In Most group psychology workshopsregardless of the topic they deal with, part of the session is usually devoted to practice of what professionals call role playingIn general, psychologists tend to present this section of the workshop as an indispensable and beneficial element for the participants, but they do not explain exactly what this technique is or what it entails.
It is often described as “group dynamics” and nothing more, and since we tend to show respect towards the terms we adopt from English – whether because they convey authority or out of sheer ignorance – we accept them without questioning what we are dealing with. Because, really, what is role playing?
Role play: playing at being others
Role Playing is a psychotherapeutic technique Practiced in a group where a situation from everyday life is simulated and where each participant plays the role of the specific character that corresponds to them. The group as a whole represents this circumstance as if it were real, each one individually getting into their role in full consciousness.
Through representation, the ability of each individual to act and make the decisions that would be made in that situation not by the individual himself, but by the character he is representing, emerges. In this way, the technique allows develop empathy and the understanding of each participant, the main objective of Role Playing. Following guidelines close to theatricality, the participant, with practice, will learn to recognize his emotions and feelings, as well as the behavior that characterizes him in certain circumstances.
While role playing forces students to put themselves in someone else's shoes, the technique is useful for understanding others and, at the same time, improving assertiveness, thus allowing them to accept others, resolve conflicts and take responsibility for decision-making.
One, two, three, action!
The practice of role playing requires two main axes: a professional (psychologists or coaches), who guide and analyze the exercise, and a group – of a greater or lesser number – that practices the activity. The exercise is an improvised sharing determined by the professional and that the group will develop without prior preparation through the use of dialogue. The topics of these situations, according to PsicoPedagogía, usually have “moral significance”. Later, the professional will moderate a debate in which new solutions are obtained for the conflict that has been represented, reaching obvious conclusions regarding the consequences of the decisions taken. Likewise, the same professionals point out that, in the practice of the exercise, four phases are followed:
- Motivation. First contact, where the instructor prepares the group by introducing them to a climate of trust so that the exercise can develop without obstacles. Possible conflicts are also presented in order to detect what interest the group in question has or does not have.
- Preparation for the role play. The professional explains the conflict and provides the necessary information so that it can be represented. He also names the characters involved and assigns a role to each participant.
- Dramatization. The performance begins. Each individual acts according to the role that has been assigned to them, assuming their role and striving to carry it out in the best way possible. In the representation of the conflict, the student must think of the pertinent arguments in accordance with their role that allow them to participate in the dialogue that highlights the conflict that is being represented.
- Discussion. Once the performance is over, the professional gathers all the participants and discusses the situation with them. Returning to “real” life, the students, together with the teacher, analyse the moments that have arisen in the performance. Participants are encouraged to give their opinions and express how they felt in the role they had to take on.
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Better understanding role playing: case example
In front of a group of four people, the instructor presents the following case: the participants will represent a group of sailors who are on a ship that has shipwrecked a few kilometres from the nearest coast. Due to the weight of the crew, the ship begins to sink and the only way for them to survive is for one of them to sacrifice himself so that, with less weight, the rest of the cabin boys can sail to the coast. Otherwise, they will all die. Who will make the great sacrifice? The characters must argue who should and who should not jump off the ship according to their role, namely:
- Leader Character: charismatic, ability to speak, openly expressing what he thinks, bossy and selfish.
- Consistent Character: sensible and logical. Thinks of the collective benefit and not his own.
- Assertive character: great capacity for dialogue. Moderates shouting and is capable of establishing a rational discussion.
- Submissive Character: accepts any proposition. He believes himself incapable, weak. He minimizes himself in relation to the rest and assumes his “sacrifice” since “he is the least important.”
These characters can also be accompanied by personal traits and skills, such as, in this case, efficiency, speed in hoisting sails, good orientation at sea, strategies and logic, and the like. The objective of the exercise is not to obtain a “winner” – those who are saved – and a “loser” – those who sacrifice themselves –, and there are no rules or imposed results, but the group, according to its capabilities and circumstances, will develop the resolution of the improvisation.
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