ABSTRACT
Chapter 11, ‘Experiencing the character’, looks at cognitive approaches to transformation. Cognitive blend theory (Fauconnier and Turner) outlines how the mind-brain is able to hold two distinct realities simultaneously. The concepts of body image and body schema (Gallagher and Meltzoff, Sofia) explain how an actor who constructs an imaginary or artificial body can, none the less, achieve high levels of spontaneity in performance. Studies on capoeira dancers (Downey) are cited to explain the way in which, when repeated and sustained over long periods, movement patterns can alter brain structures.
In view of these findings, the chapter turns to the central question of the book: do changes actually occur in transformative acting at the level of the brain? The ‘sociogenomic’ model of personality recently proposed by Roberts and others argues that personality states may turn into traits either permanently (“plastic” changes) or temporarily, as “elastic” or “pseudo-changes”. Together with supporting research on brain tissues, this model appears to indicate that – given intense psychophysical experiencing, sustained over a relatively long period – transformative acting may indeed lead to temporary and reversible changes in personality traits. This hypothesis is offered with the caveat that it is based on as yet limited and provisional models of the personality.
