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The Aid for Overcoming Transition State: Psychodrama in Organizational Context

Session Code: NA15SIM02

Alexander LesnevskyAssociation of Psychoanalytic Coaches

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Learning objectives

• Construct an understanding of what are psychodrama and sociodrama

• Develop the skills on how to stage sociodrama• Adopt as a project leader how to improve climate in a

project team using sociodrama

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Questions for discussion

• Applicability of sociodrama in your organization/team • When to use sociodrama: Conditions, limitations• What an outcome to expect• When not to use sociodrama

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What we are going to do

• Why sociodrama• What is sociodrama• Bits of history: origins and parents of

psychodrama/sociodrama• How to stage it • Sociodrama conducted by me• Sociodrama conducted by one of you• Discussion

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Tribes and their languages

• Companies with good culture outperform companies with mediocre culture.The same applies to project teams.

• One of the possible metrics for “goodness” of a culture are stages (e.g. “Tribal leadership”)

• You have representatives of different tribes in your project team. They speak different languages.

• You need a tool or technique to make them speak with each other

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Tribes and their languages(Notes: you need to speak their language)

The theory of “Tribal leadership”. I was lucky to come to the seminar of John King in Moscow in July this year. “Birds flock, fish school, people - tribe”. Tribe is a group of 20-150 people. Tribes are building blocks of any large human effort. Each tribe is at a certain stage. There are 5 stages: 1- “life sucks”, 2- “my life sucks”, 3- “I’m great”, 4-”we’re great”, 5 -”life is great”.Suppose you haven't eat for 3 days. I’m passing by and have some bread. How would you ask me to give you bread? Ok. Now, suppose I’m deaf. Please do the same.

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Psychodrama/Sociodrama It’s a play which is performed

with creativity, spontaneity, “here and now” moment;

Objective: gain an insight on particular personal issue and gradually change behaviour

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Psychodrama/Sociodrama(Notes)

In essence psychodrama is a play directed by trained psychodramatist, it is also desirable that some of the actors in a play are trained in psychodrama. The psychodramatic client comes up with an issue manifesting any internal conflict, suggests the scene to play and selects actors for the roles. He also selects the role for himself. Then the scene is played and followed up by reflection on what have happened. As a result in most cases the client has some insights on his internal conflict and gradually the behaviour of a client changes.

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Aristotle

“Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions..” (VI, Poetics translated by S.H. Butcher, retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/ )

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Aristotle(Notes)The idea of psychodrama actually originates from Aristotle - see citation. The key words here are: “serious action”, “pity and fear” and “purgation” which is often referred as catharsis (intellectual and emotional clarification). Catharsis in turn is always accompanied by insight.

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Jacob L. Moreno1879 -1974

Jacob Levy Moreno is the founder of psychodrama.1917 - first experiences with groups in Vienna1921 - systematic use of psychodrama in practice, the first sociodrama staged at Vienna Comedy theater on Fools Day (April, 1)1925 - Moreno moves to U.S. and continues experiments with psychodrama1932 - Hudson project

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Jacob L. Moreno (notes)Upon immigrating to US in 1925. Moreno takes his father’s name - Moreno (מורה -is a teacher in Hebrew, “no” is typical Romanian suffix for family name) as his family name.The legend on how psychodrama was born is as follows: once upon a time Jacob playing with kids from neighborhood got into the basement. Jacob suggested to play God: “I will be the God and you will be my angels”. The kids agreed and they erected a pyramid from tables and chairs. Jacob sat on top of the “heavens”, other kids running around the pyramid, waving hands, singing - imitating the angels.One of the kids asked Jacob why is he not flying. Jacob tried to “fly”, fell down and broke his arm. Moreno regards this even as a first experience in psychodrama. And often defines his method as a “psychotherapy of fallen gods”.Moreno used to say that true psychotherapy is psychotherapy of the whole mankind. Moreno uses psychodrama in Vienna for treatment of the men with suicidal inclination. The first sociodrama in Vienna was complete failure.In 1932 Moreno successfully uses all of his methods in Hudson School for Girls in US.

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Sociodrama setting (1/2)• Number of participants: 5-20 from whom about 5

are actors;• Staging is conducted in mid sized hall with

movable chairs;• Time frame is about one-and-a-half hour;• Short warm up. Participants get acquainted with

each other.• One of the participants - “the client” - comes up

with a personal issue related to work.

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Sociodrama setting (2/2)• Sociodrama has 3 acts: 1- today's situation, 2-

association with childhood, 3 - “to be”.• Socidramatist discusses with the client the scenario

for Act 1 to be staged; • The client selects actors for the roles in scenario

and the role for himself in Act 1.• We play Act 1. The actors play spontaneously

according to their roles. 5-10 minutes.• Reflection and sharing. 5-10 minutes. • Steps starting from bullet 2 are repeated for Act 2

and 3.

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Sociodrama (notes)We used the following approach with the setting comprising three acts of the stage:

Act 1 - “as is” – how the client thinks and feels about his issue in the beginning.

Act 2 - “resemblance”. The idea behind this act is to play something from client's childhood, for instance relationships in his family. This association possibly produces an insight about the current issue.

The roles could be: people, emotions, any real or virtual objects, such as schedule, risk, workaround, etc.

Act 3 - “to be”

Refrain from touching each other

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Activity I

Sociodramastaging

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Activity II

Acting as a Stage Directorof a Sociodrama

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Discussion

• Applicability of sociodrama in your organization/team • When to use sociodrama: assumptions, preconditions,

limitations• What an outcome to expect• When not to use sociodrama

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• Name: Alexander Lesnevsky

• Email: alex.lesnevsky@gmail.com• LinkedIn: Alexander Lesnevsky

• Facebook: Alexander Lesnevsky

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