ego state
processes the individual’s ability to make
decisions and cope with reality.
• This is the part of the personality
that receives information via the
senses and comes to logical
decisions based on facts and how
the facts are absorbed by the senses.

• The adult ego state begins to be formed in the
second year of life when the individual organizes
the facts around him, senses his sensations and
can talk about them.
• He can use language to categorize and
understand what is happening to him
and what he sees.
• In the pre-verbal stage the individual
has difficulties in categorizing and organizing
reality. Now the individual categorizes reality
according to the language he is learning.

• The adult ego state develops during childhood
and especially during school years.
• If negative events and feelings are
associated with this period,
motivation for learning will
decrease.
• If we want to create a life-long learner, we have
to help the individual go back to negative
feelings connected with learning which block
him, and he must make re-decisions to create
positive feelings.

• The adult ego state is one of our goals when we
want to create a life-long learner.
• We appeal to the rationality and to the logic of
the adult.
• But, we would have no motivation
if we did not appeal to the child
part in the individual.
• The child ego state is where the
feelings, the urges and the drives are found, and
this is the energy that motivates the learner to
become a life-long learner.

• This is the energy that we use in the work with
projective identification therapy cards.
• This is the energy that helps the individual
understand where his blocks are and why they
were created.
• The inner-child in the child
ego state is composed of
emotions and feelings such
as love, pride, shame,
anger and joy.

The Self image of the life-long learner

Connection between connecting a
Life-Long Learner and TA (10)
• When the individual chooses projective
identifications cards as an answer to a
question, it is important to analyze and
discuss the ego state from which the
choice is made.
• If the choice is made out of the
feeling of anxiety, it may come
from the child ego state and by
understanding this, the anxiety
may be reduced.

• The child ego state is creative containing
energy that drives him, whereas the parent
ego state creates guilt, telling the
individual what is good, what is
bad and what should be done.
• Understanding the child ego state
is important in creating a life-long learner.
• The child ego state is composed of
different parts: when the child is born it is
only child; as it gets older the adult part is
created and finally the parent is formed.

• The adult part in the child is called “the little
professor”; the child part in the child ego
state is called a “somatic” child ego state. The
somatic child ego state is only interested in
the bodily needs of the infant. At this time of
development the infant has no verbal capacity
so cannot talk about his needs. We can see
this in his choice of pictures. When he talks
about his feelings towards the picture and is
unable to talk about reasons or thoughts
connected to the artwork.

• An ex. is a picture of a child standing alone
with his hand on his belly. Many individuals
choose this card to talk about their feelings
of loneliness and anxiety which are
centered in the belly, speaking only of their
feelings and do not have any ideas or
thoughts about why they chose this card
but they have a lot to say about the feelings
that this picture evokes in them.
The body is talking for them.

• When an individual chooses the child
standing alone with a hand on his belly, we
want him to be able to discuss his feelings
of loneliness in order to move to more
motivating energy in order to release the
negative energy so he can become a life-
long learner.
• One cannot effectively learn if one is
motivated by fear, anxiety and deprivation.
A life-long learner has to be in touch with
positive motivation and positive energy.

• One way of connecting with this positive
energy is helping the learner become in
touch with his “little professor” ego state.
• MRIs and neuroscience research show that
even very young children can think and
develop thinking processes.
• In the first month of the baby’s life every 30
seconds, millions of connections are being
made in the brain. The infant’s thinking is
immature, magical, intuitive and highly
creative.

• This is the energy that we want to connect
to when we want to help the learner become
a life-long learner.
• The infant is interested in everything
around him and all his senses are used in
learning about his body, his environment
and the world around him.

• As the child begins to grow and to learn
language, his “little professor” is constantly
asking questions about the world around
him, and about himself, and about the
people he is connected to.
• This “little professor” is our greatest ally in
creating the life-long learner.
• This learning and creative thinking is not
like the adult learner and the adult ego
state.

• This Is the thinking that occurs in the right
hemisphere and is full of magical thinking,
symbolism and pictures. This is different
from the questions and learning, talking
and thinking of the left brain activities.
• This right hemisphere thinking is magical
whereas the left hemisphere thinking is
logical and organized.

• Therefore, in helping the
learner become a life-long
learner, the techniques have
to be connected to the “little
professor” and not just to the
adult.

Description of projective identification KEG Cards (1)
• The aim of the cards is to help the
individual identify old scripts and old
decisions that are not effective today, even
though they were effective in the past.
• The learner can then decide to change the
old decisions and the old scripts to new
more effective ones.
• The importance of the cards is that they
by-step the defense mechanisms and go
straight to the core issues.

• Working with KEG cards helps the
individual to use both hemispheres of the
brain: the left hemisphere for speaking
about the picture, the right hemisphere for
walking, talking, singing, spatial tasks,
emotional activities, and other creative
activities.
• KEG Cards incorporate thoughts, feelings,
physical sensations and behaviors, thus
activating the whole brain.

• The cards are also the means for
externalizing and projecting values,
beliefs, thoughts and feelings.
For example, this picture was explained by
a client as a tree demonstrating values.

• He said that the relationship between a man
and his values is the same as the relationship
between a tree and its roots. The tree could
fall in a storm if its roots are not strong
enough and the man could fall in a difficult
crisis in his life if his values are not strong
enough. Just as the roots of a tree nurture the
tree and strengthen it, functioning as a strong
basis for the tree, in the same way the values
of a man nurture him, strengthen him and
function as a connection to reality.

• This is an example of art expressing a
metaphor.
• The work with KEG cards could be done
individually or in groups.
• Large size cards (A4) may be used for
intense emotions and medium size cards
(A6) may be used for less intense emotions.
• The learner places the cards according to
the relationship between them and the
distances that feel appropriate.

Process Of How To Use KEG Cards (1)
• The participant chooses a card which
symbolizes for him the issue that is being
discussed, such as blocks, secrets, feeling
in a specific situation, an attitude or a
perceived injustice.
• The participant explains what the cards he
chose represent and symbolize for him.
• The choice of cards and their explanation is
true at a particular point in time and in a
particular context according to the ego
state that he is in.

Process Of How To Use KEG Cards (2)
• Exercise:
Choose artwork or picture that symbolizes:
1. How do you best learn?
2. What helps you learn?
3. What keeps you from learning?
4. What is the best decision you made in
your life concerning learning?
5. What motivates you to learn?

Costs and Benefits (1)
• In order to become a life-long learner you
have to give up to a certain extent the
power of the parent and the benefit will
be empowering the “little professor”.
• The individuals who have learning
disabilities gain a lot of attention and
they will have to give it up when they
become a successful life-long learner.
Being a failure has its advantages: you
gain attention and empathy and you
don’t have to exert yourself.

Costs and Beniefits (2)
• When you are a successful life-long
learner, the individual feels competent,
has higher self-esteem, he achieves self-
actualization and self-fulfillment.
• The learner is in a state of ambivalence
because on the one hand he wants the
attention and the comfort of not putting
in the effort, but on the other hand he
wants the feeling of achievement and
respect.

References (1)
• Avinor, E. & Silman, J. (2013). A Case Study of
Alzheimer Patient: brain plasticity & functioning
preservation of lifeline via KEG cards (keys to
emotional growth) In Proceedings of the Jerusalem
International Conference on Neuroplasticity &
Cognitive Flexibility, pages 83-88.
http://www.medimond.com/ebook/Q602.pdf
• Casstevens, w. et al. (2013). Group Work with KEG
cards: keys to emotional growth. In Group Work:
An International Conversation Highlighting
Diversity in Practice by Gregory J. Tully, Jean
Bacon and Georgianna Dolan-Reilly pp. 133-143.

References (2)
• MacLean P., (1973), “The triune brain.
Emotion and scientific bias.”, The neural
sciences. The second study program.
F.O.Shmitt, editor., New York: Rockefeller
University press.
• Stewart I., Joines V., (1987), TA Today,
Nottingham: Lifespace Publishing.

The good teacher leads to life-long learning

Thank you
50 KEG Cards (Keys to Emotional Growth)
April 2014

Additional Related References
• Freud, A. (1966). Links Between Hartmann’s Ego Psychology and the
Child Analyst’s Thinking Analysis. In R. Loewenstin, I., Newman, M. Shut,
& A. Solnit (Eds.), A general psychology: Essays in honor of Heynz Hartmann
(pp. 16-27). New York: International Universities Press.
• Freud, S. (1912.) The dynamics of transference. Standard Edition, Vol. 12 pp. 97-108.
• Freud, S. (1933.) New introductory lectures on psycho-analysis. New York: W. W. Norton.
• Stayton, D. J., & Ainsworth, M. D. S. (1973). Individual differences in infant responses
to brief, everyday separations as related to other infant and maternal behaviors.
Developmental Psychology, 9, 226-235.
• Winnicott, D.W. (1958). Through paediatrics to psycho-analysis. London: Hogarth.
• Winnicott, D.W. (1965). The maturational process and the facilitating environment.
New York: International Universities Press.
• Winnicott, D.W. (1971). Playing and reality. Middlesex, England: Penguin
51 KEG Cards (Keys to Emotional Growth)
April 2014

Using keg cards in counseling to create a life long learner - malta eac-2014 04-02

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Tendances (18)

Similaire à Using keg cards in counseling to create a life long learner - malta eac-2014 04-02

Similaire à Using keg cards in counseling to create a life long learner - malta eac-2014 04-02 (20)

Plus de North East Business Services

Plus de North East Business Services (9)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Using keg cards in counseling to create a life long learner - malta eac-2014 04-02