The Leader's Use of Metaphor in Group PsychotherapyGans, Jerome S.
doi: 10.1080/00207284.1991.11490640pmid: 2040540
This article discusses the leader's use of metaphor in outpatient, psychodynamic group psychotherapy. Four clinical examples are provided that illustrate how the phase of group envelopment informs the leader's use of metaphor. Therapeutic features and uses of metaphor include (1) the development of ego skills that transform passivity into activity and foster the examination of unhealthy norms; (2) the modulation and rechanneling of potentially destructive affect and the intensification of affect that is denied, minimized, or avoided; (3) the creation of a verbal play space in which shared group language evolves; (4) and the provision of various levels of concreteness and abstraction as well as differing perspectives. Abuses of metaphorical interventions are discussed.
Accounting for the Power of the Here-and-Now: A Theoretical RevolutionSlife, Brent D.; Lanyon, Jane
doi: 10.1080/00207284.1991.11490641pmid: 2040541
Psychotherapists have long recognized the therapeutic power of the here-and-now, but few have attempted to account for this power or provide a rationale for its efficacy. This leaves one of the most central concepts of group therapy without an adequate theoretical base. A major reason for this is the insufficiency of our Western assumptions of time and causality. These ascribe all human behaviors and cognitions to prior influences of one sort or another, making a true focus upon the present almost impossible. Even those who value the here-and-now are inevitably drawn into the past, because the Western philosophy underlying mainstream psychology makes this seem only logical. A theoretical revolution is therefore proposed that draws upon the lessons of history, the insights of other cultures, and developments in physics. This approach is then applied to group therapy, and specific advantages over conventional theorizing are noted.
A Typology of the Here-and-Now: Issues in Group TherapyFerencik, B. Michael
doi: 10.1080/00207284.1991.11490642pmid: 2040542
This article categorizes the range of here-and-now issues and behaviors that occur in group therapy and are the legitimate concern of the group. It distinguishes those internal events that occur as an integral part of the group process from those external issues that occur in members daily lives and that they bring to the group for its attention. These problems are further categorized by whether they are structural in nature or interactionist in nature. Thus here-and-now group behaviors can be categorized by whether they are (1) internal structural, (2) internal interactionist, (3) external structural, or (4) external interactionist.
Inherent Moral Practice in Group PsychotherapyMullan, Hugh
doi: 10.1080/00207284.1991.11490643pmid: 2040543
The large amount and variety of group psychotherapy practiced today enjoins us to determine its morality, that is, its rightness or wrongness. In this essay group therapy and morality are briefly defined. Using the writings of both philosophers and psychologists, evidence of morality is sought in the intentions and actions of both the patients and therapist and in the group process itself. Paying attention to “personal valuative acts,” which are moral in nature and in outcome, group psychotherapy results in the good of the patient, of the therapist, and of the art or practice of group psychotherapy itself.
Some Ethical Issues in Feminist-Oriented Therapeutic Groups for WomenLakin, Martin
doi: 10.1080/00207284.1991.11490644pmid: 2040544
Review of the origins of group psychotherapy reveals concerns with social as well as with personal “psychopathology.” Thus, group processes have been mobilized for curative or change purposes for ideological as well as individual therapeutic goals. Psychopolitical as well as personal change are the goals for some groups. The ethical problem stems from a persistent assumption that the group's processes are inherently benign and curative and beneficial to individual participants. A more sophisticated understanding takes into account their essential neutrality and their potential use (or abuse) for purposes of ideological persuasion that may or may not be personally therapeutic. As in other ethically implicated issues in the psychotherapies, the question becomes one of treatment versus exploitation, or therapy for the individual versus recruitment on behalf of a cause.
Small Group Therapy and Preadolescent Same-Sex FriendshipShechtman, Zipora
doi: 10.1080/00207284.1991.11490646pmid: 2040546
On the rationale that group psychotherapy focuses on interaction processes in close relationships, our study sought to investigate the hypothesis that small group therapy would be effective in enhancing intimate friendship in a dyadic relationship. The study group consisted of 102 elementary school students who had been referred for counseling help. Matched by age, sex, and similarity of problem, each pair of students was divided into an experimental group (N = 55) and a control group (N = 47). The experimental group contained eight small treatment groups and the control group contained seven matching small groups, leaving one special education group with no control. The results support our hypothesis that group psychotherapy positively affects intimate friendship of girls and boys. They further suggest the boys' need for such an experience, since without it they markedly deteriorate in intimate friendship. Implications for the group leader are derived from the correlations between gains in intimate friendship and group intimacy.