The Group Focal Conflict

Treatment of Alcoholic Families with Nurse Home Visits

“…The supervisory seminars were conducted along the consultative lines suggested by Caplan (13, 20): a consistent focus on the family needs as a fulcrum for discussion of the nurses' feelings and reactions. The psychodynamic conflicts of the nurse group were analyzed along the lines of group focal conflict: group discussion was assumed to reflect a conflict common to all members with a group solution to the conflict (72, 73).…”

The clinical vignette: Use in teaching and evaluation of group therapists

“…The group focal conflict model formulates group interaction as a result of a wish (the disturbing impulse), a resultant fear (reactive motive), and a compromise solution (Whitaker & Lieberman, 1964;Whitman & Stock, 1958). Restrictive or enabling solutions to conflict within the here and now of the group are indicative of change.…”

Keeping a group psychotherapy program alive and well within a psychiatric residency

“…The theories covered are: Freud's group psychology (Scheidlinger, 1980); Bion's basic assumption groups (Rioch, 1970); Foulkes' theory of group analysis (Foulkes, 1957); Ezreil's theory of group analysis (Ezreil, 1973); Whitaker and Lieberman's focal conflict theory (Whitman & Stock, 1980); societal groups and ego development (Erikson, 1980); systems theory (Durkin, 1975); stages of group development (Dugo & Beck, 1984); self psychology and the narcissistic phase of group development (Lonergan, 1982).…”