Movement Psychology is based on the concept and teachings of Rudolf Laban, who theorized that every movement is controlled and directed by sub-conscious states which are either direct or open, obscure or obfuscated or conflicted; and conversely, that movement itself can evoke a desired motion. This concept can be extremely useful to the actor looking to find outward expression of his character’s inner state and can add subtle yet complex layers to the characterization.
The concept of movement changing emotion and attitude, or attitude and emotion changing movement is not new; but movement psychology reaches the core of the concept. I’m just covering some to of the basic concepts here though in October Sarah Perry will go much deeper into the method in her workshop Movement for Actors.
To apply Movement Psychology you first need to understand Laban’s eight Working Actions.
WORKING ACTIONS
- PUNCHING
- PRESSING
- SLASHING
- WRINGING
- DABBING
- GLIDING
- FLICKING
- FLOATING
Laban held these as the eight basic actions from which all conscientious movement is formed; and, the degree to which they are executed or expressed depends on the degree to which they are combined with Inner Attitudes and our Mental Factors, Motion Factors and Inner Participations. Each Working Action is a composite of the Motion Factors and is motivated by psychological concepts or Mental Factors which are expressed in movements.
MOTION FACTORS
- WEIGHT
- SPACE
- TIME
- FLOW
Motion is said to be comprised of the above four Factors which can be scrutinize or “analyzed” as expressions of the four Mental Factors SENSING, THINKING, INTUITING and FEELING. Each Motion Factor is comprised of two elements which either conform with or contend against other factors.
Weight is the impact of receiving or transmitting sensory stimuli. It has the Inner Participation, Intending, and consists of the Yielding Element, Light; the, Contending Element, Strong; and the Negative, Heavy. Weight is the forceful Motion Factor that expresses the MENTAL FACTOR, SENSING and of the INNER PARTICIPATION, INTENDING. The Inner Quest for Sensing is, “What?”LIGHT INTENDING is a light sensory physical exertion which does not involve tightening fundamental body muscles.STRONG INTENDING is a sensory physical firmness in any part of the body that emanates from tightening fundamental body muscles.
Space is a reflective thoughtful movement in one or more planes or spheres “spaces”. It is the kinetic Motion Factor that expresses the MENTAL FACTOR, THINKING and the INNER PARTICIPATION, ATTENDING. It has the Yielding Element, Flexible, the Contending Element, Direct, and the Negative, Adrift. The Inner Quest for Sensing is, Where?FLEXIBLE ATTENDING is a reflective indirect movement that is both concave and convex in two or more planes of SPACE. DIRECT ATTENDING is an intuitive movement, that traverses either a straight line or a flat curve in a single plane of SPACE.
Time is the intuitive sensitivity of the relation between the past and future. It is the rhythmic MOTION FACTOR that expresses the MENTAL FACTOR, INTUITING and the INNER PARTICIPATION, DECIDING. It has the Yielding Element, Sustained, the Contending Element, Quick, and the Negative, Indecisive. The Inner Quest for Sensing is, When?SUSTAINED DECIDING is an intuitive clinging to the past. QUICK DECIDING is an intuitive urge into the future.
Flow is the feeling of the resistance to flow of movement. It is the recurring MOTION FACTOR that expresses the MENTAL FACTOR, FEELING and the INNER PARTICIPATION, ADAPTING. It has the Yielding Element, Free, the Contending Element, Bound, and the Negative, “Irrelating”. FREE ADAPTIVE is a feeling of freely emitting smoothness of movement.BOUND ADAPTING is a feeling of stiffness and lacking ease or grace of movement.
NEGATIVES
- HEAVY
- ADRIFT
- INDECISIVE
- IRRELATING“HEAVY (INTENDING)
The negatively neutral and impotent quality of WEIGHT is heavy in which the interplay of LIGHT and STRONG (INTENDING) is canceled by an inertia which negates the receiving and transmitting intentions of SENSING.
ADRIFT (ATTENDING) The negatively neutral quality of SPACE, in which the interplay of FLEXIBLE and DIRBCT (ATTENDING) is cancelled by a disorientation which negates the reflective and attending aspects of THINKING.
INDECISIVE (DECIDING) The negatively neutral dream quality of TIME, in which the interplay of SUSTAINED and QUICK (DECIDING) is cancelled by a timelessness which negates the relating of past, present and future in the decision of INTUITING.
IRRELATING (ADAPTING) The negatively neutral and frozen quality of FLOW, in which the interplay of FREE and BOUND (ADAPTING) is cancelled by an emotional fixative which negates the extroverted and introverted aspects of the ADAPTING and RELATING of FEELING.” (The above were in quotes from unpublished notes, believed to be (or attributed to) Rudolf Laban)
MENTAL FACTORS
- SENSING
- THINKING
- INTUITING
- FEELING
The Mental Factors are in turn expressed by the degree to which the four Motion Factors are utilized.
Sensing is the perception by five senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste and touching. These are in turn expressed in movement as SPACE – LIGHT or STRONG.
Thinking is the process of idea creation through intellectual insightful reasoning, and is expressed in movements as SPACE – FLEXIBLE or DIRECT
Intuiting is the mental apprehension of the inner nature of things without reasoning, and is expressed in movement as TIME – SUSTAINED or QUICK
Feeling is the emotion of attraction or pleasure; or of aversion or disapproval, and is expressed in movement as FLOW – FREE or BOUND
As you can see, the psychology of movement as described by Rudolph Laban is an extremely complicated, in-depth subject that I couldn’t possibly begin to address fully here. If you’re interested in learning more about Laban’s method, try Actor Training the Laban Way by Barbara Adrian.