Using “the Method” theory and practice in acting to enhance understanding

of subtext and social cues

Introduction

Of the 7 multiple intelligences theorized by Howard Gardner, there are two that seem

to affect social success and fulfillment in life more than the others. Interpersonal and

intrapersonal intelligence predicts one’s abilities to read people, understand oneself and others

affinity to them. Lower social abilities can lead to feelings of solitude and of low self worth.

Those people who lack the abilities to accurately read social cues and interpret subtext tend to

suffer in social and personal successes. Research has shown that this intelligence can be

improved with study and practice.

Actors, directors and playwrights study human psychology when developing their

trades. They study the roots of communication, character, and the relationships between

characters. It would naturally follow that an adapted study of an actor’s methods may help

those suffering from social awkwardness. Specifically incorporating the naturalistic and

realistic methods developed by Konstantin Stanislavski and his followers. The method initially

introduced by Stanislavski in Russia and then modified later by American experts, is steeped in

psychological authenticity. The process is rife with implications for gaining understanding of

oneself and others given the social contexts in realistic ways.

To understand the effectiveness of using dramaturgical technique to teach and

ultimately improve social skill an analysis of the personality type that would benefit is included.

The history and philosophies of Stanislavski and his American followers is also important to

appreciate the commonality between it and psychology. A brief but detailed look at how to
develop the method of acting itself is reviewed. Finally, the implications for both counsellor

and client are discussed based on the concepts and processes that this particular dramatic

approach naturally inhabits.

Definition and Experimental research

Social intelligence is the “ability to understand and manage men and women, boys and

girls, to act wisely in human relationships” (Thorndike, 1920, p. 227). Improving social skills

could work to help anyone’s life. This paper focuses on people whose social intelligence is

lower than the norm, or those with a mild social disorder but high functioning capabilities.

Although adaptations can be made, those who have severe social disorders such as high level

autism or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder are not considered. Conducting a rudimentary

internet search reveals that social intelligence and its importance is a hot topic. There are

claims that social/emotional intelligence can be just as, or even more important to one’s

success in life as IQ. (Goleman, 1996). A person with low social IQ has difficulty recognizing and

correctly interpreting other’s reactions to them. “Children who seem to have a knack for

chatting comfortably with others become ‘popular’ while those who are more awkward in

groups often find themselves alone. Those at the ‘awkward"’ end of the spectrum run into the

zone of social developmental disorders (SDD)” (Jankowiak, 2005, p.E20)

Research based on empirical findings of Costanzo (1992) while working with university

students suggests that social intelligence can be improved with effort. The experiment “was

conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using previous research findings as a means of

teaching students how to interpret verbal and nonverbal behaviors.” (Contanzo, 1992, p.308).
The results of this study indicate that an increase one’s confidence will make a person seem

more socially capable, even if no actual improvement in ability has been made. Competence

was shown to increase when students had hands on participation while learning the new skill

rather than just being lectured on it:

“Although there has been increasing interest in the behavioral skills associated with social
intelligence, programs designed to enhance interpersonal competence are only now beginning to
receive the serious attention of educators. The research reported in this article suggests that even
subtle aspects of interpersonal skill can be improved when instructional programs are built on
empirical findings.” (Contanzo, 1992, p. 313).

The study of acting is inherently hands on and thus be the ideal candidate for further research
to improving social intelligence
History and Summary of the Dramatic Technique

The preeminent style of acting taught and used by actors in the western hemisphere is

rooted in the theories and practices of Russian theatre pioneer, Konstantin Stanislavski. His

books, a trilogy that serve as the manuals for developing a natural and genuine performance,

have been translated into more than 20 languages. The ideas established in Russia were

spread across the oceans and have been used by many great acting teachers and actors such as

Lee Strasberg, founder of the Actor’s Studio and Sanford Meisner, teacher at the Neighborhood

Playhouse for more than 50 years, and it was introduced to the screen by Marlon Brando in his

groundbreaking depiction of Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire. Screen and stage

portrayals from the early 20th century, may seem comical or poor by today’s standards. These

performances were based on systematic gestures attributed to different feelings. The

characters had a certain voice and gesture for sadness and another for happiness, etc.

Naturalistic acting has become so pervasive in modern society that we tend to see all other

kinds of acting as ‘bad’. The technique was adapted and later called the method or method
acting in the United States, bases itself on living truthfully under imaginary circumstances of

the play. (Stanislavski, 1936). The condition of trying to be truthful while playing a role in a

made up story might seem contradictory but is actually the reason that the techniques might

have something to offer to psychotherapy. Producing a performance that is psychologically

sound and depicts recognizable social circumstances, or verisimilitude, is the goal of most

modern acting; “an actor begins his or her work by …making the inner, emotional and

psychological life of a character real. The external embodiment, the character’s physical life

naturally follows” (Vereducci, 2000 as cited in Andres-Hyman, Strauss & Davidson, 2007, p. 83).

The preparation while creating roles and performances creates many opportunities for the

actor or client to experience empathy, gain understanding to social interaction and self

actualize. “Theatre actors know how crucial it is to have easy access to and understanding of

their own multiple selves when they attempt to recreate and then enact a character” (Walsh-

Bowers, 2006 p. 679). To sum up the idea of truth in acting; words of Stanislavski (1936 p.14)

“To play truly means to be right, logical, coherent, to think, to strive, feel and act in unison with

your role”

Preparation: developing the technique

There are four major components to analyzing a script and creating a role which lend

themselves to helping clients in psychotherapy. The first step is to consider circumstances and

happenings beyond the words of the script. The actor must create a background story and

imagine it to be real for the characters. Next, the actor must begin by analyzing the inner

thoughts, hopes, dreams and motivations and acquiring empathy for the character. The script

is examined next for motivations and intrinsic reactions of each portion or line of the play.
Lastly, the actor must find empathy between the circumstances of the play and situations that

a genuine for the actor, called an “as-if”.

The preparation for a role begins with analyzing the script for historical circumstances

and for the personality and beliefs of the character. “You study it from the point of view of the

epoch, the time, the country, the condition of life, background, literature, psychology, the

soul, way of living, social position, and external appearance,” (Stanislavski, 1936, p.21). The

context of the story will tell a great deal as to why and how the characters act the way they do.

A counsellor is likely to consider the history and background of their client much in the same

way as an actor learns about their character. Context gives meaning to beliefs and behaviours.

Allowing a client to share in the knowledge of context by learning method acting will help

them develop a sense of compassion for others in a way they may not have appreciated before.

The actor will come to understand the motivations and ways of thought of the

characters in the play. The actor will then start to focus on the role they will play. Becoming

the character in a way that is truthful and genuine is an intensive process which includes both

external and internal factors.”… You study character such as custom, manner, movements,

voice, speech, intonation.” (Stanislavski, 1936, pg. 21). Prior to the influence of modern acting

methods, actors employed a series of systematic physical gestures to denote personality and

emotion. This is contrary to method acting, which seeks to also include the internal workings

of a character. This impacts the depiction of the character in a more subtle manner. “The

poorest untruth was their stringing together theatrical gestures, a mere imitation of what they

thought was acting.” (Fisher, 1964, p.131). “The very worst fact” he said, “is that clichés will fill

up every empty spot in a role, which is not already solid with living feeling.” [ CITATION Sta36 \p
25 \l 1033 ] Stanislavski and his followers highly valued the factors implicit in our lives that

contribute to the way we act and communicate. Without understanding how the mind of a

character works, there is no true understanding of the interactions they have in the play.

Stanislavski devoted an entire book to building a character (1949). The very work of

deciphering a fictional character’s personality, history, values etc. could help people learn

about themselves. “To create this person, he must then, with increasing clarity, grasp his

singularity.” [ CITATION Fis64 \p 131 \l 1033 ]People could learn more about how motivations,

personality and values are born by trying to create a fictitious role which in turn could lead

them to understanding the same about themselves. Creating a character helps one to become

more self actualizing, better understand others point of view, expands imagination and

improves communicative ability.

Actions and Objectives

“The foundation of acting is the reality of doing” according to renowned acting coach,

Sanford Meisner (1987, p.16). To act means to literally do an action, a verb. The key word to

focus on in the sentence is ‘reality’. It is not about the actor’s portrayal of emotions, such as

fear and panic trying to piece together mother’s prize vase but instead to literally be putting

the vase together while in the suspended belief of the circumstances. The actor must try to put

themselves in the shoes of their character and do what they do. Every portion of action in a

script, called beats, has a purpose, a reason for being there. The actor must never, not for a

second, be without purpose on stage (Stanislavski, 1936, p. 35). True storytelling isn’t

compelling or worthy because it is witty, or sad or fantastical. It is about the relationship in the

scene, what one person is doing to the other one on stage and vice versa. The relationships
within the context of the script create the wit, the whimsy, the sadness etcetera and that

makes them compelling to watch. With that being said, the second major tenet of method

acting is choosing ‘do-able’ and concrete objectives. This principle is explained as “ensuring

that all behaviour is psychologically sound (i.e. follows a single overall purpose or “through

line” of the character and then subdivided in smaller doable “actions” or “objectives” (Andres-

Hyman, Strauss, and Davidson. 2007, p. 84). Once the actor understands the character, the

actor must choose ‘actions’ for each beat of dialogue. They will read the script and decide on

the goal of each scene. Each scene has both a literal and an essential action. The literal action is

the obvious liaison being depicted while the essential action seeks to explain the internal

thoughts and beliefs of the character. For example, in the famous scene from Tennessee

William's A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Stanley Kowalski is calling for Stella. Stanley yells

“STELLA” very loudly towards the balcony. The literal action for Stanley’s character is that he

is yelling for Stella to come home to him. Each line of dialog is motivated by that action.

However, the essential actions can vary depending on how the character of Stanley is analyzed

by the actor. The actor could choose ‘retrieving what is right fully mine’ as an essential action

or, interpreting Stanley differently, could also choose ‘imploring a loved one to return to him’.

(Bruder, 1986). There are many such essential actions that can be chosen based on how the

character is developed by the actor playing them. The actions are then subdivided even more.

Stanley will employ several different tactics to such as to plead, beg, demand, command and

so on using each of the lines in the script to try to accomplish his ‘through-line’ goal. The

concepts above mirror Dillard’s Goal-Plans-Action theory of message production in many ways,

such as the concepts of primary (literal) and secondary (essential) goals. Although different in
the fact that there are often many secondary goals in reality and usually only one chosen for

the stage, as well the complication of the interaction may be greater in life. The primary goals

serve as the initial energizer of “cognition and behavior it can be said they serve a

‘motivational’ function” (Baxter & Braithwaite, 2008, p. 67) much like actions in method acting

do for actors. By examining the objectives of the individuals in a scene, subconscious goals and

beliefs maybe discovered and a new skill is learned. A client learning to construe meaning from

so called mundane lines will be able to then take that imaginary scenario and apply it to their

lives. The client may also learn of strategic actions in accomplishing goals. That is if, for

example, their goal is to make a new friend and they find that flattery is not accomplishing the

goal, they may try another tactic such as joking or finding something in common. The action

that is chosen by the actor, or the person in life, must be able to be done to another person. It

must “have its test in the other person” (Bruder, 1986, p. 11). If the goal can be seen as either

working or not working by studying the reactions of the other person in the interaction, it is a

‘doable’ goal. By taking the emotional aspect out of the interaction, the focus remains entirely

external and can give someone with anxieties or low social skills concrete tasks to perform.

People who are socially awkward may not understand or use appropriate body

language and responses in given social contexts. It would follow that learning to perform

multiple tactics in character by changing body language and speech may help people learn to

accommodate more effectively in real life situations. “Given the benefits of accommodating to

others, this communicative process can almost be regarded as a conversational rule and an

integral component of communicative competence and social skills” (Baxter &Braithwaite,

2008, p. 164).
 Thus far, all preparation activities have been concrete, rational and easily replicated.

The question then remains as to what differentiates a rational perfunctory performance from

one resembling verisimilitude? The actor must feel a connection to the situation their

character is going through. The actor must experience empathy. “Stanislavski (1948) stressed

the importance of two psychological capacities for theatre actors; imaginative projection;

whereby the actors insert themselves into the characters situation, and emotion memory,

where by actors connect with their emotional experience in situations corresponding to the

character’s to bring personal authenticity to the role” (Walsh-Bowers, 2007, p.671). To

accomplish this, an actor would consider the circumstances of the scene and the goals of his

character and then find a similar situation in the actors life that would bring forth some of the

same feelings. The reason for doing this is to find common ground with the character. To truly

be able to feel the way the character might feel, it has to become meaningful to them. The

actor must look inside themselves to find a situation that is similar in feelings. The actor might

choose a memory or an imagined interaction. The memory or imagined situation must be

persuasive but also not be new or unresolved, so as to not mentally harm the actor before

going on stage (Meisner, 1987). If, for example, a character in a play were to be confronting

their mother about leaving them as a child, the actor might not be able to immediately identify

with this since their family life was loving and supportive. However, understanding that the

child confronting the mother would be as if the actor were to imagine confronting a best friend

who had in the past abandoned the friendship to be with a ‘more popular’ group. The situation

is different but the underlying goals and emotions are the same. By creating that empathy the

actor now has the ability to truly react and act as their character might in the situation.
“Intuitively, skilled actors find their objectives through empathic identification with their

character.” (Walsh-Bowers, 2006, p. 667). Those who are skilled at interpersonal relations

have this empathic aptitude in common with skilled actors. By internalizing empathetic

concern, those who experience social awkwardness can better interpret others and the “result

is a level of empathy with richer feeling and more nonverbal communication.” (Ryback, 2001,

p. 84).

Acting/rehearsing

During rehearsal time there are some essential aspects that must be enforced to maintain a

natural performance. Practicing these concepts during rehearsal helps the actor just as they

may help a person in therapy maintain the illusion of character and true interactions.

Performing actions not emotions, active listening and producing authentic reactions are vital

not only to a solid naturalistic performance but could also be useful in counselling technique as

well. Stanislavski (1936), as well as others following this method, urged actors not to play an

emotion. It cannot be done and it is not true to how people interact. “Don’t think about the

feeling itself, but set your mind to work on what makes it grow, what the conditions were that

brought about the experience… Never begin with results. The will appear in time as the logical

outcome of what has gone on before.” [ CITATION Sta36 \p 185 \l 1033 ]. When a boyfriend says

to his girlfriend that she better not talk to that other boy, he is not acting jealous, he is jealous;

something that cannot be faked. However, the actor can act out a goal and use actions to do

so. For example, the boyfriend’s goal is to get his girlfriend to agree not to talk to this other

boy. The boyfriend might demand it, he might request it, he might even bargain for it. “It is

the actors focus on what his or her character is doing, rather than what the character is feeling
that generates authentic rather than contrived emotions.”(Walsh –Bowers, 2006, p. 671). The

implication here is that a person focusing on gaining interpersonal intelligence should not

focus on emotions since they are not controllable, they should focus on the goals and the

outcomes.

There is an adage ubiquitous in the theater world that “acting is reacting”. Learning to

react on stage and engage in what is called ‘active listening’ is an intensive and long process.

Having a purpose on stage, that is, doing something on stage at all times means not just

waiting until the other person is done speaking to deliver assigned lines. It is actively listening

both to text and subtext and responding to that in kind with the lines given. The actor cannot

“do” anything back to the other person until something has been “done” to them. Meisner calls

this the ‘pinch and the ouch’. It is not genuine to say ouch or act hurt if one has not been

‘pinched’ yet. “You don’t pick up on cues,” he says, “you pick up on impulses” (1987, p.72).

Exercises used in acting classes for active listening and reacting could be adapted and used to

help clients develop deeper understanding of goals and emotional responses. Example include:

repetition exercises which consist of repeating exactly what the other person has said,

intonation for intonation until it naturally progresses: mirroring physically and verbally a

partner with emphasis on observation skills: and key word identification games which allow

students to practice finding those words and statements that are more emotive than the

others.

Implications for Councellors

 Therapists can also gain skill and become better at helping clients by studying the

processes and techniques of this method. Mutual Affect Therapy (Ryback, 2001) advocates

that counsellors should incorporate techniques similar to those used in method acting in order

to gain deeper empathy for their client’s circumstances. As one example stated; “to enter in to

same IMS [intrinsic motivational systems], I had to come up with my own memory of a highly

similar predicament.” It is a lot like saying, ‘easier said than done’. Rational, logical advice is

fine and seems easy to do when not in the midst of the crisis. However, by imagining for

themselves a strong emotion memory or ‘as-if’, the counsellor will be able to truly understand

what the client is going through and be able to help them through it more effectively. The

counsellor should be cautious that the emotion memory is not a situation that is too current or

unresolved. The councellor wants to remember the emotions, not experience them again.
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