Introduction
Psychodrama is a form of therapy that helps people control their activities through dynamic actions. This approach incorporates group dynamics and role-playing to help people who do not understand their emotions like anger, happiness, and fear. Individuals who undergo this form of therapy want to clearly understand their roles in life. The use of these action methods helps people acknowledge the past, present, and future occurrences in their lives. Students who have irrational behavior are confused and they need guidance when decision-making is concerned.
Psychodrama Therapy
Psychodrama therapy has its strengths in helping students with irrational behavior. In the beginning phase, these students have a clear and defined set of their environments. In the middle stage, the students’ confusion and self-doubt grow actively and build their character (Azoulay & Orkibi, 2018). The final stage is when a student gets a more realistic view of their languages and interaction. This whole process helps these students interact more freely with other students during school activities. Every program has its drawbacks that slow it down or cause other inconveniences. One of the drawbacks of using this program is role confusion, which occurs in the first stage. The students in the participant-observer role are often identified with the teen’s issues and do not have clinical experience to manage the problem (Azoulay & Orkibi, 2018). In the culminating phase, the hindering factor manifests during the end-of-year activities. Students mainly take this end-of-year activities as a distraction from the program. The school’s end-of-year activity means that they have to discontinue the training and resume when school reopens. Students, they think that it encourages rule-breaking (Azoulay & Orkibi, 2018). This program should be a continuous activity where students do not have to stop the therapy.
Psychodrama is mostly group therapy, which also applies to individuals. For example, site seeing helps students who are suffering from stress. It will help them clear their head and get a change of scenery. In this form of treatment, the therapist is an active participant. One of the techniques used by trainers is role-playing. Students have to perform an impromptu situation that causes them trauma (Maya & Maraver, 2020). This form of therapy has brought a positive outcome in students. Another technique is role reversal; a group member reenacts the student’s feelings and performs when the student is present. It helps students think from a different point of view and develop comprehensive ideas in specific subjects. It also helps students understand issues differently (Nolte 2018). Teachers require proper planning to make this work and see the changes in students.
The program employs five principal elements to conduct the work. A protagonist plays different roles that are similar in personality. They are also authors of their work because they portray someone’s personal life situation. It encourages people to be tolerant and learn to listen to one another. The second principle is auxiliary egos which portrays someone in the protagonist’s life. They direct the protagonist and play complementary roles (Lopez et al., 2021). The third principle is the director, who orchestrates the therapist and monitors the progress. They are also responsible for choosing the most suitable strategy during therapy. The fourth principle is the audience, the other members of the group (Lopez et al., 2021). They pay attention to what the rest of the members are doing and their observation is of great benefit to them. The last principle is the stage, where the whole scene takes place. The stage allows the protagonist to represent their inner world and illustrate their dream and fantasies (Lopez et al., 2021). Every group member has a part to play and express their emotions and learn at the same time.
However, both tutors and students will benefit from this therapy. By using this program, teachers will understand students’ emotions (Hashim & Bakar, 2020). Trainers need to know these programs, procedures, and strategies so they can be able to deal with any student misbehavior. The psychodrama techniques mainly aim at real-life problem-solving skills for their teaching practice. Teachers familiar with this psychodrama therapy can evaluate students’ strengths and weaknesses (Maya & Maraver, 2020). Motivation from teachers helps greatly in students’ behavior and development. Teachers need to think effectively to notice behavioral changes in some students. Tutors also need to plan workshops for students to reflect on coursework materials while discussing them with other students (Giacomucci & Skolnik, 2021). This form of the platform helps them relate well with others and improve how they communicate with others.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in every education sector, the psychodrama program has been proven to work in students with irrational behavior. This therapy helps students better understand their characters and handle real-life situations differently. Using this program at school in discipline will reduce and create a warm environment for students to learn. In addition, students who cannot relate with others will be friendlier and have a diverse attitude toward other students. Students will enhance teamwork and correlate well with other learners. It will create a pleasant platform for their learning environment.
References
Azoulay, B., & Orkibi, H. (2018). Helpful and hindering factors in psychodrama field training: A longitudinal mixed methods study of student development. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 196.
Giacomucci, S., & Skolnik, S. (2021). The experiential social work educator: Integrating sociometry into the classroom environment. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 41(2), 192-202.
Hashim, S. K., & Bakar, A. Y. A. (2020). Psychodrama technique in enhancing communications skills among Special Education Integration Program (SEIP) students in Malaysia: A case study. Education and Social Sciences Review, 1(1), 13-15.
López-González, M., Morales-Landazábal, P., & Topa, G. (2021). Psychodrama group therapy for social issues: A systematic review of controlled clinical trials. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9), 4442.
Maya, J., & Maraver, J. (2020). Teaching-learning processes: Application of educational psychodrama in the University setting. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(11), 3922.
Nolte J. (2018). Psychodrama and creativity in education. In: Burgoyne S. (eds) Creativity in theatre. Springer.