ABSTRACT
Functional subgroups are different from stereotypic subgroups in that functional subgroups come together around dynamic differences, thus mirroring the way that systems develop. All systems differentiate and individuate through a process of integrating ever more complex discriminations: discriminating differences in the apparently similar and similarities in the apparently different. Systems-centered therapy is the method by which the therapist encourages the group to learn the skills of how to communicate within and between subgroups. When similarities and differences are processed within and between subgroups, integration takes place at the group-as-a-whole level. Systems thinking differs from more traditional thinking about groups in that it is systems-centered, not person-centered. The behavior of members in a group is therefore understood in terms of system dynamics rather than individual psychodynamics. Containing frustration is necessary if the conflictual elements of group reality are to be identified and addressed rather than acted out or acted in.
