The Key Concepts of Psychodrama

Psychodrama is a type of psychotherapy that uses a guided dramatic action to examine the problems or issues of an individual. It uses experiential methods and group dynamics to bring insight and personal growth to that person. By exploring the participant's world through action rather than talking, it provides a setting to safely express strong feelings. A trained group leader serves as guide to those participating in the session.
  1. History

    • The idea of psychodrama was conceived and brought to life by a Romanian psychiatrist, Jacob L. Moreno, in the 1930s. Moreno also founded the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama in 1942. In 1947 he launched what is now called "The Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama and Sociometry," the first journal to exclusively publicize all forms of group psychotherapy. Through psychodrama, Dr. Moreno's goal was to create a discipline to use a person's creativity and spontaneity to reach her highest potential.

    Components

    • The basic components of psychodrama include the following roles: the director, the protagonist, the auxiliary egos, the audience and the stage. The director is the trained facilitator who produces, observes, acts as a catalyst and guides the group action. The protagonist is the person presenting a problem or issue to be explored. Group members who take on the roles of significant others, either living or dead, in the protagonist's life, including inanimate objects, pets or other emotionally charged objects are the auxiliary egos. The audience is comprised of group members who witness the drama and serve as a type of externalized mirror. The stage is the physical space in which the drama takes place.

    Concepts

    • By working in the present moment, the focus is on the here and now. Participants re-enact past conflicts and situations as if they were happening now. Working in the present encourages creativity, which enhances the participant's coping skills, and spontaneity, which encourages improvisation and allows people to meet new situations with a fresh perspective. When individuals connect with each other in a meaningful way and have a deep understanding of each other, it is called an "encounter." The cement that holds groups together is called "tele," the two-way flow of feelings between people. In role theory, group members can examine their roles, renegotiate them and choose different ways to play these roles.

    Techniques

    • Several techniques are used in psychodrama. In role play, previous or anticipated situations are acted out, sometimes using dolls, puppets, masks or other props. In role reversal, the protagonist takes on the part of another personality in the drama, seeing himself through another's eyes. In the empty chair technique, the protagonist explores his feelings by speaking to the chair, which represents an individual he is in conflict with. The mirror technique uses another member to mirror the protagonist's postures, gestures and words as they appear in the enactment so he can see himself as others do.

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