The Armilla Game. Playing the serious game of systemic-relational training.

Abstract

A working technique with groups of students in systemic-relational training called "The Game of the Armilla" is described and commented. The theoretical assumption of this contribution is that the game is, by its nature, educational and constitutive of culture. Through the playful phenomenon the subject learns to know the world, to experience the value of the rules, to be with others, to manage their emotions, to discover new paths of autonomy and to experiment, by trial and error, the beliefs about things and on others. The Armilla Game has the purpose of recognizing and negotiating the rules of an interpersonal system, improving dialogic skills, knowing resources and constraints of the social bond, improving partnership skills, describing the subjective position in the relationship with the other, giving empowerment to the individual and team. These skills are considered a necessary clinical background of the therapist. The sociological and psychological premises relating to the playful behavior on which the game is based are described. The eight stages of the game and the relational phenomena that are observed during the game are described. Some specific relational patterns of the game are described.