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Schools and Movements

Psychodrama

Clinical Psychology

Psychodrama is an acting method, often used as a form of psychotherapy, in which clients use spontaneous dramatization, role playing and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives. Developed by Jacob L. Moreno and his wife Zerka Toeman Moreno, it incorporates elements of theater, often performed on an actual stage or a designated stage area where props can be used. Under the direction of a licensed psychodramatist, a psychodrama therapy group reenacts real-life past situations in present time, giving participants the chance to evaluate their own behavior, reflect on how a past incident continues to play out in the present, and more deeply understand particular situations in their lives.

Facts
Central Question
How can spontaneous dramatization, role playing and dramatic self-presentation of real-life situations help a person investigate and gain insight into their own life? 1
Founded Year
1910 1
Wikipedia hedges this date as approximate (Around 1910); no more precise year is given for Moreno developing the Theater of Spontaneity.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Psychodrama
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Wikipedia, Psychodrama, lead section
    Psychodrama is an acting method, often used as a psychotherapy, in which clients use spontaneous dramatization, role playing, and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives.
  • History section, Theater of Spontaneity founding
    Around 1910, he developed the Theater of Spontaneity, which is based on the acting out of improvisational impulses.
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