sociatry ideas
Adam Blatner
ablatner at verizon.net
Mon Aug 10 15:27:36 CDT 2009
Dear Ivo and all,
1. August 10, IB: Right Adam, but feeling that your point 4 misleading. In WSS Moreno finds the root of Sociatry in WSS in Socius - the other fellow and iatreia - healing;
AB: sorry for the pedantry but I looked it up: Iatros is physician from iasthai ancient greek for heal...
socius Latin companion
2. IB All of Moreno's ideas tried to fight the doctor-patient model, and I don't think that sociatry relate to that at all, although I can see your point.
AB: Startling statement, unclear how that seems so for you. There's a little bit of truth re his wanting less authoritative group psychotherapy, but his behavior at his sanatarium was quite in keeping with the doctor-patient model.
3. IB But I admit this is a matter of taste, like your dislike about tele.
AB: Please don't give people the impression that I dislike tele, but rather think that while the dynamic is of central importance in a more holistic psychology, the term perhaps might be better understood by non-psychodramatists if called something else, such as rapport.
4. IB For me Sociatry calls for a higher level of intervention in society, a inter/ trans disciplinary approach to the socius with a fundamental emphasis to treat it. Quoting Moreno. "The art and skill of the sociatrist will depend upon a synthesis of knowledge toward which all social and psychiatric sciences will have made their contribution." And that doesn't exist yet as such, but we have all the ingredients...we have to cook them!
AB: Fine, when you've cooked up something specific let us know.
5 IB Of course we can always question: If that is so what is the difference between sociatry and politics. It should be none but it is not the case at this moment. What sociatry could bring to politics is a type of knowledge (e.g. sociometry, group dynamics, all the invisible structures, cultural bias, etc,) that seems to escape most of politicians today.
AB: Sure, it's nice to imagine that our political leaders could know all sorts of things and that this would help, but can you give a single example of how a political leader would act differently, think differently, knowing the above? I'm not saying they wouldn't, but integrating knowledge and ranking its relevance is a problem.
More, it is unrealistic to just dump all we know into an expert's lap and expect the expert to know how to pick out what is more or less relevant. (It's surprising how many less-experienced psychotherapists or psychiatrists will present a case by dumping out information in such a way as to demonstrate they they haven't begun to sort out what is more or less important---see my paper on my website on the art of case presentation.)
6. In the future Sociatry could well be the real political action.. why not as sociatry could not exist as such (if it aims a large scale social intervention) without politics? AB: The problem is giving more specifics, more definition: One could also say "Makingbetter" will be the real sociatry, which would also be the real political action.
Perhaps this quibbling about terms is unnecessary. I certainly want to support enthusiasm, and the belief that our field has important tools to introduce into the mainline of the culture. I have put this idea into many of my writings.
But an excess of abstraction just might evoke a counter-reaction, the appellation of "psychobabble," or some such, so I occasionally comment on this.
Best, Ivo AB And good wishes to you...
"The term derives from a Latin and Greek root, the one is socius, the “other fellow”, the other iatreia, healing." see above...
On Sat, Aug 8, 2009 at 3:13 PM, Adam Blatner <ablatner at verizon.net> wrote:
Okay, let's see. The world is in trouble in thousands of different ways at many levels. What can "sociatry" do? Which methods are useful with groups beyond the sick role? (i.e., beyond psychotherapy).
1. Starting small: Consider the feminist notion that the personal is political and reverse it. In the 1970s the institution of the happy nuclear family was questioned. Might it for some be a prison? Questioning social arrangements is one example. Could therapy include social action? Groups whose task is to change more than the consciousness of its own members generate new types of group dynamics, concerning as how best to accomplish its chosen tasks.
2. Recognize that sociometry and psychodramatic methods constitute at most only 23.2% of the many different kinds of skills and knowledge involved in social action. Things like composing an effective letter, lobbying, etc. --- there are hundreds or thousands of such components that transcend any particular discipline--- including the skill bases of rhetoric, advertising, spin-doctoring, propaganda, all the elements of politics, lobbying, newsletter editing, community organizing, etc. etc.
3. In a larger sense, much of politics throughout history (including some military efforts) have been rationalized as promoting what was for the time viewed as an improvement on the previous system. For example, feudalism, as prone to tyrrany as at was, was nevertheless believed to be an improvement of some degree of order and predictability, better than what had been happening in the earlier "dark ages" in which people felt far too vulnerable to robbers, invaders, and pure barbarism. In other words:
4. The problem with sociatry is the problem with fascism: The doctor-patient model of the 1940s (relating to the -iatros Greek root meaning physician) involved a wise knower-how-to-diagnose and treat and a submissive patient. This does not apply well to large social groupings. It is not at all clear that anyone knows how to fix it all and can garner adequate consensus for "I'll just tell you what to do and then you take this medicine and follow my 'orders.' type of management.
I'm just noting that the word may be misleading. The spirit Moreno advocated is something I share: Let's apply what we're learning in psychology, sociology, and every other field to efforts in every institution---political, educational, economic, clubs, recreation, medicine, etc. I saw his idea as an interdisciplinary vision during an era in which fields were more compartmentalized. Ed's advocacy of social action has merit, but awaiting specifics, I'm not sure that our field has more to offer than other fields. It certainly has some to offer, though!
5. I'm continuing to do adult education classes and weaving in principles from role theory, the idea of externalization and personification of defenses (i.e., imagining that they can be played, given voice, imagined to be little seductive con-men, little Bernie Madoffs or whoever). , and other Morenian ideas along with the contributions of others--- all part of the aforementioned idea of "psychological literacy" or promoting the continued integration of the insights of psychology in life.
(In a larger sense, I think sociatry refers in large part to this cultural trend towards bringing psychology into the mainstream of culture rather than its having operated at the periphery as a semi-irrelevant procedure for folks at the margins of society)
6. Writing, publishing, presenting at other conferences, and talking about how psychodramatic and sociometric methods might have applications beyond its own field... I think these are small but not meaningless efforts. A measure of humility is okay.
7. Continuing efforts (and modeling) in integrating good ideas from other fields will also help to break down perceptions of psychodrama as somewhat insular.
Those are a few things perhaps that can advance the idea of our field's relevance to social activism.
The targets include not only global warming (as Ed noted), but thousands of other worthy causes.
Some of these, interestingly, are complex: The question regarding health care for me, for example, is to what degree I support the present kluged-together bill or exert myself for the cause of a single-payer system (as supported by the Physicians for a National Health Plan)? It could be argued that in the present climate, a compromise is necessary and that single-payer has zero chance. On the other hand, the present bill is so fraught with compromises that it will be unsatisfactory in many ways, the problem will "heat up" further, and more radical surgery will be frustrated because "we already tried socialized medicine" (when in fact we only put our toe in the water, so to speak). So political decision-making is a problem in weighing which tactic to use in the interim.
Warmly, Adam
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