[Possibilities and dangers of group psychotherapy]

The author points out that in every group - also in groups put together for psychotherapeutic purposes - attention must be paid to the inherent sociodynamics. The knowledge of the sociological aspect connected with it is on this account important, because the individual is entangled in generally groupdynamic processes (e. g. the normative effect of the group, the emotionally relevant interactions that increase overproportionally with the growing density of interactions and simultaneous decrease of the emotionally neutral interactions, the amplifying effect of the group, etc.). Besides, the knowledge of the psychological aspect is important, e. g. the consideration of the development of a narcissistic group-self in the individual or in several persons, the mutual identification processes, etc. To comprehend the therapeutic process the knowledge of the usual movement of the group events is above all important. The differentiation of the five following phases may, however, only be taken as a scheme: (1) explorative contact, (2) regression, (3) catharsis, (4) insight, (5) social learning.