ABSTRACT
This chapter connects the developmental theory and the idea of man as a role player. The term “role” is interpreted in many different ways, according to the field being studies. Dramatists used it in the theater; personality theorists used it to denote self-expression in a particular set of activities; sociologists used it to denote social standing; anthropologists used it to denote different cultural positions and traditions. Moreno adopted an interdisciplinary psychotherapeutic approach. His novel role theory strived to combine the psychiatric meaning of “role” with complementary concepts from the social sciences and theater.
Moreno developed his concept of role in a manner it could be useful for therapy and psychopathology. For him, the use of roles in psychodrama was essentially a dramatic concretization of role-playing. According to Moreno, role tests have the most potential for personality research.
