The Spiral of "Improvisational Presence" and "Narrative Empowerment": A Qualitative Analysis of an Immersive Psychological Education Model in Financial Institutions

Abstract

Facing the "Financial Power" strategy's demand for talent with both "integrity and ability," the psychological education work in financial institutions urgently needs to shift from "problem counseling" to "personality cultivation." However, the "instrumental rationality" and "atomized competition" ecosystem prevalent among students poses a challenge to traditional "cognitive-preaching" education. This study aims to explore the internal operating mechanism of an immersive psychological education model that integrates "improvisational theatre" and "narrative therapy." Adopting a qualitative research paradigm, this study collected and analyzed the experiential materials of 14 finance major students who deeply participated in a three-month (eight-session) "improv-narrative" workshop, using methods of participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and reflective text analysis. The study found that the model's effectiveness does not stem from a linear addition of "improv" and "narrative" techniques, but from a "spiraling" translational mechanism formed between "Improvisational Presence" and "Narrative Empowerment." This mechanism manifests in three progressive spiral levels: 1) From "Embodied Ice-breaking" to "Problem Externalization": Improvisational presence creates a "psychologically safe zone" through "non-utilitarian play," breaking down "rational armor" and providing embodied experience and emotional anchor points for the "problem externalization" of narrative empowerment. 2) From "Unique Outcomes" to "Embodied Rehearsal": Narrative empowerment uncovers "alternative stories" through "appreciative inquiry," while improvisational presence transforms this "possibility" into the "embodied rehearsal" of action capability through techniques like "Forum Theatre" and "Future Self-Portraits." 3) From "Collective Witnessing" to "Spontaneous Co-creation": The "collective witnessing" of narrative empowerment reframes individual transformation into a "group narrative," ultimately fostering the highest form of improvisational presence-participants "spontaneously" co-creating an empowering "new reality." This study reveals that the spiraling interaction of "improv" as "action" and "narrative" as "meaning" is an effective pedagogical path for achieving the "unity of knowing and doing" and "value re-authoring" for students in financial institutions, providing a localized model reference and mechanism analysis for "immersive" psychological education.