We know that the context conditions, but the individual in turn is a change agent of the environment. This is one of many reasons why psychology must be especially sensitive to people’s psychobiological processes in order to understand them and establish effective strategies to promote these processes of change and reciprocal learning between professionals and participants.
In the case of participatory murals through the graffiti technique in different educational environments, in this case non-formal, we see how a strategy properly adapted to the context is a very useful tool for detect possible problems and transform the perception of reality of the participants.
We call participatory murals through graffiti technique because graffiti itself occurs under other pretexts, but at the same time it is a tool through which the feeling of belonging to a team can be fostered, and at the same time bring to view the individualizing elements of each subject. A visual and striking technique like this is transformative of the environment, and if it occurs through teamwork, it creates endless creative possibilities in the process of creating a mural.
Graffiti is framed within the movement Hip hop In May 2001, a document called “Hip Hop Peace Declaration ” in which the philosophical bases of the movement were established by leading figures in the field. These articles are in tune with the educational practices that are considered valid for social transformation and the development of the self, which is why it can be considered a decalogue to understand what theoretical framework encompasses the practice of this discipline of Hip Hop.
According to the theories of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, we can observe how the environment and genetics interact in the creation of identity and cognitive schemes. Taking into account the main criticisms of each model, in this case, the theory of proximal development since we do not deal with the same profiles depending on the context, for example a CRAE and a neighborhood house The stages of development must be taken into account, but the inherent differences in each environment mean that there may be a gap between the ages proposed by Piaget.
One point to take into account when practicing psychology is the cross-cultural competencies, since in a context of globalization like the current one, we can deal with people of different beliefs and cultures. The adaptation of the technique and treatment to the principles of each culture is essential for the creation of positive links between psychologists and participants (Wen-Shing, 2004).
Individual differences and the creation of contexts felt as their own
The use given to the environment is not the same in a CRAE that in a neighborhood house, starting from that base, it is necessary to detect the emotional connection to the space and between the participants in order to generate strategies that can transform negative connotations into a range of possibilities with a positive approach. These relationships are observed in the course of the activity, in how they treat each other and how they interact with each other. To do this, a free space is created in which to express ideas and act naturally under the premise of respect. We must not forget the previous decalogue to give meaning to the activity and the real background it has.
The presentation of ideas and consensus serve to decide which elements will be part of the mural and their interpretation. In this process the subjective concepts of perception come to light beauty in art, but the main objective is not to create works that will be judged later, but to generate a graphic expression of the psychobiological and emotional processes of the participants. Promote the capacity of abstraction can be a positive factor when interpreting a drawing, a detail, a set of colors… since, as in the principles of art therapy, The meaning is not only in the symbolism and in what is perceptible at first sight.
Once the sketch of the mural has been created through the opinions of the participants, the creation of a “crew ”, which in the context of graffiti means: “organized group that works to achieve collective goals.” This is used for materialize the feeling of belonging to a group through the combination of words and numbers that give meaning to the because They are together and work as a team.
To finish the process of creating a participatory mural you have to capture it through the graffiti technique in a wall or a ceiling The objective of creating this graphic expression is to transform the context based on the individual differences of the participants in each environment, and that in turn, this transformation positively influences the individuals. The results pictorial and interpretive will be different in each environment, but the point of Union In each context, it is the internalization of an experience and the processes lived in it.
The creation of creative contexts in which the dynamics are adapted to the participants, in a way in which they themselves set the pace and can be free to express oneself, it is a way to minimize the Pygmalion Effect associated with conventional educational practices and the paradigm from which we start when “educating”. The processes of learning are reciprocal and an open position on the part of professionals helps this.
Since the different realities from which the participants come depending on their environment can create cognitive dissonances for professionals between the expectations and the processes experienced during the activity. It must be taken into account that the theories that are the object of study in Psychology and other disciplines were generated in a specific context, but That context can be transformed, and we must do it with it
