[Report on research into the methods of group psychotherapy]

An attempt has been made by the present authors to arrive at a better understanding of and describe, the process of group therapy and its dynamics by means of an intensive and multidimensional study of a group of hospitalized neurotics undergoing psychotherapeutic treatment. The records of twenty group sessions, which were obtained from tape recordings, were analyzed by Hill's method with regard to their contents. Also, sociometric records were made of selected sessions, and we analyzed all of the various sessions and studies with regard to their latent manifestational contents. The results thus obtained are presently being evaluated. It appears that processes of group therapy are characterized by changes and by what may be called "nodal points"; what is suggestive of this is the noncasual coincidence of parameter variations observed when different methods of investigation were used. It is resonable to assume that interventions made at such points will increase the effectiveness of therapy.