Play as an Inoculation Against Violent, Anti-Social Behavior

My wife and I recently saw the movie Sing Sing starring Coleman Domingo. Most of the other actors are men who were once highly violent, anti-social men which is how they wound up imprisoned in the notorious maximum security Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York. Although the story is fictionalized, it is based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program that offers inmates the opportunity to produce and perform in theatrical stage productions. The movie shows how these men, by playing together in this context, learn to process their emotions in healthy ways, ultimately becoming less violent and more human. 

One of our family friends has been involved in a similar program for decades, offering his talents as a Shakespearian a director in the equally notorious Rikers Island Prison, also in New York. He spent his career working with theater students and professional actors, but said that no one approached the work more passionately than his convict actors. Our daughter, as part of her theater training, was a member of a traveling troupe that performed Shakespeare at Rikers and other prisons. She said that she had never performed before a more knowledgable and appreciative audience.

Back in the 1960's clinical psychologist and founder of the National Institute for Play Stuart Brown was involved in three different studies into the backgrounds of violent men. "What struck our separate research teams as unexpected was that . . . normal play behavior was virtually absent throughout the lives of highly violent, anti-social men regardless of demography."

It seems like every day brings us fresh news of tragedy at the hands of a violent, anti-social man. We blame their parents, we blame video games, we blame the economy, we blame schools, we blame society, we blame the victims, but I don't think I've ever known anyone to point to a lack of childhood play, even as the research seems to indicate that this is where we should be looking.

Play researchers theorize that one of the primary functions of play in animals, including humans, is the promotion of growth in the cerebral cortex, and specifically the pre-frontal cortex which is the seat of executive function. Strong executive function is what allows us to make plans and manage emotions. Highly violent, anti-social behavior is, more often than not, the result of someone who is emotionally out of control. Play, and dramatic play in particular, is how we grow our capacity for dealing with our emotions in heathy ways. Not only does play help us learn to manage our own emotions, but it makes us more sensitive and empathetic toward the emotions of others. The convict actors at Sing Sing may have missed out on their own childhood play, but the RTA program proves that it's never too late. 

The US has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world and over 60 percent of ex-convicts nationwide wind up back in prison within three years of their release. In contrast, less than three percent of RTA members return to prison. This is an amazing result, one that speaks to the rehabilitating power of play.

More importantly, however, it suggests that childhood play can serve as an inoculation against violent, anti-social behavior. As Dr. Brown discovered, a lack of play leads to a lack of healthy executive function. Our schools should have a role in ensuring that all children have ample opportunity to play. Unfortunately, those who advocate for education as a way out of lives of poverty and crime all too often insist upon strict, "no-nonsense" approaches that focus everything on academics and discipline. Recess and the arts are the first victims of this heavy-handed, and ultimately misguided approach. A far more rational approach would be to double-down on recess and the arts.

What all children, all humans, need to develop heathy minds is the opportunity to play. It's through play of all kinds, including dramatic play, that we become the creative, self-motivated, productive citizens the world needs.

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Hi, I'm Teacher Tom and this is my podcast! If you're an early childhood educator, parent of preschoolers, or otherwise have young children in your life, I think you'll find my conversations with early childhood experts and thought-leaders useful, inspiring, and eye-opening. You might even come away transformed by the ideas and perspectives we share. Please give us a listen. You can find Teacher Tom's Podcast on the Mirasee FM Podcast Network or anywhere you download your podcasts.

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