Select models of cognition in developmental transformations: A theoretical integration

Recent theoretical and practical applications of drama therapy have incorporated cognitive models. This paper furthers this integration by presenting a specific drama-based therapeutic approach, developmental transformations, within a broader cognitive landscape. In proposing a cognitive model of developmental transformations (DvT) links to allied professions are established and clinical case conceptualizations are broadened with relevance to a larger mental health audience. An overview of DvT is provided followed by a rationale for a cognitive approach. Distinct elements of DvT practice are then broken down and elucidated within a cognitive framework. Questions posed and addressed include: What occurs cognitively when we encounter another person? What cognitive factors aid in maintaining an imaginary/dramatic reality? What cognitive processes facilitate transformation from one dramatic role to another? How can an embodied understanding of cognition contribute to DvT practice? In order to answer these questions components of the executive functioning system, associational networks, and models of information processing are implicated and applied to a DvT framework. As a result of identifying cognitive models within DvT, a research agenda for empirical investigation is promoted, inviting further identification and validation of cognitive models presented herein.