# Fundamentals of Psychodrama - Falko VOn Ameln, Jochen Becker-Ebel [[# 020.400 Psychodrama]] [[Books Index]] #book #Booknote Book Notes I wanted to read on psychodrama because of my recent interest in the art of acting, [Book Notes - Respect for Acting, Uta Hagen](evernote:///view/463671/s5/91392644-f958-615e-3f2b-3ba87b33b082/57ba5125-cfd0-4795-9c56-4f9115b91ae9/)  i wonder what's the similarities or relations between acting and therapy, and that lead me to psychodrama. ## Chapter 13: The Life of J. L Moreno and the Origin of Psychodrama - J L Moreno, seeking to find answers to his questions about the meaning of life and his existence through writing of Nietzsche and  Kierkegaard. (Page 181) [[Kierkegaard]] - _-- I heard about these both name. Curious to read about them later._ - In front of a statue of Christ in a park in Chemnitz, he got a visit/experience - he feel all men and women were his brothers and sisters, all mothers and father were his mother and father, all children his children, all property his property. His property the world's property.  (page 181) - _-- The sense of interconnectedness, that we are to live for others._ - 1910-1914, when he was studying Medicine and taking courses in Philosophy. In Vienna, there is the beginning of the era of Expressionism. A large part of these movements, believed in creativity, the removal of conventions and existence of the creative power of God in human beings. That was the cultural Zeitgeist. Page 185 - After the experience of Chemnitz and together with this movement, he felt he is to play the role of a prophet. He form a group, people leaving their homes and families and live together, everyone is welcome to stay without paying rent.... focus on ideas such as Authenticity, encounter and charity. - -- _Are they starting a cult? a society?_ - "The idea of encounter continues to inspire Moreno..." page 183. ... Published in "Invitation to an Encounter" under name of Jacob Levy. in 1914. - -- _interesting! i want to understand that_ ## Chapter 14: Basic Theoretical Concepts of Psychodrama - Page 193 - Moreno primarily spent time in experimental work, did not structure and validate his theoretical concepts. Modern psychodramatists should continue to interpret and develop his ideas. - - Today reading. - ### 14.1 Man as a Cosmic Being: Spontaneity and Creativity - Creativity and Spontaneity  - - The universe has creative power, and being spontaneous tap into that power and we feel alive! - The problem is when we are too trapped in our "role" we play, and we become tie down, and dead, and we cannot be spontaneous anymore, and cannot be creative. - Psychodrama is teaching people to be spontaneous in the act, and they learn to be more spontaneous in real life. - ### 14.2 Man as a Social Being: Tele, Encounter and the Theory of Social Networks - Tele. in Encounter, it's when people connect to each other heart-to-heart, not one sided. - The basis of all interpersonal relationships is "tele" - Social Atom - Man social connection with other people in his life "“The social atom is the nucleus of all individuals towards whom a person is related in a significant manner or who are related to him at the same time; the relationship may be emotional, social, or cultural” (Moreno, 1960a, p. 52)." ![[Pasted image 20220204160301.png]] ### - ### 14.3 Man as a Role Player: Moreno’s Role Theory - Mead's role theory - all psychodramatic action is tied to roles. - What are roles? - "roles are symbolic representations and normalized expectation patterns that produce a society or a culture. Sociology defines roles as social (collective) bundles of expectations from persons assuming the role, who then express themselves in behavior patterns that follow these expectations." - Page 205 - **-- Expectations from people, and then people act out those expectations.** - - "Roles also have a personal component: While the col- lective part determined by social expectations conveys certainties of conduct, the personal part of the role broadens the scope for creative development." - **--Roles are expectations, based on sociocultural norms. Yet individuals can interprete that role differently.** - "the way in which one fulfills the role of a father, for example, is not only a norm-conforming reaction to a collectively predetermined pattern of behavior, but also the result of all the experiences that one has gained as a father (and as a son!)." -  Page 205 - **How the individual play out their role is a tension between culturally predetermined expectations, and individually earlier experiences of that respective role.** - **The tension between collective and private roles is known as 'primary role-person conflict'.** - By the end of the 1930s, Moreno assumed that there was tension between the collective and private roles in the form of the primary role–person conflict. Moreno develops this assumption from his criticism of the conventional theater: The actor who acts as Hamlet has to suppress his private personality in order to fulfill the given role (Moreno, 1972, pp. 153–160). -- p206 - **There are challenges in living up a social expectation of a role, and integrating with other subroles within oneself.** - Nonetheless, everyday role-playing is always a challenge. On the one hand, one has to live up to the social expectations associated with a role and, on the other hand, integrate the role with other subroles within oneself. In this context, Moreno distinguishes between the following: - – **Role assumption**: assuming a completely predetermined role without any individual freedom for variation (“role taking,” see Moreno, 1960b; or “role enactment,” see Moreno, 1972), - – **Role play:** enacting a given role by taking a certain amount of liberty in composing the role (“role-playing,” see Moreno, 1960b, 1975), - **– Role creation:** the spontaneous creation of new role behaviors with a high degree of creative freedom, as would be the case in impromptu play, for example (“role-creating,” see Moreno, 1960b). - **Thought** **"I am currently reading this book.. very interesting to me!** **We all play different roles in our lives, maybe there is a MAIN role, and many sub roles.** **What are roles? -- Societal expectations on how the role should behavior, and the person acting out those expectations.** **Such as, expecting how a doctor should behave, how a teacher should behave etc.** **Think about the many roles we play; Son, brother, elder brother, younger brother, father, colleague, superior to someone, a man, husband, a friend... the "generous and carefree person", "The doting husband.."** **At times, the roles may be contrasting each other.. and find it hard to integrate all within ourselves.."** - "The integration of this tension between socially adequate roles on the one hand and authentic implementation of roles on the other hand is highly relevant to therapy, counseling, coaching, social work and other contexts. Some of the usual concerns in doing so are as follows: - – A client is trapped in traditional role conserves that are no longer adequate for the current needs (e.g. she has been appointed as an executive in her company, but still acts as a co-worker). - – A client has to learn a new role (e.g. the doctor’s role), but has no adequate role repertoire at her disposal. - – The requirements of the role have changed (e.g. agile instead of classical leadership), but the client still acts on the basis on his old role templates. - – The client can “enact” an expected role behavior (such as that of the lover), but feels uncomfortable and looks for ways to fill the role suitably." - page 206 **Role Behavior as Interaction** - **When i interact with someone, what context was that played out? This reminded me of language game. What game, what context am I playing, what role am i playing with that other person?** - "When an individual comes into contact with others, it always happens through a role that has been adapted to that situation." - 207 ![[Pasted image 20220204160320.png]] - The various roles that a person plays (mayor, brother, father) come together to form their own sense of self.  (page 207). - “Roles do not emerge from the self, but the self may emerge from roles” (Moreno, 1972, p.157). - The graphs in Fig. 14.3 give a good and compact illustration of the possibilities of analysis introduced by the cultural atom.  - Concepts in Psychodrama - Ego auxiliary - Protagonist - Director