Spontaneity as a biological and social value.
To Moreno spontaneity (sponte – free will) was the freedom of expression, a person’s state of readiness to act freely and to respond to the requrements in an appropriate way. “Spontaneity propels the individual toward an adequate response to a new situation or a new response to an old situation” – i.e. toward organized and adaptive models of behavior.
It is important to distinguish this term from impulsivity and weakened control of actions leading to emotional outbursts or confused actions.
Spontaneity is a biological and social value. It can be present in a person not only when he feels and acts, as it is commonly understood, but also when he thinks and rests.
A healthy person is able to quickly mobilize the spontaneity needed in order to meet the pressure that changes in life bring. To cope with the influences of the structure surrounding the individual, it is necessary for him to develop new roles or to actualize roles that have not been actualized yet.
An individual’s willingness to act and interact in a new, more creative manner than the one he is already familiar with, is the other important characteristic of mental health. Everyone holds inside an unlimited potential of spontaneity and creativity.