BRIEF REPORT: The Operational Components of Drama Therapy

Authors

  • GREG PETITTI Author

Keywords:

Therapy

Abstract

J. L. Moreno, the father of psychodrama, saw theater not only as an imitation of life but also as "an extension of life" (Moreno, 1951) or the "recapitulation of unsolved problems within a freer, broader and more flexible setting" (Moreno, 1946). Moreno can be credited with most of the action methods and action techniques in use in group psychotherapy today. In addition to Moreno, other innovators have developed techniques for using drama in human relations. Hilarion Petzold (1982) identified a recent specialization, called drama therapy, as a wide "spectrum of methods" that combine drama and psychotherapy to pursue creative and educational goals and to provide insight into the individual's specific emotional state.

References

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Petzold, H. (1982). Dramatische therapie. In H. Petzold (ed.) Dramatische therapie: wege der behandlung durch psychodrama, rollenspiel, therapeutisches theater, (pp. 9-21). Stuttgart: Hippokrates-Verlag.

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Published

2025-03-14

Issue

Vol. 45 No. 1 (1992): Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama, and Sociometry

Section

Articles

License

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