Medford mail tribune., January 19, 1958, Image 53

Here is your first clue. You express an interest in
Fred's girl, and learn they are night-clubbing and
spending freely, instead of saving for their marriage.
Then, on this particular day, Joe, the older worker,
had brought down his new car to show his friends.
This was what touched off Fred's resentment.
Now you try to lead Fred into realizing it is his
girl's pressure to make more money that has made
him unreasonable about Joe. Also you might add,
"When you think about it, Fred, those older men
didn't have anything when they started out, either.
They've acquired those things over the years." For,
although you can't save Fred's money for him, you
can keep him from carrying a grudge that could hurt
production and create friction.
The practice a superintendent gets in a case like
this doesn't guarantee that things will go just that
smoothly when actually dealing with a grumbling
employee. It only means that the superintendent
knows what to look for and is prepared to find it.
-r-ms is but a glimpse of how role-playing is used
' to train a person to handle industrial prob
lems more effectively. Let's see how it can be
useful in helping someone with an emotional problem.
Tony, a young veteran, was a handsome man who '
had lived contentedly in the shelter of a large family.
While he was in service, his mother died, his brothers
and sisters married, and Tony returned to live with
his father in a boardinghouse. Gradually, he lost in
terest in everything, couldn't sleep, was too tired to
work, wouldn't answer when spoken to.
Finally, a psychiatrist suggested that role-playing
be used. Tony went passively to join a group of six
persons, including a man of 30 who couldn't keep a
job, a pretty social worker who couldn't keep a
beau, and a businessman with troubles.
The director knew each one's background and that
they had all been sent to her for the same reason
to be helped to overcome the resistance they had de
veloped toward other people. By group therapy and
by role-playing, she would try to teach them new
attitudes, new ways to approach their difficulties.
She started by having them act out simple scenes
in their homes, using others in the group to play
necessary characters. At first, Tony took no part and
would answer irrelevantly when asked to discuss a
situation. The group began to eye him questioningly.
Why the isolation? Was he snobbish, timid, or angry?
He was the last to act out a scene and did so with
a minimum of action, as if it took tremendous effort.
Afterwards, however, he was more animated, almost
elated, he was so pleased by the group's interest.
Now, bit by bit, he entered into group participation.
At one session, the director asked him what he would
like to do the following evening.
"Go bowling with my father," Tony replied.
"Show us," the director suggested.
Choosing the businessman to play his father, Tony
enacted a surprising scene. As they went through the
motions of bowling, Tony called out the scores.
Each time, he made a strike! His father's score
was pathetic.
The group discussed this seriously, and concluded
they had found one reason for Tony's inaction. He
had such high standards that he had paralyzed him
self into doing nothing, as if saying, "If it can't be
done my way, I won't play."
in the months that followed, others in the group
' became aware they each had similar unreal
istic attitudes that interfered with their hap
piness. The social worker, for instance, acted out
situations which made her aware that her critical
attitude had frightened away every beau. The busi
nessman revealed he had treated his wife like some
one he'd hired for the job and could fire anytime.
Here, again, is only a glimpse of how role-playing
can help solve our difficulties. It can be effective only
when it has the voluntary cooperation of the indi
vidual. One of its greatest assets, however, is that it
is not limited by age or education. It is used with
retarded children, kindergarten youngsters, ado
lescents, groups of mothers, and with an entire family.
Its second asset is that it makes new use of the
learning-by-action technique, an effective method of
teaching. You saw how Tony went into action in role
playing. Once such a person feels he is part of a
group, he learns how to make a contribution to
society again instead of backing away from life.
, For More Information
You can obtain information on the uses of
role-playing from:
Boris Speross, Industrial Relations Center,
Haskell Hall, University of Chicago, Chicago, III.
Rosemary Lippitt, University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, Mich.
Robert Haas, University of Southern California,
Los Angeles, Calif.
American Society for Group Psychotherapy
and Psychodrama, 101 Park Ave., New York
City, N. Y., or 6 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, III.
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