Psychodrama with the Elderly
Keywords:
PsychodramaAbstract
Elderly persons are vulnerable to the same emotional disorders as younger adults, but the prevalence of both functional and organic disorders increases with age. The application of psychodrama to the special needs of the elderly is particularly useful in drawing them out of their isolation and encouraging them to interact with each other and their environment. Psychodrama also provides a format that allows elderly persons to draw on past experiences and coping techniques to solve current problems. This article considers the use of classical psychodramatic techniques as well as warm up, role reversal, role training, and future projection in working with the elderly and helping them deal with their special life issues.
References
Buchanan, D. R. (1982). Psychodrama: A humanistic approach to psychiatric treatment for the elderly. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 33, 220-223.
Burwell, D. (1977). Psychodrama and the depressed elderly. The Canadian Nurse, 73, 53-54.
Butler, R. N., & Lewis, M. I. (1982). Aging and mental health: Positive psychosocial and biomedical approaches (3rd ed.). St. Louis: Mosby.
Carman, M., & Nordin, S. (1984). Psychodrama: A therapeutic modality for the elderly in nursing homes. Clinical Gerontologist, 3 ( Fall), 15-24.
Eisdorfer, C., & Stotsky, B. A. (1977). Intervention, treatment, and rehabilitation of psychiatric disorders. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the Psychology of Aging (pp. 724-725). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Gatz, M., Sawyer, M.A., & Lawton, M. P. (1980). The mental health system and the older adult. In L. W. Poon (Ed.), Aging in the 1980's: Psychological issues (pp. 5-18). Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.
Goldman, E., & Morrison, D. (1984). Psychodrama: Experience and process. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt.
Lewis, M. I., & Butler, R. N. (1974). Life-review therapy: Putting memories to work in individual and group psychotherapy. Geriatrics, 29, (11), 165-173.
Mazor, R. (1982). Drama therapy for the elderly in a day care center. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 33, 577-579.
Miller, M. (1972). Suicide after sixty: The final alternative. New York: Springer.
Moreno, J. L. (1969). Psychodrama (Vol. 3). New York: Beacon House.
Moreno, J. L. (1951). The theatre of spontaneity: An introduction to psychodrama. New York: Beacon House.
Moreno, Z. (1969). Psychodramatic rules, techniques and adjunctive methods, group psychotherapy. In E. Goldman & D. Morrison, Psychodrama: Experience and process (pp. 8-11). Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt. National Institutes of Health. (1980). Second Conference on the Epidemiology of Aging (Publication No. 800969). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Pfeiffer, E. (1977). Psychopathology and social pathology. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.). Handbook of the psychology of aging (pp. 650-677). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.