Psychodrama and Sociodrama in American Education
tdited by Robert tfaruett Haas, neason House, 101 Fark Avenue, JNew York, i/. $6.75.
The techniques of psychodrama and sociodrama are relatively new in the sphere of psychiatric methods. There are as yet few informative works on the subject and in view of this a new book about it is particularly welcome at this time, especially as a dawning interest is now showing itself in this country.
The author distinguishes between psychodrama and sociodrama. It is a pity, however, that he fails to make this difference clear until the Glossary is reached at the end of the book, though beyond being irritating, this may in itself be immaterial, as the stress is justly laid on action drama. I have so often heard the criticism levied against Group Methods, of insufficient proof?an argument which is almost impossible at the moment to counter. It was, therefore, with some relief that in reading the book I found the following comment:
” Is it a Science, or is it an Art ? It may be neither, but merely an effective way of helping people in Groups to explore and solve the problems which face them, and as such, is worthy of encouragement and development.” Psychodrama is a Gestalt conception. I cannot help but feel, making due allowance for clarity of thought, that there is too great a tendency to map the contents rigidly into too many compartments. The author has largely repeated the same style as Moreno adopted in his original work. In description he allows each character to depict his own feelings about the matter. This certainly lends strength to the joint enthusiasm and agreement as to the value of the method by the various players and participants, but to the student of psychology it becomes difficult and rather irritating to continue reading what appears to be a repetition of the same points developed from different angles by different people. This gives me a feeling of frustration?a feeling that I am being held back from discovering the next point while the theme is reiterated. This seems the more important as it occurs in a book which is primarily concerned with learning.
The theme, as the title suggests, is educational and various techniques used are carried out on children and students. I do not think, however, that this should deter one from seeing that its principle is equally suitable for application to the problems of adult life, even to the pathological spheres of psychosomatic medicine and the neurosis. The book, therefore, has a wider appeal than merely as an educational thesis. In essence, the problems are identical. In other words, how can we teach our neurotics and the emotionally immature to grow up ??for both are social problems. Possibly the most striking point about drama or action methods is the very great adaptability of the technique into almost all spheres of human interaction. The book itself hints at the possibility of its application to marriage and educational guidance.
Perhaps its other great merit is in the preventive sphere. Its claim in the closing chapter that sociodrama can be used for three purposes? diagnosis, therapy, and education. Diagnosis here is used not in the medical sense, but rather as a measure of the individual adequacy to function in the society. In explanation of the technique it is summed as follows:
The therapy of psychodrama depends on the fact that while realism is approximated and therefore emotions are involved, dramatic play never reaches complete reality and therefore allows the subject freedom to be expressive without fear of actual failure and that emotional blocking can be dramatically catheterized and allow healthy integration to take place.” In conclusion, I do not like the way the book i? written, but the conceptions developed are idealistically stimulating and abounding in potentialities and possibilities. R.B.M.
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