To inspire, encourage, and support research and writing in Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy.
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- Offer workshops at the National Conference and locally on research design, methods, and measurement.
- Maintain an online platform for discussion, collaboration, and consultation, supporting research and writing initiatives locally, internationally, and across disciplines.
Empirical research represents one important pathway for strengthening psychodrama’s standing as an evidence-based practice within the behavioral sciences, yet it is only one strand within a much broader and historically plural research tradition. Psychodrama has long generated knowledge through encounter, enactment, and relational transformation; empirical methods should serve to deepen and extend these foundational modes of learning.
Thus, a proposed triadic system research model specifically evaluates the effectiveness of the psychodramatic model identifying mechanisms of change (e.g., role playing, role reversal, active re-experiencing, and expression of previously avoided or unresolved emotions within a safe and structured environment. The model addresses trauma-related conditions (including PTSD), anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance-use disorders, and related mental health conditions. Psychodrama employs experiential methods such as role reversal, doubling, mirroring, and enactment of relational and intrapsychic conflict to promote awareness, expression, resolution, behavioral change, catharsis of abreaction, insight, or integration, exposure, and affect regulation. It also evaluates the efficacy of psychodrama for other purposes such as for personal and professional growth and development, teaching and training, and other applications “A truly therapeutic procedure cannot have no less an objective than the whole of mankind.” In its purest form Morenos’ conceptualization of psychodrama as one of three pillars along with sociometry and group psychotherapy.
- Thomas Treadwell (Chair)
ttreadwe@pennmedicine.upenn.edu - Rob Pramann
utahssccc@aol.com - Amber Bartlett
ambersbartlett@gmail.com - Simon McLellan
simonjmclellan@gmail.com - Bryn Ruggiero
brynwruggiero@gmail.com - Kate Merkle
katemerkle@gmail.com
Psychodrama is an experiential, action-based method developed by Jacob L. Moreno that explores personal and relational truth through dramatic enactment. In clinical contexts, it is used as a structured therapeutic approach for assessing and treating psychological and relational difficulties through role-playing, role reversal, and group interaction. Guided by a trained director, the process is sustained by the group as a relational field in an encounter in which members act as therapeutic agents for one another, enabling the development of insight, spontaneity, new roles, and emotional a catharsis of integration.
Clients enact significant life roles, i.e., self, others, internalized and externalized significant figures—allowing emotional experience, unconscious patterns, and interpersonal dynamics to be observed directly in action. Role playing externalizes inner experience, rendering affect, cognition, and behavior visible and modifiable, while role reversal enables clients to inhabit disowned or underdeveloped aspects of self and the perspectives of others. Both these techniques allow individuals to rehearse more adaptive responses and integrate new perspectives into their ongoing sense of self and the integration of new perspectives into one’s ongoing sense of self and relational world. From these foundational processes emerge additional action techniques—including doubling, mirroring, soliloquy, future projection, and the empty chair—which deepen insight, foster emotional integration and empathy, and support corrective emotional experience, role flexibility, and psychological growth. Participants enact real-life situations, internal conflicts, dreams, or significant relationships rather than fictional stories.
Sociometry is a systematic way of measuring and mapping interpersonal relationships, preferences, lived experiences, and patterns of attraction or rejection within a group. It examines who chooses whom, who avoids whom, and how individuals are connected within a social structure. In its purest form, it is one of three domains along with psychodrama and group psychotherapy.
Moreno saw the investigator as a member of the group which is to be examined. Every member has group research status; all are co- experimenters and are part of conducting the social experiment. Each group member genuinely agrees to be part of the experiment and is convinced it will somehow be beneficial to each member and to the group-as-a-whole. The results are used to organize or reorganize the group so that it is better aligned with the structure revealed. Applied clinical sociometrists utilize a range of methods to assist people and groups to review, expand and develop their existing psycho-social networks of relationships. Both fields of sociometry exist to produce, through their application, greater spontaneity and creativity of both individuals and groups.
References
Locograms, step-in sociometry see Buchanan, D. R. (1984).
Moreno’s social atom: A diagnostic and treatment tool for exploring interpersonal relationships. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 11, 155–164.
Lipman, L. (2003). The triadic system: Sociometry, psychodrama, and group psychotherapy. In J. Gershoni (Ed.) Psychodrama in the 21st century: Clinical and educational applications. (pp. 3-13). Springer Publishing Company
Research sociometry is an action research method used to examine the socio-emotional and functional networks that shape how work groups operate. It systematically maps patterns of collaboration, trust, influence, and informal leadership by asking members to respond to clearly defined sociometric criteria tied to workplace tasks and roles (e.g., “Who in this group do you seek out for advice on a work problem?” or “Who do you prefer to collaborate with on a challenging project?”
By making these relational patterns visible, sociometry identifies informal leaders, communication bottlenecks, subgroups, and socially isolated members. The findings provide actionable feedback that can be used to improve team effectiveness, decision-making, morale, and organizational climate.
These insights help researchers identify attachment dynamics, subgroups, and isolates, and guide therapeutic interventions aimed at increasing cohesion, safety, and corrective relational experiences. In this context, sociometry not only assesses group dynamics but actively supports therapeutic change.
References
Sociometry in Team Sports – Volleyball Example December 2022 International Journal of Sport Culture and Science DOI:10.14486/IntJSCS.2022.666
Group therapy was conceptualized by Moreno as a therapeutic method in which the locus of the therapy is the group rather than the individual, the group is the subject, and the group members are individual little therapists for it. The chief therapist is part of the group, and the medium of the therapy is separated from the healer as well as the group therapeutic agents. In this way “group therapy includes individual therapy” (Moreno 1934, p. 90).There are many different approaches to group therapy, yet they share commonalities creating a safe, supportive, and cohesive space to address personal, relationship and societal issues. Group therapy can benefit people of different ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, and race, cultural and ethnic backgrounds who want help with specific concerns, such as depression, anxiety, serious medical illness, loss, addictive disorders, or behavioral challenges. In addition, group therapy can benefit those seeking self-development by providing a safe environment in which to learn and grow. Group therapy involves treating the group rather than treating individuals in a group setting. It is based on the sociodynamics, the interrelationships and interactions of the members of the group, not just the collection of individuals and their personal dynamics. All group members are recognized as therapeutic agents, hence Moreno’s mantra “every man the therapist of every other man; every group the therapist of every other group” (Nolte, 2014, p 111). In its purest form in Moreno’s conceptualization, it is one of three pillars or interpenetrating operation domains along with psychodrama and sociometry.
References
Lim M, Cruz A, Sales CMD, Alves P and Moita G (2018) The Core Techniques of Morenian Psychodrama: A Systematic Review of Literature. Front. Psychol. 9:1263. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01263
Carollo A, Chen SHA and Esposito G (2021) Surveying 80years of Psychodrama Research: A Scientometric Review. Front. Psychiatry 12:780542. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.780542
Moreno, J. L. (1934). Who shall survive? A new approach to the problem of human interrelations. Washington, DC: Nervous and Mental Disease Publishing Co.
Nolte, J. (2014). The Philosophy, Theory, and Methods of J. L. Moreno: The Man Who Tried to Become God. New York: Routledge.
Purpose: The following scales are to assist in collecting and analyzing data to answer research questions, ensuring accuracy, reliability, and validity for drawing sound conclusions.
Each instrument description includes instructions for administration and scoring, scale development references (re. validity and reliability, etc.), availability, and permissions
Measurement Instruments
Provide validated measurement tools (e.g., sociometric tests, group therapy process measures, self-report inventories) as examples for students and practitioners to use.
- DepressionPHQ-9
- Anxiety GAD-7
- Anxiety Depression Inventory PHQ-4
- Health Anxiety Inventory HAI-18–
- GHQ-12
- Geno-pro genogram
- social networks inventory
- Social Atom Scale
- Perseverance Scale
- GRIT
- PTGI The Post Traumatic Growth Inventory
- Beck Scales Depression, Anxiety, Hopelessness
- DEBQ — Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire
