psychodrama's mission

[Adam Blatner]

   In the course of writing a friend about my interest in psychodrama, I found myself 
explaining my interest thus:
The world really, really needs this stuff, these concepts and tools. It may not need the 
whole package of classical psychodrama very often, but it needs to be using these methods 
far more often!
     Ordinary people---this is one of my targets---need to learn a practical type of 
psychology that includes experiential methods, and there are many components, from role 
reversal to knowing about and working with nonverbal aspects of communication, that are 
absolutely necessary for conducting effective approaches to working with people, raising 
kids, getting along with spouses, being on committees, management, education, and on and 
on.
      Although I cannot attend to the promotion of all its potentials, I think the general 
complex of Moreno's contributions--
  role theory, sociodrama, sociometry, diagraming relationships, action learning, 
rehearsal, psychodrama, psychodramatic techniques, role playing, integrations with other 
creative arts approaches, improvisational theatre, spontaneity training, valuing 
creativity, the spirituality of creativity immanent in each soul, etc.--- these are 
elements that are original, not found much elsewhere, and would deeply expand and enrich 
many other approaches.
      There is much room for people's continued creativity in refining these approaches. I 
imagine Moreno's relationship to the behavioral sciences to be analogous, for example, to 
Louis Pasteur, the major pioneer of the theory of germs, in the early-mid 19th century. I 
recognize that there has been a great deal of refining work in microbiology in the last 
170 years.

    Well, I just wanted to pass this along. Say, have any of you read my recent paper on 
the Journal about Moreno's contributions? I'd be interested in some feedback. Warmly, Adam