Date of Award

1-1978

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

First Advisor

Polly Eisendrath

Second Advisor

Patricia Jones

Abstract

Henrietta N. Senecal’s The Affective Meaning of Color explores how individuals emotionally respond to color, emphasizing the personal and psychological significance of color perception. Drawing from psychological, physiological, and cultural theories, the thesis critiques standardized color interpretation systems—such as those by Luscher and Don—and argues that affective color meaning varies greatly between individuals. Senecal supports this claim with an informal community survey, where participants matched colors to emotion-laden words. Results revealed both common associations (e.g., red with anger or love, black with death) and significant variation, reinforcing the idea that color interpretation is deeply personal and often shaped by context, culture, and experience.

The author also considers physiological reactions to color, citing earlier studies that link hues to bodily responses like changes in blood pressure or emotional arousal. In her work as an art therapist, Senecal observed that patients often attached unique meanings to color and that these associations could shift over time with emotional healing. She concludes that art therapy benefits when practitioners prioritize individual color meaning over rigid interpretive frameworks. Ultimately, the thesis advocates for a more nuanced, flexible understanding of color’s role in emotional and psychological expression. It is both a critique of color generalizations and a call for individualized exploration.

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