'Rediscovering Groups is an extraordinary achievement. It illuminates, through narrative and commentary, the complexities and contradictions of group and organizational life. Marshall Edelson and David Berg, by writing with uncommon intelligence, wisdom, frankness, and clarity about their own intensely felt experiences, give us observations and insights that are at once intimate and universal. The book is so carefully constructed and richly textured, with stories so well told and commentary so pertinent, that it should be required reading for all of us – whatever our role – who work with groups of any kind. It fills a need that no other book comes close to filling.' – from the Foreword by Robert M. Lipgar Edelson and Berg use stories to present, reflect on and learn from experience. They contrast the stories we tell about individuals and interpersonal interactions and those we tell about groups and organizations, and when we most usefully tell which kind of story. The authors deplore the tendency to rely on individual psychology for understanding problems in groups or organizations and so, emphasizing the psychopathology of individuals, to blame them for what is going on. Their stories are about conflicts between individual and group, and how these affect the formation of a group and what it's like to be a group member. They are also about using and abusing authority; scapegoating; and perceiving, pigeonholing, and responding to members in terms of stereotypes of the other groups to which they belong (gender, race, ethnicity, and status). Finally, the book suggests the various ways different kinds of groups can be used to help people in distress. It also presents what goes into bringing about organizational changes to help people who are trying to do their jobs in less than optimal conditions. from the publisher's website Table of Contents Prologue. Part I: Stories 1. Arriving at the Idea of Stories, Marshall Edelson. 2. Using Stories in Doing Psychotherapy, Marshall Edelson. 3. Using Stories in Teaching Psychotherapy, Marshall Edelson. 4. Psychological and Social Theories as Narrative Paradigms, Marshall Edelson. 5. Essential Plot Ingredients: Diversity, Conflict and Dissent, David Berg. 6. Stories and Theories, David Berg. 7. Intergroup Stories Everywhere! David Berg. 8. What Stories does a Group Psychotherapist Hear? David Berg. Part II: The Problem of Interpretation: Which Story Are You Receiving? 9. Tuning in on the Group-as-a-Whole, Marshall Edelson. 10. The Characters Change, the Plot Remains the Same, David Berg. Part III: Individual vs Group. 11. On Being a Group Member I, Marshall Edelson. 12. On Being a Group Member II, David Berg. 13. The Movie Group, Marshall Edelson. 14. Diversity and Group Formation, Marshall Edelson. 15. Morality, David Berg. Part IV: Using and Abusing Authority. 16. Leaders and Followers, Marshall Edelson. 17. Teaching Psychotherapy: A Subversive Activity, Marshall Edelson. 18. Rebellion, David Berg. Part V: Pernicious Processes in Groups. 19. Thrown to the Wolves, Marshall Edelson. 20. Scapegoating, Marshall Edelson. 21. Individual Frames, Intergroup Scripts and Scapegoating, David Berg. 22. Gender, Marshall Edelson. 23. Group Identities, David Berg. 24. Belling the Cat, Marshall Edelson. Part VI: Intergroup Relations. 25. The Search for Community, Marshall Edelson. 26. Openness, David Berg. 27. The Effects of Intergroup Relations on Collective Problem-Solving, Marshall Edelson. 28. Betweenness, David Berg. Part VII: Using Groups to Help People. 29. Group Dynamics for Group Psychotherapists, Marshall Edelson. 30. The Now-and-Future Role of Groups in Psychiatry, Marshall Edelson. Notes. References. Index. |
