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Role reversal is a Psychotherapy technique in psychodrama that demonstrates a protagonist's intrapersonal conflicts deeply and explicitly on the stage.Moreno, J.L. (1993) Who Shall Survive? Student edition, American Society of Group Psychotherapy, and Psychodrama, MeLean, VA. pp.55 This technique is perhaps the single most important and effective technique in psychodrama.Greenberg, Ira A. (1974) Psychodrama: theory and Therapy, New York: Behavioral Publications.Gershoni, Jacob (2003) Psychodrama in the 21st Century: Clinical and Educational Applications, New York: Springer. pp.112 In the form of psychodrama, the protagonist is invited to move out of their own position or role into the significant other's position and enact that role.Moreno, J.L. (1952) Psychodramatic Production Techniques. Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry. (4):273-303. Therefore, the auxiliary ego can observe and learn how to play the role. For example, in a parent-child's session, a protagonist who is the child reverses role with one of their parents. This technique not only helps the protagonist get more insight of a specific role but also helps the director, the auxiliary egos, and the audience learn more about that specific role.
The second reason is that role reversal helps the protagonist observe himself as if in a mirror. Through playing her mother's role, the daughter sees the role of daughter from her mother's perspective. Yablonsky provides the daughter description, for example: "From the vantage point of my mother, I saw for the first time that she feels badly about her age and her looks and is putting me down because she has begun to compete with me."
The next reason is that role reversal prevents the protagonist from being trapped in their own defenses. Yablonsky provides another example about the fight within spouses. Through role reversal, the spouses change their positions with the other and then produce new insight of the whole interaction. This technique helps the protagonist to gain more understanding of a significant other rather than being stuck in their own perspective.
The last reason is that role reversal helps an auxiliary ego understand how a specific role that they are going to play will be perceived by the protagonist. For example, when the daughter plays the role of her mother, she provides some information and cues for the auxiliary ego to know how the role of mother should be played. This technique enables the protagonist and auxiliary to demonstrate the problematic situation that is perceived by the protagonist.
Besides the above reasons, role reversal is useful for a protagonist to gain control over a hierarchy situation with which the protagonist disagrees. Paul HolmesHolmes, Paul and Karp, Marcia (1990) Psychodrama: Inspiration and Technique, London and New York: Tavistock/Routledge. mentions that this technique also enables other group members to learn the protagonist's view of important people. Role reversal helps the protagonist see their interpersonal relationships more objectively and transcend the habitual limitations of egocentricity.Blatner, Adam and Blatner, Alec (1988) The Foundations of psychodrama. History, Theory and Practice, New York: Springer Publishing. In sum, role reversal helps the protagonist, the auxiliary, the director, and the audience to get more understanding of the dynamic interactions of the protagonist's life.
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