ABSTRACT
This chapter presents social awareness as part of relational development. Philip Lichtenberg, Paul Goodman, and Erv Polster provide a theoretical foundation. Lichtenberg presents a “liberation psychology” that emphasizes the unity of the self and the social. Goodman presents a vision of group as a ground for the development of citizenship. Polster proposes the development of Life Focus Communities that bring the best of psychotherapy’s insights to communities that exist outside therapists’ consulting rooms. Case examples are presented that track group members’ development of greater social awareness.
