The Visible and Invisible Group

303 Pages·1995·11.514 MB·English

by  Yvonne M. Agazarian, Richard Peters

THE VISIBLE
AND
INVISIBLE GROUP
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THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE CROUP
TWO PERSPECTIVES ON
GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY AND GROUP PROCESS
Yvonne M. Agazarian
Richard Peters
K A R N A C
LONDON NEW YORK
First published in 1981
by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd London
Reprinted in 1995 and 2004 with the Authors' permission by
H. Karnac (Books) Ltd.
6 Pembroke Buildings
London NW 10 6RE
Copyright O 198 1 by Yvonne Agazarian and Richard Peters
The rights of Yvonne Agazarian and Richard Peters to be identified as authors
of this work have been asserted in accordance with $§ 77 and 78 of the
Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the
publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A C.I.P. for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 1 85575 119 4
www.karnacbooks.com
Printed & bound by Antony Rowe Ltd, Eastbourne
Contents
Acknowledgnlents and dedication
Introduction
1 Two sets of laws
(;ro.olipt heory Yvonne Agazarian with Richard Peters
2 The visible and invisible group
3 The theory of the invisible group
4 The constructs of group dynamics as they apply to
the visible and invisible group
5 The phases of group development
6 Three levels of group process
Croup practice Richard Peters with Yvonne Agazarian
7 Interviewing and preparing a patient for group
psychotherapy
8 Specific problems
9 Transference and counter-transference
10 The co-therapy issue
Appendix 1 Phases of group development
Appendix 2 The force field
Glossary
Recommended reading
Bibliography
Index
Figures
2.1 Life space before and after attainment of goal region
2.2 Driving corces in relationship to the carrot (region of
positive valence) and the stick (region of negative valence).
Force x = positive valence; force y = negative valence
2.3 Driving and restraining forces in relationship to (a) the
stick (perceived) and the carrot (unperceive-dl; (b) the
stick (perceived) and the carrot (perceived) by the hungry
donkey
2.4 Driving and restraining forces: (a) the carrot and the stick;
(b) the carrot and the carrot
2.5 Lewin's representation of force field
2.6 Revised representation of force field
2.7 Three dynamic systems: l,2,3, whose structure and
function is isomorphically related and whose input and
output relationships are such that a change in any one
system changes any other
2.8 Venn diagram defining subset C by elements in both A
and B
2.9 Input/output relationships between the systems of
person, member, role and group
2.10 Two examples of systems A and B in interaction
2.1 1 System A in dependent transaction with B; system B in
independent interaction with A
2.12 Two examples of systems A and B in interdependent
transaction
3.1 Group and individual perspectives, representing different
levels of conceptual abstraction defined via general
systems theory as (1) individual system with sub-systems
(la) person and (lb) member-role; and (2) group system
Figures vii
with sub-systems (2a) group-role and (2b) group-as-a-
whole; related hierarchically and isomorphically. Odtput
behavior of each system is defined in the life space
equation
The individual systems perspective: from which group is
defined in terms of individual and social psychology
where person and member systems are components of
the general individual system and group-of-individuals is
equal to or greater than the sum of its parts
The group systems perspective: from which group is
defined in terms of group psychology where group-as-a-
whole and role systems are components of the general
group system and group-as-a-whole is different from
the sum of its parts
Person (P) and perceived environment (E) as components
of the life space
Perceived environment (E) as a perception of the person's
(P) real environment (RE)
Perceived environment (E) as a function of perceptual
discrimination style and realitylirreality filter
Past, present and future perceptions at the level of
irreality and reality
Life space showing person components of irreality and
reality (PI) (PR) in the environment (E)
Life space components: person reality (PR) and irreality
(PI) components in transaction with the person's reality
(ER) and irreality (EI) perceived environment
Dynamic systems in group illustrating the relationship
between the person irreality system and the member
system
Dynamics of transference (independent member irreality
interaction) (a); transference resolution (interdependent
member transaction) (b); and transactions between
member systems related to change in the person system
(interdependent person/member transaction) (c)
Dynamic systems in group illustrating positive feedback
between member and irraal group system
Dynamics of folie4-rrois described by interdependent
transactions between compatible irreality member
systems and independent interactions between incom-
patible reality systems
(a) Ann's person and member system modified towards
reality
(b) Triad member system modified as a function of (a)
viii Figures
(c) Transactions between member and irreality group
systems change
(d) 'Unfrozen' group
3.15 (a) Triad, illustrated from the individual systems per-
spective as a folie-ci-trois (see figure 3.13)
(b) Triad, illustrated from the group systems perspective
as a role in transaction with the group-as-a-whole 80
3.1 6 (a) Transactional interdependent relationships between
person-member systems and the irreality group
(b) Transactional interdependence relationships between
the group-role systems, and dependent transactional
relationships between the person and member systems
and the group and role systems
4.1 Implicit, explicit, individual and group goal regions
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
A2.1 Adapted force field model showing driving forces to the
goals of (a) flight and (b) fight, driving forces to flight
serving as restraining forces to fight and vice versa; with
the level of equilibrium representing the sub-goal which
defines the inferred goal of the system at the time the
field of force was described
Tables
3.1 Theory of the invisible group
4.1 Summary: group dynamic constructs of (1) norms,
(2) goals, (3) roles, (4) cohesiveness, (5) structure,
(6) communication, defined from the perspectives of
(I) the individual (a) person, (b) member; and
(2) the group-as-a-whole (a) role, (b) group 121
5.1 Phases of group development 150
6.1 Functional definitions of three levels of group process 178
App.1 Phases of group development (after Bennis and Shepard) 266