The Visible And Invisible Group

Understanding the psychodynamics of groups has derived from the two separate strands of theory and practice, resulting in two separate disciplines: group psychotherapy and group dynamics. Present-day group psychotherapy derives mainly from psychoanalytic theory and Bion's early experiences with wartime groups, and has been developed from the work of clinicians who practice group psychotherapy as a form of treatment. Group dynamics theory and practice, on the other hand, have arisen largely from the work of social scientists like Kurt Lewin, have been researched in the field and in the laboratory, and have been applied to groups as arenas for leadership training and behavioral change. The Visible and Invisible Group synthesizes these psychoanalytic and group approaches to group life and offers practical guidelines to the group psychotherapist. The authors advocate the simultaneous use of two perspectives: the psychoanalytic perspective for observing the "visible" group of people and their interactions, and a General Systems "Field Theory" perspective for observing the "invisible" group-as-a-whole.

This work synthesizes the two main strands that make up current understanding of group work: group psychotherapy and group dynamics. The authors advocate the simultaneous use of these two strands and offer practical guidelines to the group psychotherapist.

What would make anti-bullying initiatives more successful? This book offers a new approach to the problem of school bullying. The question of what constitutes a useful theory of bullying is considered and suggestions are made as to how priorities for future research might be identified. The integrated, systemic model of school bullying introduced in this book is based on four qualitative studies and incorporates theory from systemic thinking; cognitive, social, developmental and psychoanalytic psychology; sociology, socio-biology and ethology. The possible functions served by bullying behaviour are explored. Consideration is also given to the potential role of unconscious as well as conscious processes in bullying. The model suggests a number of causal processes within one-to-one relationships and peer groups, and highlights factors within individuals and schools that shape the form, intensity and duration of bullying behaviour in practice. The issue of 'difference' is also addressed, focusing on childhood deafness.

The book addresses the scientific debates on Rembrandt, Metsu, Vermeer, and Hoogstraten that are currently taking place in art history and cultural studies. These focus mainly on the representation of gender difference, the relationship between text and image, and the emotional discourse. They are also an appeal for art history as a form of cultural studies that analyses the semantic potential of art within discursive and social contemporary practices. Dutch painting of the seventeenth century reflects its relationship to visible reality. It deals with ambiguities and contradictions. As an avant-garde artistic media, it also contributes to the emergence of a subjectivity towards the modern “bourgeois”. It discards subject matter from its traditional fixation with iconology and evokes different imaginations and semantizations - aspects that have not been sufficiently taken into account in previous research. The book is to be understood as an appeal for art history as a form of cultural science that analyses the semantic potential of art within discursive and social contemporary practices, and, at the same time, demonstrates its relevance today. Works by Rembrandt, Metsu, Vermeer, Hoogstraten, and others serve as exemplary case studies for addressing current debates in art history and cultural studies, such as representation of gender difference, relationship between text and image, and emotional discourse.

This book is built around the transcript of an inpatient therapy session, giving the reader the opportunity to follow verbatim how systems-centered therapy actually works. The Other chapters give an overview of the systems-centered ideas, their formulation as a theory, and the systems-centered methods that put the theory into practice.

We are living in a time in which we are seeing a rapid unravelling of institutional structures in Western society and a re-alignment of values. The church is not faring well in this process. This book takes the form of an earthed and practical theology and asks the question ‘what is the church?’ Rather than a purely theoretical, or a purely pragmatic approach, it looks to the radical Reformers of the sixteenth century and finds there an emphasis on the church’s invisible realities and on community both of which have a relevance to the twenty-first century.

Group work presents the therapist with many situations, considerations, and, ultimately, decisions that are unique to the practice of group psychotherapy. The second edition of Complex Dilemmas in Group Therapy includes advice and insights from more than fifty of the most eminent group therapists in the world and is edited by two leading thinkers and practitioners in the field. In its pages clinicians will find expert guidance on some of the most difficult situations group therapists face, and they’ll come away from the book with a host of practical strategies for facilitating their work as well as deeper and broader understanding of the overarching ideas that underpin the practice of successful group therapy.