Workshop 3, Sydney 2025: The Significance of JL Moreno's Stages of Development in the Emergence and Renewal of the Self (2 days)

The three stages of the double, the mirror and role reversal, from birth to approximately 5 years, describe Moreno’s foundational sequence for human development. The corresponding techniques of doubling, mirroring and role reversal emerged from Moreno’s theatrical experiments with role playing and spontaneity in the 1920s. At that time, he knew that his psychodramatic methods worked, but not why they worked. His subsequent insight was that the therapeutic effectiveness of these techniques is because they “are profoundly related to the dynamics of human growth” (Moreno 1952 in Fox, 1987:136).

The significance is that the stages of the double, the mirror and role reversal also apply whenever the self is disturbed, has lost spontaneity, needs repair or is challenged in some way. Anyone can lose their spontaneity under certain conditions and revert to defensive behaviour or lose their ability to function adequately. When this occurs in a dramatic enactment, the psychodrama director is greatly assisted by recognising indicators of the stage at which the protagonist is functioning in that moment. Identification of the stage naturally leads to its corresponding technique. What is noticeable is that even a brief return to the relevant relational structure can allow the protagonist to regain their ability to progress their life in a personally meaningful way, precisely because the dynamics of human growth are activated and renew the sense of self.

In this workshop, we will explore the three stages of development and their associated techniques, their use by the psychodrama director, as well as the implications for individual and group functioning.

Reference

Fox, J. (Ed.) (1987). The Essential Moreno. Writings on Psychodrama, Group Method and Spontaneity by J.L. Moreno MD. New York: Springer.