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Review of Chapter 15 from the 2nd Volume of the book “Psychodrama Companion”, by William Wysong
- annabobikova
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
by Anna Bobikova 11.2025
Audience: clinicians, facilitators, educators.
Companion resource: a short video walk-through.
Introduction
This review covers Chapter 15, Part 2—Wysong’s reading of Moreno’s Canon of Creativity, woven together with Hollander’s seven phases. Read through my one-time-declared lens: I’m researching psychodrama for self-help and video delivery in my dissertation. Now, back to your curiosity: if you’ve ever wondered how “doing something new” actually happens, this chapter argues it’s a living loop—spontaneity sparks creativity, creativity hardens into cultural conserves, and then must be re-warmed before it goes stale. Hollander turns that loop into a practical seven-step roadmap you can actually use without needing a lab coat—or a stage.
Context & Question
Moreno’s Canon of Creativity addresses the foundational question of human transformation:
How does the raw impulse of life become an act of creation, and how can we renew this process when life becomes rigid or mechanical?
His theory responds to two intertwined problems: (1) psychological stagnation—when people repeat outdated patterns (rigid “conserves”)—and (2) spiritual disconnection—when creation is separated from its divine spontaneity. Moreno saw creation as both a psychological necessity and a cosmic process, declaring:
“God is spontaneous. Hence, the commandment is: Be spontaneous!” (p. 399)
In other words, the Canon is not only a map for art or therapy, but for living itself—a bridge between the inner spark of spontaneity and the outer structures of culture.
Moreno’s model
Moreno’s Canon is a theoretical model, describing how human creativity moves from inner potential to external creation through the interaction of spontaneity (S), creativity (C), and the cultural conserve (CC). Hollander’s commentary and reinterpretation extend it into seven phases of human and social creativity.
→ Structure: Warm-Up → Spontaneity → Creativity → Cultural Conserve (S–C–CC).
→ Participants: Individuals, groups, and cultures—each undergoes cycles of creation and conservation.
→ Moreno’s 4 Operations (1934–1953)
S → C: Spontaneity arouses creativity—the spark that initiates creation.
S ← C: Creativity is receptive to spontaneity—a reciprocal flow of energy and inspiration.
S → C → CC: Interaction produces the cultural conserve—a tangible or experiential outcome.
CC → S → CC: Conserves are reanimated by spontaneity—preventing stagnation and keeping culture alive.
W → Warm-Up
→ Hollander’s 7 Phases (1975–onward) of Emotional Responses to Change:
Frustration & Motivation: Tension awakens the impulse to act.
Warm-Up & Role Access: Gathering energy and recalling relevant roles.
Activation of Spontaneity: The spontaneous spark emerges.
Spontaneity–Creativity Synergy: Dynamic interaction between energy and form.
Creation of Cultural Conserve: A concrete product or new role is formed.
Integration & Renewal: Assimilation of the new conserve into experience.
Repetition & Potential Rigidity: Without new spontaneity, the process solidifies and must restart.
Findings: Top 5 Conceptual Results
YES! Without Warm-Up, no genuine spontaneity arises. It is both mental preparation and somatic ignition.
Moreno distinguished the S-Factor—the latent potential for spontaneity—from spontaneity itself, “an adequate response to a new situation or a novel response to an old situation” (p. 399). He described it as “a form of energy that cannot be stored or accumulated” (p. 399). This transitory spark propels creativity but vanishes if unused.
“Spontaneity and creativity are categories of a different order; creativity belongs to the categories of substance—it is the arch substance; spontaneity to the categories of catalyzer—it is the arch catalyzer.” (p. 400) Creativity, then, is the building block of culture.
Cultural Conserves are “products of human endeavor” (p. 400)—books, rituals, machines, or ways of being—that hold the residue of past creativity. But they can stagnate: “Conserves would accumulate indefinitely and remain in cold storage; they need to be reborn. The catalyzer, spontaneity, revitalizes them.” (p. 401)
When spontaneity fails, individuals and groups enter rigidity or impulsivity. Moreno and Hollander note: “Low spontaneity… will cause a person to do poorly or fail” (p. 404). The “affectless state” emerges as boredom, anxiety, and loss of vitality.
Mechanisms & Theory Tie-ins
→ Spontaneity–Creativity Cycle: Moreno conceived a self-renewing loop, “a field of rotating operations between spontaneity, creativity, and cultural conserve” (p. 401).
→ Role Theory: “A role is a unit of observable, conserved behavior… our roles constitute our cultural conserve” (p. 402). Each role evolves through the Canon’s phases.
→ Encounter & Tele: “Movement triggers spontaneity” (p. 409), which then enables authentic encounter and role flexibility.
→ Auxiliary Egos & Safety Structures: Spontaneity requires containment. Hollander’s Five Factors—parameters, adequacy, novelty, creative goal, and presence—ensure safety and direction.
→ Catalysis of Renewal: Moreno insisted that spontaneity must continually “revitalize the conserve,” making every act of therapy an act of world-re-creation.
Practice Takeaways
✓ Warm-Up Idea: The Field of Operations Map — invite participants to list their personal “conserves” (skills, beliefs, habits). Then identify one area of frustration—Moreno saw frustration as the precursor to creativity (p. 403). Use this as the ignition point for action.
✓ Action Structure: Role Reversal with the Conserve —
“Reverse roles with your own stored pattern—the part that keeps doing what’s known. Ask it what it fears would happen if you acted differently.”This links Hollander’s Phase Two (role access) and Phase Three (activation of spontaneity).
✓ Sharing/Closure Tip: Close by asking: “What cultural conserve have you created today?”—affirming that every role innovation contributes to collective culture.
Limitations & Generalizability
→ Theoretical Nature: The Canon is philosophical, not empirical.
→ Historical Context: Written across 1930s–1970s, it reflects the spiritual and early group-therapy climate of the era.
→ Bias: The metaphysical framing (“God is spontaneous”) may alienate secular audiences, though it can be read metaphorically as the life impulse.
Toolkit Box
60-Second Demo:
Name one repeating pattern (“conserve”).
Warm up for 20 seconds—breathe, move, or speak spontaneously.
Invent one new way to respond.
Reflect: Did a new conserve emerge?
3 Coaching Questions:
What conserve do you keep “in cold storage”?
How can you re-warm it with spontaneity?
What new conserve do you want to create this month?
Homework / Micro-Experiment
Change one small habitual behavior daily (how you greet, cook, or commute). Note how this affects your spontaneity flow and emotional tone.
Conclusion
In Wysong’s treatment, Moreno’s Canon isn’t mystical fog—it’s a maintenance plan for your creative engine: warm up → spark (S) → build (C) → keep (CC) → re-spark. Spontaneity is the catalytic fuel; creativity is the substance; conserves are the useful leftovers that need reheating before they become museum pieces.
For anyone who makes, teaches, leads, or just wants to stop rerunning yesterday’s script, the takeaway is simple (and mercifully actionable): prime the system, try one adequate-and-new move, name the conserve you created, and keep the loop alive. Genius optional; warm-up non-negotiable.
“God is not a giver; He is a creator. In order to be a creator, you must be a doer.” (p. 408)
Reference
Wysong. (2017). The canon of creativity. In C. E. Hollander (Ed.), The psychodrama companion: Important related material (Vol. 2, pp. 399–410) Volume 2. Reprinted from Who shall survive? (Rev. ed.).
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