An Analysis of Integral Functions in Small Groups

Arsenian, John; Semrad, Elvin V.; Shapiro, David L.

doi:10.1080/00207284.1962.11508304

Cited by 53 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This has been the subject of some interest in the group (4,11,41,76) and family (28,36,63) literature, as well as those describing their experience with MFGT. This has been the subject of some interest in the group (4,11,41,76) and family (28,36,63) literature, as well as those describing their experience with MFGT.…”

Section: Development Of the Groupmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Like all standing organizations, groups develop over time, evolve internal forms, rules, and structures, and pass from a gathering to a group. This has been the subject of some interest in the group (4,11,41,76) and family (28,36,63) literature, as well as those describing their experience with MFGT. The number of precise developmental stages vary with each author, often depending upon whether he has focused on the group or the family.…”

Section: Development Of the Groupmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Multiple Family Group Therapy: A Review of the Literature

Strelnick

1977

Family Process

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This review focuses upon multiple family group therapy, its origin in the intersection of family and group therapies, its use in a variety of settings, its specific techniques and group development in individual and ongoing meetings, its goals and dominant themes, its parallels in family and group work. Also discussed are evaluation of outcome of this therapy modality and those dynamics thought to contribute to family change. Areas for further investigation are outlined.

show abstract

Section: Development Of the Groupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Development Of the Groupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Family Group Therapy: A Review of the Literature

Strelnick

1977

Family Process

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In order to approach this task, reference is made to a paper by Arsenian et al (1) in which they made some interesting observations about behavioural patterns in small groups. The first of these was that &dquo;the unit of group action and process is frequently not an individual, but a pair or larger structure&dquo;.…”

Section: Group-analytic Commentarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Paper presented to the Journal Club, Institute of Group Analysis, 12,7,76

Bott

1976

Group Analysis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This is an attempt to examine certain parameters of group behaviour in such a way as to extend the classical Freudian metapsychological constructs in relation to personality structure and to pose questions about the concept of mind.In order to approach this task, reference is made to a paper by Arsenian et al (1) in which they made some interesting observations about behavioural patterns in small groups. The first of these was that &dquo;the unit of group action and process is frequently not an individual, but a pair or larger structure&dquo;. This tendency is much more pronounced and easily observable in large groups, in which various &dquo;power blocs&dquo; form and disperse, and their composition may change considerably, with individuals &dquo;switching camps&dquo; as conditions within the group change. In the paper mentioned, it is also noted that, under variable instances of group composition, persons could change quite radically their characteristic way of operating, in effect responding to group pressures for certain patterns of behaviour to occur. They introduced the term &dquo;Billet&dquo; to express the notion that some recurrent behaviour patterns are largely determined by the requirements of the situation, and proposed its distinction from &dquo;Role&dquo; concept which they saw largely determined by personality factors. They cited an earlier paper by two of the authors (2) in which they repeatedly observed, in small groups, recurrent patterns of behaviour which threw up characters such as loyal lieutenant, a jester, a contender for leadership, etc., &dquo;paralleling the historians cast of characters in descriptions of court history and intrigue surrounding a centre'' figure&dquo;.The usefulness of these observations, to me, is that they permit a view of group process not asmuch as resulting from a collection of individuals in interaction, but as certain behavioural patterns, or Billet functions, represented by units of group action, interacting with each other. The individual membership of these units is of secondary importance, and may change considerably over a period of time, as may the nature of the Billet function. Over a lengthy period, any one individual may have the opportunity to identify (3) with, and take part in enacting, a number of different Billet functions, some of which may differ radically from his or her characteristic mode of relating.At this point, a deviation to consider general principles applying to all forms of psychoanalytic psychotherapy (including group analysis) is pertinent to the overall theme. The basic technique in these therapies involves setting up a therapeutic situation which is contrived so as to make maximum use of interpersonal interactions in bringing about significant changes in the intrapsychic structure of individuals. Central to this technique are

show abstract

“…For explicit work groups evil is the task, for therapy groups it is 'illness', for education groups it is ignorance (see Money-Kyrle, 1950). As pointed out by Arsenian (1962), aggression which can be extricated from the aim of devisiveness, and shifted in object, becomes a principal source of work.…”

Section: The Analogymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stuart Hughes recently wrote (1960): 'Psychoanalytic theory offers a more coherent set of explanations with which historians are just now beginning to reckon. ' Boulding (1962), in setting forth a general theory underlying family, industrial, racial, legal, and political conflict as well as those between nations, * The Menninger Foundation, Topeka, Kansas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The world in need of a ‘leader’

Appelbaum¹

1967

British Journal of Medical Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An Analysis of Integral Functions in Small Groups

Cited by 53 publications

References 6 publications

Multiple Family Group Therapy: A Review of the Literature

Multiple Family Group Therapy: A Review of the Literature

Paper presented to the Journal Club, Institute of Group Analysis, 12,7,76

The world in need of a ‘leader’

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About