Moreno's Personality Theory and its Relationship to Psychodrama

A Philosophical, Developmental and Therapeutic Perspective

Rozei Telias

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781351021081
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Mental Health in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Moreno's Personality Theory and its Relationship to Psychodrama discusses Dr J. L. Moreno's theory of personality and its relationship to psychodrama from the philosophical, developmental and therapeutic aspects. It provides a theoretical model, based on Moreno's personal experiences, combining existential-theological worldviews with a developed personality theory. Giving an integrative and critical discussion and analysis of Moreno, personality theory and psychodrama, Telias invites the scholarly community to revive the interest in Moreno's important work with this book that fills a gap in the theory of psychodrama and sociometry.

The book analyses Moreno's work from six interrelated perspectives: theory and Moreno's biography, the philosophical-theological aspect, the developmental approach and role theory, and psychodrama and sociometry. It begins by exploring parallels between Moreno's biography and his theory of self, examining the development of the concept of Godliness in different stages of life. It then considers Moreno's philosophical-theological perception of the self, Moreno's theory of the development of the self, the significance of the concept of "role" in Moreno's theory, and how the personality theory can be viewed through psychodrama.

Giving up to date reflections on Moreno's contribution and writings, this book brings a new perspective and will be of great interest to academics and postgraduate students in the fields of psychodrama, sociodrama, creative arts therapies, existential philosophy and intellectual history.

1
Parallels between Moreno’s biography and his theory of self

Moreno’s life story seems to wind down two paths: one, a biographic-chronological path, and the other, a biographic, psychodramatic path, where the imagery and the real meet and merge. Three key motives may be identified throughout the course of his life. The first motive is the search for the Cosmic Man’s model; the second motive is the development of the theological-philosophical perception, and finally, role playing as a means to man’s self-presentation. Those three motives were manifested in the psychodrama and sociometry method and therapeutic techniques invented by Moreno.

The idea of the Cosmic Man and the myth of the birth and the name

The Cosmic Man philosophy refers to an idea pertaining to the set of traits and characteristics that are universally common, which corresponds to Jung’s archetype. Tangibly speaking, universality constitutes an induction from individual problems to general ones. Moreno viewed himself as a voice representing the cosmic dimension, a belief manifested through the myths he established in relation to his place and time of birth, as well as the name he was given.

Place and Time of Birth. Jacob Levy Moreno was born on Saturday, 18 May 1889, at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, in Bucharest, Romania. He was the eldest son of Nissim and Paulina Moreno Levy. His father was absent from his birth, and therefore did not sign Jacob’s birth certificate, which is the reason why another male relative signed it.

Moreno was born to a Sephardic-Jewish family, who was a descendant of the Anusim, Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity and assume the dominant religion in the country where they lived. His story of his birth is associated with the Spanish-Turkish Jewish community’s history, which dates back to the expulsion from Spain. Based upon the limited information about his ancestors, it is known that Moreno comes from a family of educated men, who made a living as businessmen, physicians and lawyers. Even Shabtai Tzvi, “The False Messiah”, was known as one of Moreno’s ancestors. This background constituted some folklore, which was an integral part of Moreno’s upbringing. As he stated, the world seemed particularly mysterious to child he was (Moreno, 1989, p. 15; Hare and Hare, 1996, p. 2).

Moreno: The Myth of Birth. Moreno related his birth as occurring in 1892, on a stormy night, on board of a boat, sailing on the Black Sea from the Bosporus to Romania. It was on a Saturday night, shortly before the closing service. He claimed his date of birth to be inaccurate, since his mother was young and could not precisely calculate it. An air of mystery surrounds the tale of his birth, as he had no birth certificate (however, as mentioned above, officially he had).

There are no identifying details of the boat, either. Was that a Turkish, Greek, Romanian or Spanish boat? “The boat’s flag was unknown, thereby inflicting anonymity on my name and my citizenship. I was probably born to be a citizen of the world, a sailorman wandering from coast to coast; from one country to another” (Moreno, 1989, p. 16). This argument reflects Moreno’s cosmic view, stating that a citizen of the world belongs nowhere, and yet belongs to everybody. In other words, the Cosmic Man’s locus nascendi was somewhere on a boat sailing on the Bosporus waters (Marineau, 1994, p. 84). Zerka Moreno, Moreno’s second wife and his loyal aide in developing psychodrama, said of her husband: “It may well be said of him that he was not associated with any time, nor any place, family, nation, or any particular species” (Z. T. Moreno, 1994, p. xii).

Moreno’s mother never verified the tale of his birth. She altered the tale by stating: “It was a stormy night, as the Holy Sabbath was drawing to a close. You were sailing the boat, yet the latter was my body, which gave birth to you”. Thus, Moreno states that the tale of his birth “resorts to the Kingdom of Myths” (Moreno, 1989, p. 16). Formally, Moreno’s nationality was Turkish, by virtue of his father’s citizenship. Marineau indicates that Moreno’s tale of birth bears many versions, with minor variations, but the message conveyed by all is identical:

This story is an account that incorporates imagination and symbolism with reality. It represents what Moreno will call the poetic and psycho-dramatic truth.

(Marineau, 1989, p. 8)

In Moreno’s book, The First Psychodramatic Family, his tale of birth is preceded by the following words:

The stories told in this book strive to be psychodramatically and poetically accurate, as they exist in the minds of the people involved and told by them. They do not strive for historic accuracy. A psychodramatic biography differs in this sense from a historically analytical biography.

(J. L., Moreno, Z. T. and Moreno, J. D., 1964, p. 7)

Why did Moreno choose a travel by sea, of all circumstances, in the year 1892? In the myth he established and nurtured, Marineau reckons this particular date is associated with the religious mentoring Moreno received from Rabbi Bejarano as a child.

The lesson begins with the date 1892, namely, 400 years to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. Thousands of Jews were forced to convert to Christianity or were murdered or exiled from the kingdom of Spain, and many of them migrated to the Balkan countries and Asia Minor, as did Moreno’s ancestors, who settled in Turkey (Haworth, 1998, p. 18). His place of birth bears great importance as well, as the boat arriving in Spain on its way to Romania may appear as a summary of 400 years of family, social and community history. One does not sail only through the storms and the pain of a mother giving birth to her firstborn. Rather, one is also welcome to share the mystery and uncertainty of a larger group. Four hundred years earlier, Moreno’s forefathers were forced to bear the pain of leaving their homeland, facing the challenge of starting anew. Based upon this point of view, Moreno’s birth myth relates to his profound identification of the Spanish Jewry.

The idea of Moreno’s being a citizen of the world manifests itself even in his adulthood, a time he spent in Vienna, namely, in the years 1909–1923, a time when Vienna was home to many important movements, which greatly influenced the world’s history, such as the Nazis, psychoanalysis, communism and existentialism, to name a few. At the time, Vienna University was known as an international center for the educated, particularly the medicine and sciences faculties. In 1909, Moreno started his higher education at Vienna University, at a time when Jewish-Zionist and German-Nationalist students were clashing, as a result of Anti-semitism’s intensification he attempted to reconcile the disputes, but to no avail. He stated that he alleviated himself from the political disputes, thereby acquiring a unique standing: nobody knew his true identity. The nationalists would consider him a German, whereas the Jews considered him Jewish and the socialists considered him a socialist. Politically and religiously, he claimed some sort of universal territory for himself. Even his involvement in the Jewish community, which was minimal, times of crises excluded, implies ambivalence.

His connection to the community was essential to him, though not manifested directly, but rather indirectly, through his writing in relation to his closest friend, Chaim Kelmer.

His political philosophy, which was consolidated as he reached adulthood, reflected a view which perceives man as being above politics, partisanships, and sectarianism, thereby corresponding to the Cosmic Person view (Marineau, 1994, pp. 84–85).

The Anonymity Concept and Name Myth. Many believe the name “Moreno’’ to be Spanish or Italian, yet this is incorrect. The name “Moreno’’ is common among Sephardic Jews. Its Hebrew meaning is “our teacher’’, and it is also the Ladino word for “black’’ (Marineau 1989, p. 12). His father’s name was originally Morenu Levy, but was altered to Moreno. Hence, his name was Nissim Moreno Levy. His son, Jacob Levy, gradually altered his name to Jacob Levy Moreno, which was later abbreviated to J. L. Moreno. Adapting the father’s first name as his last name indicates their relationship and the desire to take his place. In 1925, when his father was gone from his life for good, leaving nothing behind, Moreno officially changed his name. Thus, by taking his father’s name, Jacob was able to present himself as the founder of a new dynasty (Marineau, 1989, p. 67). Thus he writes:

My relationship with my name has been interesting. My biblical name has been Jacob, while my secular name was Jacques. In early adolescence, a time when my behavior became peculiar, the more I drew away from my family, I also began drawing away from my name, that is to say, the name I was originally given. I searched for another identity, and perhaps sought another name, which would suit my new status, that new identity. Knowing a person’s first name and calling him that name implies intimacy, suggested closeness, an equal status, being part of the same tribe. Thus, I did not want to be addressed by my original name. Addressing or not addressing a person by his first name bears deep psychological implication. According to the Laws of Moses, using God’s name in vain is forbidden, apparently for the sake of preserving the mystic distance between the dominating God and the little man. Through the process rendering me the prophet, delivering the word of God, I expected people to treat me the way they are supposed to treat God, namely, not to know my name. That was the source of my concept of anonymity. Divinity’s anonymity, the self’s anonymity, and the anonymity of objects.

(Moreno, 1989, pp. 26–27)

Anonymity, as Explained Above, Corresponds to the Cosmic Concept, as Well as to Inductivity

The family circle and the environmental circle

Moreno’s first five years of life were spent in Bucharest. At the time, Bucharest was known as “Little Paris’’ because of the prominent French cultural influence that characterized it.

The family’s adjustment to Bucharest was quite rough, as all family members faced economic hardships, which worsened due to the father’s financial failures and frequent absences from home. Moreno was a cheerful child and described his childhood as the happiest time of his life. He learned and played, unaware of his parents’ drama, which surrounded him. Thus, the family issues had no damaging effect on him at that stage of his life.

As mentioned, Moreno’s parents were Sephardic Jews, descendants of the Marranos. Both were rather creative individuals in their respective fields. The mother, Paulina Lancu, was raised by her two elder brothers. When she reached adulthood, she was sent to a Christian convent, since at the time, it was the only structure where girls could acquire comprehensive education. Because of the nuns’ pressure to convert her, her brothers decided to marry her off at 15. Paulina was 14 when she agreed to marry the man whom her eldest brother selected for her. One day she was a schoolgirl at a Catholic convent, where she was introduced to the French language and to Christian values and culture. The next day, she was a wife, living on her own, while her husband, who was a merchant, would travel through the Balkan area, selling Turkish working tools (Moreno, 1989, p. 16).

The education Paulina received at the convent instilled a unique perception of religion in her. On the one hand, she had borne Judaism’s earlier influence. One the other hand, she bore Christianity’s influence later on. She was especially impressed with Jesus’ character. She engaged in a variety of fields related to mysticism, such as coffee reading, tarot card reading, fortune telling and consultation with gypsy crystal ball readers. She was known as a wonderful storyteller and also for her command in many languages: German, Spanish, French and, of course, Romanian. Paulina was a very popular woman, involved in the local Jewish-Turkish community life. She was considered an educated woman, relatively so for her time, sophisticated and calm, but did not always know how to distinguish imagination from reality.

Her marriage life was replete with issues, which emerged at the beginning; the husband’s frequent business trips resulted in their living separately for the most part, and when they were together, intense tension would arise. As a matter of fact, she raised her six children alone.

Jacob, the eldest, was placed in a special position by her, since they spent much time together, just the two of them. Jacko, as she would call him, was her favorite son. He became her closest aide, replacing his absent father. The father’s absence and his eventual leaving for good granted Jacob a special position as the family’s eldest son (Marineau, 1989, p. 15).

Moreno’s relationship with Paulina was unique. The latter meant very much to him. The young mother was warm and caring. The relationship between the mother and the son became even closer when he became ill with rickets when he was one year old. He suffered several severe fits, lacked appetite, lost weight and was unable to walk. There was fear for his life. No physician could offer any cure. It appeared that he would not survive. Young Paulina cried incessantly, and despair settled in. One day, when she took him out in the yard, a gypsy passed by and told her to cease crying and treat him as she instructed:

Go and get some fine sand. At high noon, when the sun burns hot, put the baby on the sand. The sun will heal the baby. Pointing her finger at the child, she added this prophecy: The day will come when this boy will become a very great man. People will come from all over the world to see him. He will be a wise and kind man.

(Marineau, 1989, p. 15)

Marineau views this tale as highly important, for it instilled the feeling in Pauli-na’s heart that her son was not an ordinary child. From that day on, she believed God gave her a task of great value, namely, to enhance her child’s health, heal him and prepare him for his future journey toward his role in life. This sense of mission, combined with her complex religious faith, was passed down to Moreno himself. Paulina began paying special attention to Moreno, thereby unconsciously laying the foundations for his future megalomaniac dream. Marineau believes this story to be the seed for Moreno’s “I am God’’ idea (Marineau, 1989, p. 14). Paulina accepted the gypsy woman’s advice, and several months later, her child recovered and was able to walk. The first part of the prophecy was fulfilled, while its latter part was gradually being created.

Paulina enhanced Moreno’s feeling of being the chosen, destined one. This influence was apparent through Moreno’s personal style and the charisma he developed throughout his lifetime.

The father, Nissim Moreno Levy, born in Turkey, was a sales agent who failed in all that he engaged. He was described as the one to spark a dispute, an argumentative individual who did little for his family. Nissim was a tough man who possessed absolute control over his family members and cast his authority on his children. He would often work away from home, drawn from his home and family. He expressed little enthusiasm when marrying Paulina, and their relationship began declining soon after they married. They separated for good when Moreno was 14. Nissim remarried in Istanbul, and probably had two other children, though Moreno did not know that for a fact.

In spite of the special relationship he had with his mother, and although he often morally supported her, when the final rift between his parents occurred, Moreno supported his father, opposing his mother and wealthy uncles.

The relationship with his father was extremely complicated. Moreno idealized the father figure. The more his father withdrew from his life, the more he internalized this figure. It was imagina...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1 Parallels between Moreno’s biography and his theory of self
• 2 Moreno’s philosophical-theological perception of the self
• 3 Moreno’s theory of the development of the self
• 4 The significance of the concept of “role” in Moreno’s theory
• 5 The personality theory viewed through psychodrama
• 6 An integrative and critical discussion and analysis of Moreno, personality theory and psychodrama
• Bibliography
• Index