Riera Intercultural Consulting
Accompanying change processes in a culturally sensitive way
Sociodrama
​Why just talk about it when you can experience it directly?
Sociodrama according to Jacob Levy Moreno (1889-1974) is a group learning method that can be used to shed light on one's own and other people's systems. While the focus is on the group, the typical challenges of working together become visible, as do the values, hopes, feelings and thoughts of the individual group members. The playful setting in sociodrama enables the participants to learn more about themselves, their fellow human beings and the relevant external influences. In addition, various alternative courses of action can be tried out, group dynamics can be experienced and the participants' own repertoire of roles can be expanded.
Sociodrama is therefore a method for illuminating the group, testing decisions, dealing with conflicts, identifying contextual influences, predicting reaction behavior to changes and, incidentally, initiating personal development.
Sociodrama in the professional context
Sociodrama can be used in a variety of ways in a professional context. I like to use it as an analytical tool to explore certain situations such as the effects of decisions, the origin of conflicts or to illustrate interdependencies within a system. The insights gained through sociodramatic interventions have a more lasting quality than would be the case with purely cognitive processes. Physically engaging in a thought process allows a more holistic insight into the presumed perception of others. At the same time, the playful nature of sociodrama stimulates creativity and enables even more ideas to be generated about important influencing factors or approaches to solutions.
Sociodrama is also suitable as a team-building activity. For this, the team is given a fictitious task, such as preparing a bank robbery. The ensuing game allows conclusions to be drawn about the strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and risks within the team. At the same time, the fictitious roles taken on in the game give the team members a new impression of the strengths and abilities of their colleagues, which could not previously be expressed in everyday working life.
​Sociodrama in an intercultural context
​Sociodrama is a particularly valuable tool in an intercultural context, as it allows participants to directly experience their own and other cultures in a protected setting. Through targeted role changes, the participants can slip into different roles and thus gain a much deeper understanding of the other person, but also of themselves. At the same time, new ways of dealing with the situation or approaches to solutions can be tried out directly. In the final reflection, the impressions are collected and processed in relation to the question. Collecting the impressions of all participants, whether players or spectators, often acts as a multiplier that increases creativity and the acquisition of knowledge immensely.
