ABSTRACT
This chapter clarifies that the philosophical, psychological and therapeutic aspects of Moreno’s theory, all founded on the same principles. The difficulty in figuring where theory ends and therapy begins stems from Moreno’s continued use of the same concepts in all three aspects. The present study aims at using the different concepts in their distinctive meaning in each area of Moreno’s thought and to demonstrate that they do not form different pieces of a puzzle. Rather, they reflect all of Moreno’s basic principles from a different perspective and starting point. This chapter also discusses the assumption that Moreno did not distinguish between his persona and his work, and thus reveals his three motivational components: “idée fixe”, the “fallen gods” and “normal megalomania”. These three components are also present in the theory of the infant’s development and in Moreno’s conception of cosmic divinity. Thus psychodrama emerges as Moreno’s attempt to link science and religion and as a means for the active realization of the “I” and for the revival of the “fallen gods”.
Finally, the chapter describes various critiques of psychodrama and Moreno’s personality.
