Impromptu Man ─ J.l. Moreno and the Origins of Psychodrama, Encounter Culture, and the Social Network

“J.L. Moreno, who fathered psychodrama, set a new world in motion. I doubt he ever dreamed his life’s work would change the lives of trial lawyers and the people they represent, providing us with a new way to communicate and give justice a chance. This book restores him to his rightful place in history.” —GERRY SPENCE, author of How to Argue and Win Every Time and founder of Trial Lawyers College

Jacob L. Moreno (1889–1974) was an early critic of Sigmund Freud, wrote landmark works of Viennese expressionism, founded an experimental theater where he discovered Peter Lorre, influenced Martin Buber, and became one of the most important psychiatrists and social scientists of his time.

A mystic, theater impresario, and inventor in his youth, Moreno immigrated to America in 1926, where he trained famous actors, introduced group therapy, and was a forerunner of humanistic psychology. As a social reformer he reorganized schools, prisons, and refugee camps. Moreno’s methods have been adopted by improvisational theater, military organizations, educators, business leaders, and trial lawyers. His studies of social networks laid the groundwork for social media like Twitter and Facebook.

Using original interviews with figures like Clay Shirky, Gloria Steinem, and Werner Erhard, written sources, and the author’s own perspective growing up as the son of an innovative genius, Impromptu Man is the study of a great and largely unsung figure of the last century.

Jonathan D. Moreno, called the “most interesting bioethicist of our time” by the American Journal of Bioethics, is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Jonathan D. Moreno is a philosopher and historian who has advised many governmental and business groups and served on a presidential transition team. He is the author and editor of numerous seminal books, including Mind Wars: Brain Science and the Military in the 21st Century and The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America. Called the ?most interesting bioethicist of our time” by the American Journal of Bioethics, Moreno is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, a member of the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and Psychology Today. He divides his time between Philadelphia and Washington, DC.