sociatry

[edwschreiber at earthlink.net]

Moreno's vision of responsibility is deeply rooted in many Taoist and Buddhist spiritual traditions with a long history in Native traditions.  For myself, it brings me to his vision of being "world therapists" in the age of global warming.  I feel no tarnish, for myself, but rather a large vision, clear, precise, global, the fusion of spiritual with political.  Ed

-----Original Message-----
>From: Peter Howie <peterhowie at macquariehouse.com.au>
>Sent: May 5, 2008 4:57 PM
>To: grouptalk <list at grouptalkweb.org>
>Subject: Re: sociatry
>
>hi Adam,
>
>I think this is a kind of artistic, testimonial type of language - like man 
>religious writings and needs to be taken as such. It is inspirational (to 
>some) and of course stands up to no scrutiny whatsoever. However neither, I 
>might add, does any of the spiritual or god imagery that passes around 
>here. It goes something like this "If I feel it to be true that what is 
>said is simple fact. If I don't feel it to be true then it is wild, 
>unprovable speculation that is not even attractive and must have been 
>written by losers, tossers, ding bats or other wastrels with nothing better 
>to do then engage in idle speculation". Sorry - I go carried away with the 
>language but you get my drift.
>
>I was in a Non Violent Communication (NVC) workshop yesterday - and they 
>have the opposite belief - that each person has absolutely no 
>responsibility for anyone else - though I didn't go deep enough to see 
>whether this is an assertion that they want people to take up or whether 
>they actually believe it. It leads to a certain type of intimacy and a 
>certain type of isolation which I found anti-Morenian. However interesting 
>ways of using language were presented - and of course they stopped at 
>empathy rather than role reversal. But you can see, Adam, where Moreno's 
>dictum, wonderfully overblown as it is  -  is a powerful antidote/contrary 
>idea to that one.
>
>You might enjoy some of the copy I have written for programs at our Moreno 
>Collegium web site - they too are over blown. But I find the language 
>valuable to me and some other but certainly not everyone. Try 
><http://www.morenocollegium.com.au/psychodrama_sociodrama_sociometry_role_training_and_group_work_training_brisbane/open_night_series_s>this 
>one and <http://www.morenocollegium.com.au/node/155>this one.
>
>Cheers
>
>Peter in Brisbane
>
>
>
>
>At 12:30 PM 5/5/2008 -0500, Adam Blatner wrote:
>>Comment on Moreno quote:
>>          "Reducing man's responsibility to the psychological, social or 
>> biological
>>department of living makes him an outcast. Either he is co-responsible for 
>>the whole
>>universe or his responsibility means nothing. The life and future of the 
>>universe is
>>important, indeed the only thing which matters..."---JLM,  p. 201 "Origins 
>>and Foundations
>>of Interpersonal Theory, Sociometry and Microsociology" (1949) in 
>>Sociometry, Experimental
>>Method and the Science of Society by J.  L. Moreno, Beacon, NY, Beacon 
>>House, 1951.
>>
>>        I appreciate Moreno's scope of vision, but this quote is the kind 
>> of thing that
>>embarrasses me when I have to interact with folks beyond the circle of 
>>those who seek the
>>deeper meanings. On the surface, the hyperbole is absurd. How am I 
>>responsible for the
>>collision of galaxies, for the destruction of life on a planet as a nearby 
>>supernova
>>irradiates it and then blasts it? How am I responsible even for an 
>>earthquake as the
>>deeper mother-earth (the geological planet) shifts Her mantle and 
>>generates earthquakes
>>and volcanoes?  This kind of hyperbole, of excessive over-generalization, 
>>may express the
>>perhaps over-generous spirit of Moreno, but it also gives our field a bit 
>>of a tarnish. I
>>mention this because it is tempting to consciously or unconsciously 
>>imitate him in a
>>spirit of what edges into pathological spontaneity, a willingness to edge 
>>into excess to
>>make a point. I think such behaviors may be one of the reasons why our 
>>field has suffered
>>a decline in its status relative to other types of psychotherapy in the 
>>eyes of other
>>professionals.
>>
>>        The value of his point is fair, of course: Let us open our minds 
>> to how else we
>>might be able to consider our responsibility, and the exploration of those 
>>domains are
>>worthwhile. (They can also be facilitated through sociodrama and axiodrama.)
>>           Ah, wording. Warmly, Adam
>>
>>
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