Malcolm Pines

A collection of 12 lectures and essays by one of the founders the Group Analytic Society and the Institute of Group Analysis. Much of the material focuses on the historical origins of psychoanalysis, including the interplay between psychoanalytic centres of Vienna, Budapest, Zurich, and London and the conflict between Anna Freud and Melanie Klein. Other topics such as Germany's relationship to the Jews and psychoanalytic concepts such as mirroring, child development, and healing are considered.

Foulkes, Bion and others identified the presence of primative layers of affect and object relations in therapeutic groups, where universal collective themes and early infantile object relations are re-experienced and repeated. These very profound emotions and energies present the maximum challenge to the group psychotherapist--the ``Ring of Fire.'' In this collection of original work, international contributors who have put considerable research and therapeutic effort into understanding show more these phenomena share their insights with the reader and give practical advice on how to manage the situation so as to bring about change and growth. show less