Understanding human in Morenian psychodrama

Abstract

The founder of psychodrama, Jacob L. Moreno, understood an individual from a holistic perspective, including his/her bodily, psychological, social and spiritual aspects. This perspective is an inherent part of the theoretical concepts within psychodrama: understanding an individual’s development, the concepts of encounter, creativity and spontaneity. Moreno’s psychodrama model represents an attempt to unify different philosophical, sociological and psychological theories that emphasize the importance of relationship. In Moreno’s view the relationship is the essential part of the psychotherapeutic process – a view that has gradually gained recognition in other therapy perspectives. In psychodrama, Moreno's initial concepts had undergone considerable development. Zerka T. Moreno made an especially important contribution in adding an intra-psychic psychodramatic perspective to the prevailing inter-relational one. This article presents a review of Moreno’s theoretical concepts with an emphasis on their spiritual component and their evaluation from a contemporary (psychotherapeutic) perspective.