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Jacob Moreno saw that the idea of role in theatre is a powerful powerful metaphor for how we are as humans. The organisation of ourselves to be who we are uniquely with our personality and our system of relating can be pictured applying the role concept. Moreno recognised that while role was beginning to be taken up by sociologists, educationists and social psychologists in a variety of ways to make sense of how the individual fits into society and takes up the expectations of their community for a person of that status and in that position. It was cultural everyone knows how mothers behave in our society – whatever society it is we belong to. It was soon recognised that each person brings their own special way of enacting a role but essentially what will be done has consistency. We can all soon take for granted what any new technology will have service providers able to do and how they will do it.

A few more paragraphs and some links follow.

Moreno was already seeing this but also saw it in reverse he started with the bit that others reminded themselves of – that is individuality differences. He sees a vital spontaneous creative individual and saw all that they do as roles that they produce and live. They put the mark on the universe they share in creting not only who they are but how the cosmos is for all of us. Society is a system that is created by the numerous individuals and societal pressures which are communally constructed by fashions, planning or whatever will influence everything we take for granted and all we do. The particularity of being a me, the reality that I am me and the experiences I have as I make me role by role has me a unique similar and distinct person among others.

Throughout his life Moreno noticed this and that about the way we are. He researched and tested his experience observations and ideas. He wrote these down bit by bit. Taken together they are a heap of clues. The clues tell many things to look for and that will make a certain sense of how we live and are and how we become who we are. Role is not imposition and restriction for Moreno its the dynamics of being human his concepts provide a pragmatic life based set of clues we can follow and develop.

One clue is about there being thinking, feeling and action in every and any role. In the graphic and the description that follows three inevitable additional factors are recognised as alongside and essential to a concept that role has thinking, feeling and action. They are that: 1. values arise from interactions of thinking and feeling; 2. that every enactment of role is influenced by and in part limited by context; and, 3. that every enactment of role has consequences that can be imagined in advance – though are never absolutely predictable. They do require anticipation and they will require responsibilities in initial acting and then in follow up.

 If you go to my post on Components of Role you will find links to the document and graphics.

 You might also like to look at a paper I wrote, a work in progress, I am Myself and I want to be Me (Word)