Existential and psychopathological evaluation of group psychotherapy of neurotic and psychotic patients

General problems in researching group psychotherapy are reviewed, especially for those with similar theoretical and methodological approaches. The sample consisted of 100 subjects, 26 of whom were neurotic and 24 of whom were psychotic. They were treated in small groups, headed by the author (the experimental group). An equal number and the same categories of patient attended control psychiatric sessions (the control group). All subjects were tested twice. With three instruments: the semantic differential (with twelve existential categories, five general therapy, and three ego psychology categories), the Kotchen test, and MMPI (midiform). A discriminative analysis of tests and the repeated test data, statistically significant, revealed experiential changes in existential categories, such as "Freedom," "Sex," and "Love" amongst psychotics; and in the case of both psychotic and neurotic patients, treated in groups and compared with the controls, such categories as "Understanding among people." With the help of MMPI, a statistically significant reduction of hysteria in neurotic subjects was established, as well as the preventive effects of group psychotherapy regarding the emergence of psychopathy in psychotic patients. Correlation calculations indicated a greater discrimination in the perception of changes using existential categories in the experiencing of psychotic and depressive patients. Finally, the results obtained are discussed from the viewpoints of clinical experience, results obtained in similar research studies, and unanswered questions resulting from such research.