The Alcoholic Family Sociodrama Explores Social Atom Roles

Abstract

Sociodrama is an excellent tool for working with substance abuse concerns. This article shows how to help family members who have experienced alcoholism and addiction in the family setting explore social atom roles. Clinicians and educators are well aware that psychodramatic enactments sometimes can become so intensely personal as to increase resistance rather than dissolve it. Sociodrama is an invaluable educational tool that allows for greater emotional distance from the subject being explored. It supports the exploration of issues such as family dynamics, for example, in a less direct but still-engaging way, and particularly the traditional roles of the hero, scapegoat, lost child, and mascot.