A Study on the Symbolism of Fence in Sandplay Therapy

The purpose of this study is to explore and expand the characteristics and symbolism of fences, and to confirm the symbolism through actual sand play treatment cases. A fence is an element that has been in common with the history of mankind, regardless of the East and the West, by weaving grass or trees or stacking stones to block a certain space. The symbolism of the fence can be broadly divided into four. First, the fence is a symbol of ‘boundary’, and it has physical, psychological, and social meanings in various contexts. Second, it is a symbol of ‘protection and safety’, reflecting the anxious psychology of preventing danger and being protected by its own protection function. Third, it is a symbol of ‘separation or barrier/trapping’, and it can be separated from the other world due to the fence built for boundary and protection, and can be trapped in a barrier that is excluded by itself, which can lead to a disconnection of communication. Fourth, it is a symbol of separating the secular things that were carried in front of the fence in order to enter the ‘sanctuary’ and entering a newly purified world. Looking at the cases in which the researcher performed sand play treatment, I learned that in multicultural or single-parent families, children who use a lot of fences often have to protect themselves because their family boundaries are not clear and are confused. The case of a 10-year-old boy presented in this study was a hero myth through sand play and a fence in a situation where he showed aggression due to the absence of conspiracy, negative motherhood, and paternal complexes in a multicultural divorce family and refused to go to school. An 11-year-old boy whose impulses cannot be controlled was a child from a multicultural divorce family, and it was interpreted that fences often appeared as a symbol of protection to set boundaries and protect himself in a situation where parents hid the divorce from children and children moved back and forth between two families. In addition, the case of a 12-year-old boy with a strong sense of victimization and crying well was confirmed to be trying to set his boundaries in a situation where he and his mother were living depending on another man after divorce, and expressing their desire for protection and safety as a fence symbol. This study can be said to be a basic study that helps understand and insights about fences as symbolic media by examining the symbolism of fences in various aspects and exploring the symbolic meaning of fences expressed in actual sand play treatment cases.