Sociometry Training

Sun Jul 12 15:43:19 CDT 2009

Cynthia, I believe what you have written are true statements of most training which gives attention to sociometry.  There are a couple of skills, if added, would enhance the broadening of the consciouness-raising to more sociatric awareness.  One is teaching participants to recognize the criterion, in very explicit terms, when choices are being made.

The simple criterion might begin "whom do I choose to speak for me in our current group conflict?"  A very explicit criterion might be, "In order to shuffle the current hierarchical ordering within our group and to move otheres into more prominence, whom do I choose to share the leadership as we engage in our current group conflict?"

In Australia, and sometimes here, the role engagement inspired criteria might be "Whom do I choose to represent the "progressive role" in this group conflict, the "coping role" in the group conflict, and the "fragmenting role" in the group conflict?

The second is to begin using the perceptual only criteria that ask group members to identify, "Whom do I perceive will be chosen on this criterion _____ (1) More often than me (+) ; (2) ABout the same as me (N) and (3) Less often than me (-).
The reasons are written on the paper where you have the three categories.  The results give you a group-wide perception of the hierarchical standing of a person for that one criterion.  If you examine multiple criteria you are able to see position over the role repertoire, and to find sub-groups of persons who consistently make the "more often than me" category, and those that more consistently are in the "less often than me".  When the group analyzes the reasons, it is able to identify what appears to be underlying the availablity to certain hierarchical positions in the group...and to begin to allow the information from all the group members to impact the ways their individual perceptions shape sociometric outcome.  Now, this kind of group study needs careful planning for, as you are not looking at actual choices, but the ways perceptions shape choices. My experience is that people often "see into others choices" and "know" them before they are spoken.  This is a way for the group to learn about this process and to change the group hierarchy.  It is useful to go right into multiple role reversals,  re-forming small groups to be inclusive and exclusive, and to structure events which shift the sociodynamic effect from this conscious place.

We need to have experiences of a variety of sociometric processes before taking them "on the road".  

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: CGayle 
  To: list at grouptalkweb.org 
  Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 3:34 PM
  Subject: Re: Sociometry Training

  One of the problems from my experience is sociometry is taught as awareness of consciousness of choice and access to roles, in creating a safe and well functioning therapy group, often excluding the sociatric healing goals of sociometry.  I think because training is usually limited to making a therapy or training group function well.  Outcomes of sociometric exercises make people are more aware of their and other's choices, and psychodramas or encounters can ensue depending on one's position and impact of the exercises.  All well and good.  But the sociatric goals of sociometry, such as to heal the sociodynamic effect, is not integrated into the training experience enough, if at all.  Healing sociometry enough for a therapy or training group to function well does not necessarily teach us how to live a lifestyle of choice for sociatric benefit.

  People are more aware of their and other's choices from sociometry, but I have found it often leaving them holding onto their choices more...feeling validated to honor their choices and roles from then on out, sometimes in an almost narcissistic way. The awareness of sociometric choice and our roles are just first, albeit complicated, steps toward the goal of sociometry, which is sociatry.  

  How much are we challenged to go outside our natural inclinations of choice?  How much are we challenged to go outside our comfort zone?  How much are we being taught how to (really) include the Other?  How much are stars taught to use their roles for community benefit or social good?  How much are we challenged to greatly stretch as individuals, to foster compassion and inclusiveness, and spend time with those we do not choose?  A hard thing to do, for myself as well. 

  Choice also effects environmental issues.  I can be aware of choices I want to do to help the environment, but which ones do I reject because I don't want to do them?  Do I honor my choice or do I get challenged to look at what I reject, and learn to stretch beyond my comfort zone?

  How do we learn to Love Ones Neighbor (or planet) as Oneself....if we just get better knowing what we like/want and don't like/want?  Or if leaders or stars are not taught how to use their social wealth to the benefit of the community?  Perhaps this is one of the biggest pieces Moreno left for us to continue to develop.

  Cynthia Gayle
  Seattle+

  ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Edward Schreiber 
    To: HV Psychodrama 
    Cc: grouptalk 
    Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 2:15 PM
    Subject: Re: Sociometry Training

    Hi, 
    Thanks for this!  I particularly love reading sociometry as "consciousness of choice and access to roles within the group and in people's lives."   I am made aware of systems thinking, Bowen and Holtzman and others, thinking that this focus on the freedom and range of choice we have, is dependent in part on who we are socioemtrically in this country, this world.  For instance, for many years, all of my life really, I could not take a role of legitimate, in terms of the social honoring of a partner recognized as equal to others.  Thank God that has changed and continues to change!  But I have a role too of consumer, for example.  In the HIV treatment world "victims" were changed to "consumers" attempting to empower people living with AIDS.  But consumer is deadly now, as we have perhaps, like some scientists tell us, have passed a number of tipping points in global ecological change.  The dying of the coral reefs being one of note.  So what does it mean to offer role training as the ecology may be tipping?  In thinking of these questions for many years and reading Who Shall Survive? with a magnifying class of a state of mind, trying to understand each meaning Moreno was asking us to consider.  The  most compelling for me, woven throughout, is his view on the sociodynamic effect as a human wide phenomena to which we are all being victimized.  Some more than others.  Women, continents of people, lgbt youth, and many  more.  But underneath this effect happening/noted in all social settings, Moreno realized an "social and organic unity" among humanity.  To the natural world as well.  Sociatry I believe is getting to that organic unity and using sociometry to allow the sociodynamic effect to be seen and changed.  Someplace we found a quote describing the instruments (sociometry, sociodrama, psychodrama) are for social change.  I liked that.   It's now about pioneering a new frontier, allowing ourselves to follow - and in my experience now, since my childhood, years of addressing life's ups and downs, it's fundamentally about finding a direct relationship with the Godhead, Zerka calls this an autonomous healing center within us.   I am finding this to be what I am finding in thinking about our method as having tools for all of humankind, but realize it's all in an early stage, still, now, in our collective's offering to the world.  In other words, I think the best of our work is before us.  Finding dialogue as Ann teaches is great.

    Thanks,

    Ed

    On Jul 11, 2009, at 5:38 AM, HV Psychodrama wrote:

      Adam, your heart is surely in the right place and clearly you are coming from wanting to honor something important. However, to add to what Ann wrote...sociometry is not separate from psychodrama. It would be like trying to teach heart surgery without teaching the circulatory system. 

      It is one of the basics, it is part of everything we do, whether we are aware of it or not. And it is vital that we psychodramatists understand it, learn how to use it, learn to be conscious of it. not as a separate discipline but as part of our method.

      And to be clear, I am not speaking here of all the sociometric group building exercise and warm ups as wonderful as they are. I am talking about consciousness of choice and access to roles within the  group and in people's lives.

      It is part of the difference between simple role playing and the richness of our method.

      Rebecca

      Original Message ----- 
        From: Ann Hale 
        To: grouptalk 
        Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 10:29 PM
        Subject: Fw: Sociometry Training

        ----- Original Message ----- 
        From: Ann Hale 
        To: Adam Blatner 
        Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 10:28 PM
        Subject: Re: Sociometry Training

        Having a special award may seem like a neat thing to do, but it is another way to split sociometry off from the action methods, as iff it exists apart from the integrative whole as envisioned by Moreno.  Of course you can separate out "techniques" for a structured learning situation, but it is hard to leave out the applied and action part.

        Every traumatic event is a sociometric one.  Every warm-up is a sociometric one.  Every psychodrama, role play, sociodrama, bibliodrama, soul drama, etc. has a foundation in the the nature of the interpersonal connections which support the risks taken, the willing acceptance of roles, and sharing from the heart.  Psychodrama is full-circle sociometry.

        Let's just keep on, keeping on the soul train of the whole shebang.  Ann Hale
          ----- Original Message ----- 
          From: Adam Blatner 
          To: ABE Psychodrama ; GroupTalk 
          Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 5:26 PM
          Subject: Re: Sociometry Training

          So what about having an ASGPP award for people who make substantial contributions to advancing sociometry?   I have proposed this recently, and of course folks will need to think about it. But it does seem as if sociometry continues to be given more weight in the last twenty years. Warmly, Adam
            ----- Original Message ----- 
            From: ABE Psychodrama 
            To: GroupTalk 
            Sent: Friday, June 26, 2009 3:32 PM
            Subject: Sociometry Training

                  Dear All, 

                  As usual Rebecca and Ann have been most articulate on the subject of sociometry.  I would agree that sociometry is best taught in training groups and I weave in the Sociometric Healing Circle as a way to explore how sociometry impacts every relationship that we create.   I also teach the unorthodox and that is intrapersonal and transpersonal sociometry.  I believe that the same sociometric patterns that we create with others we also create within ourselves (part of our self, parts of our physical body, etc) and with transpersonal figures.  It take a long time, maybe a few lifetimes, to really come to accept and be compassionate to all.  We can reject something/someone without anger, resentment, hurt and judgment.  At least I believe that is theoretically possible . I am still working on this myself.       

                  Dale Richard Buchanan

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