Impromptu Man: J.L. Moreno and the Origins of Psychodrama, Encounter Culture, and the Social Network

by Jonathan D. Moreno

“ Impromptu Man captures the remarkable impact of a singular genius, J.L. Moreno, whose creations—the best-known being psychodrama—have shaped our culture in myriad ways, many unrecognized. The record will be set straight for all time by this can’t-put-down biography, a tribute by Jonathan D. Moreno to his father’s masterly legacy.” — DANIEL GOLEMAN , author of Emotional Why It Can Matter More Than IQ

J.L. Moreno (1889-1974), the father of psychodrama, was an early critic of Sigmund Freud, wrote landmark works of Viennese expressionism, founded an experimental theater where he discovered Peter Lorre, influenced Martin Buber, and became one of the most important psychiatrists and social scientists of his time.

A mystic, theater impresario and inventor in his youth, Moreno immigrated to America in 1926, where he trained famous actors, introduced group therapy, and was a forerunner of humanistic psychology. As a social reformer, he reorganized schools and prisons, and designed New Deal planned communities for workers and farmers. Moreno’s methods have been adopted by improvisational theater groups, military organizations, educators, business leaders, and trial lawyers. His studies of social networks laid the groundwork for social media like Twitter and Facebook.

Featuring interviews with Clay Shirky, Gloria Steinem, and Werner Erhard, among others, original documentary research, and the author’s own perspective growing up as the son of an innovative genius, Impromptu Man is both the study of a great and largely unsung figure of the last century and an epic history, taking readers from the creative chaos of early twentieth-century Vienna to the wired world of Silicon Valley.

Jonathan D. Moreno , called the “most interesting bioethicist of our time” by the American Journal of Bioethics , is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Biography

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2014

Reviews

[Modya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and a fascinating presentation of the evolution of psychodrama and perhaps more the human potential movement. If you want an interesting take on the influences of Moreno and other key figures in American psychology then this is a great read.

My only complaint is the bend over backwards efforts the author (Moreno's son) makes to prove or at least strongly suggest that his father was responsible for just about every modern innovation in therapy, sociology, social network technology and many other areas. If he hadn't stretched so far to find tenuous connections to his father in just about everything, my stomach wouldn't have churned as much as I read the book.

That being said, his father was larger than life and therefore writing in the manner, making preposterous suggestions helped create a feeling of what it must have been like to have been in the company of Jacob Moreno Levy (J.L. Moreno).

[Joe Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Well, Dr. Freud, I start where you leave off. You meet people in the artificial setting of your office. I meet them on the street and in their homes, in their natural surroundings. You analyze their dreams. I give them the courage to dream again. You analyze and tear them apart. I let them act out their conflicting roles and help them to put the parts back together again.”

[Sally Balboa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have little knowledge of Psychodrama or of much psychology to honest. The most knowledge I have on the subject comes from a Psychology course in high school where we barely touched the topic at hand. Even less was I aware of J.L. Moreno, because as the book says he isn't mentioned in text books. I'm glad to have read this book it gives greater insight on my culture and how J.L. helped shape it, even if he is never truly accredited.


Impromptu Man starts off with the famous Clint Eastwood incident with mitt Romney, when Obama was missing from the conversation in the empty chair. From their the book stems off into other ways that the authors father has helped to shape culture as we know it. From comedian acts too acts of therapy. It also touches on people that J.L. touched with his research or by other means, such as being a homework buddy.


I think that the story of J.L. is uniquely told being that the author is the son of the man at hand. The son who by the way, was not alive at the height of his fathers fame. He came along later on, so for the most part it the book is written with detachment. But I do suspect the author at least a little bit may have embellished or idolized his father, in the novel. But if this did occur it isn’t glaringly obvious. Nor did it stunt the novel.


This novel is a good example of the saying, "History is written by the winners." It shows the many experiments with people that J.L. started and are continued or at least a strain of what it originally was. Yet, he is not in a text book that I've ever been acquainted with, nor in social media the way some of the authors from that period are. *Cough* Freud *Cough*

[Megan Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this book, and I have to say I'm glad I got to read it. Moreno (the author) has written a book that details not only the genius, but also the humanity of a man that is not only the author's father, but also a sometimes overlooked leader in the field of psychology. Impromptu Man reminds me of those extra books that were included on my reading lists in college, that were meant to help students understand that history isn't just about dates and individual events, but the lives and personalities of those living and working in that time period. Moreno the author serves up each chapter as either a chronological registry of the events that either change or reinforce the views/beliefs/teachings of J. L. Moreno and how that leads him to developing the basic concepts of psychodrama and group therapy, and how that influences the fellow leaders and teachers in the field, as well as the fields of theater, leadership training and marketing. Suffice to say, this would not have been a book that I would have picked up on my own, but it is a book I'm glad I got the chance to read, and I would recommend it not only to students of psychology, but also too students of the human condition.

[Adam Bricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not exactly a page turner, Impromptu Man is a well-written and thought-provoking book that explores many of the ideas and terms behind psychiatry and sociology. Delving into the history of J.L. Moreno and his extensive work in helping people find cures to their own problems by role playing and projection, as well as, his studies of group interactions.

Definitely an interesting read if you've ever wondered how who we are impacts how we interact with others.

[Mike R.W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"....J.L.'s other major contribution to our culture: the social network. For J.L., human experience is not just individual but "interpersonal'," so he created the science of sociometry, the measurement of small group relations. He was the first to draw maps of the relationships in groups, maps he called "sociograms.""

[Brian DiNitto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book, despite minor typos and the son defending the father's timeline of "being there first." Wide range of connections and modern progeny of his ideas were intriguing.