Approval/Disapproval Syndrome
1940s-1960s (Spolin)
Also known as Approval Disapproval, Fear of Judgment
Spolin's diagnosis that the craving for approval and the fear of disapproval is the primary block to spontaneity, and the main obstacle her theater games are built to dismantle.
Known for
- A foundational chapter concept in Improvisation for the Theater (1963): seeking approval pulls the player out of the moment and into self-evaluation.
- Her remedy is structural, not motivational: a point of concentration occupies the conscious mind so the player has no attention left for worrying about judgment.
- Implicates the teacher, who must not act as an authority figure dispensing approval; Spolin replaced praise and correction with neutral, focus-based side-coaching.
- Anticipates Johnstone's parallel observation that fear of exposure, not lack of imagination, is what stops most performers.
Connected to
People