ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies similarities and differences between social therapeutics, coaching and psychotherapy. It introduces the founders of social therapeutics, Fred Newman and Lois Holzman, and key concepts they developed such as tool-and-result activity, being and becoming, the emotional zpd, imitation and completion. These derive from the discoveries of Lev Vygotsky, a 20th century developmental psychologist who offered markedly different views of child development than Jean Piaget. Also emphasized is the role of theater, play and improv in creating awareness and presence in social therapeutic coaching. The term “performance” takes on new meaning by moving offstage and becoming an experiment in new ways of being, doing, seeing and feeling. “Building the group” is also introduced as a collective activity. Taken together, these concepts, activities and terms make up foundational elements of social therapeutics’ non-truth referential, non-cognitive approach that recasts human development as a continuous life process best performed with others.
