Building on the individual's personal experience of groups, starting in the family, the authors offer an account of why things happen as they do in groups, providing a basis for developing groupwork in a wide range of settings, rooted in an understanding of the interaction between individual and group processes. Particular attention is paid in the group analytic approach to the social, cultural and institutional context within and outside the group. This book can be used both as a text for courses and to lead the therapist or group worker through the stages of establishing and conducting a group appropriate to the needs of the particular clients, residents or patients.