Kestenberg Movement Profile

The Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP) is a system of movement observation and analysis used to appraise individuals of all ages including the fetus. It was developed by Dr. Judith Kestenberg and her colleagues.

The KMP is structured as a psychological profile attained through notating and graphing an individual's body movement. As Loman and Foley wrote in 1996, “...experiences get stored in the body and are reflected in body movement."

The KMP is organized to reflect two lines of development. System I is focused on the tension flow-effort line of development describing movement dynamics. System II, the shape-flow shaping developmental line, describes relational development and the structure of movements The diagrams of each system are arranged on the basis of observed patterns of development so that earlier qualities such as pre-efforts are followed on the KMP page by more mature qualities such as efforts. Within this structure there are eight frequency diagrams dedicated to specific categories of movement qualities. For example, there is a diagram of efforts. Looking at that diagram we can see the frequency of specific effort qualities used by a mover. People have their own unique movement quality preferences. So, although a punch often involves direct, strong, and accelerated qualities, but one could punch using an indirect quality of movement.

The KMP study group discovered that as infants mature, their movement repertoires expand and certain qualities become more or less frequent based on their developmental phase and individual personality and experiences.

A 2007 study concluded that of employing the KMP was useful as a theoretical lens and methodological tool for assessing psychological phenomena in adults, as well. Koch also conducted a study in 2014 on the utility of the KMP concluding that there was a significant effect of dynamic movements (indulging versus fighting rhythms) on attitudes and affects in adults.

The Kestenberg Movement Profile can serve as a descriptive device, portraying the frequency of use of specified qualities of movement without reference to any theoretical orientation. However, the analyst may also use the KMP in developing hypotheses or predictions based on the descriptive data. Among the various approaches are:

Presently, individual researchers, therapists, anthropologists and movement specialists use the KMP through the lens of their own frameworks.

Frances Labarre (2001), Christine Caldwell (2010) Kestenberg Amighi (1990) and others have pointed to the importance cultural influences in the study and analysis of movement patterns. We can make a preliminary assessment of KMP cultural bias on its different levels of application. As a purely descriptive instrument, there is a minimal degree of cultural bias. It may be that certain qualities of movement are excluded from the KMP that reflects the culture of its originators. However, the focus on elementary qualities of movement that serve universal functions, such as sucking, biting, urinating and giving birth, enhances its degree of universality and equivalence in many diverse cultural settings. However, once one goes beyond description, the level of cultural bias increases. One of the cultural judgments underlying the KMP is that access to a broad and fairly balanced range of movement patterns in adults offers greater adaptability and health to movers, regardless of cultural context. Once one begins to interpret or evaluate a movement profile, in comparison to developmental norms or is seeking psychological meaning, cultural influences become more of a concern.

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