ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a general picture of what goes on in psychotherapy groups. It focuses on the contributions of psychoanalysis and group theories to the understanding of the various phenomena observable or deduceable in the course of group psychotherapy. The book presents the basic constructs of group dynamics: communication, role, norms, cohesiveness, goals and structure. It discusses the phases of group development that are potential for all psychotherapy groups, together with criteria for diagnosing fixations in development. The book describes the general aims and techniques of the psychoanalytic diagnostic interview; the reader is told how to prepare a patient for group psychotherapy. It addresses specific problems in group psychotherapy at the practical level. These are; acting out and it’s many meanings; socializing between members. The book examines the related phenomena of transference and counter-transference as they occur in psychoanalysis.
