ABSTRACT
Historically, group work has not been aligned principally with the intrapsychic treatment themes in social work. The early social group workers, associated with the settlement movement and the youth-serving organizations, looked instead to the theories of Dewey (1934), Mead (1934), and Lewin (1951) for ideas that were compatible with their interpersonal perspectives about problems and with their commitment to social reform. The clinical aspects of social group work developed when it began to be practiced in treatment-oriented settings (Trecker, 1956) where it continued to be influenced by those early theorists.
