“Role repertoire” and “role-playing”
A role can be defined as the actual and tangible forms which the Ego takes. It is a functional form which a person takes in the specific moment, when he reacts to a specific situation in which other people or objects take part. This form is created by the past experience of the individual and the cultural models of society, i.e. each role has a personal and collective component and is performed by everybody according to their own views and abilities.
Psychodrama role theory encompasses all dimensions of life: social roles – they express the social dimensions; psychosomatic roles – they express the physiological dimensions; and psychodramatic roles – the express the psychological dimensions of the self.
A person has a set of roles at his disposal that he has developed to a different degree (rudimentarily developed, normally developed or over-developed) which he performs in different situations and relationships – a role repertoire. In addition to those, there are other roles or variants of the available roles which he would like to develop. Sometimes these non-actualized roles can apply strong pressure on the official role, manifesting themselves as anxiety.
People from one’s environment respond to these roles with counter roles – for example parent-child, doctor-patient, husband-wife, and thus one forms a set of role relationships. Every culture has its own set of roles and role relationships which it strives to impose on its members.
Playing a certain role is at the same time a function of perception of the role (cognition) and performance of the role (presenting ability). It is possible for a person to have a high level of perception of a certain role and a low level or a blockage of its performance. This discrepancy can be overcome through role training (role rehearsal in a secure environment with the aid of assistants). Mentally healthy is an individual with a rich role-repertoire, role-plasticity, and ability to act appropriately at an appropriate moment.