The Anti-Group

The 'anti-group' is a major conceptual addition to the theory and practice of group psychotherapy. It comprises the negative, disruptive elements, which threaten to undermine and even destroy the group, but when contained, have the potential to mobilise the group's creative processes. Understanding the 'anti-group' gives therapists new perspectives on the nature of relationships and alternative strategies for managing destructive behaviour.

Morris Nitsun is a consultant psychologist for the Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, a psychotherapist at the Fitzrovia Group Analytic Practice, a training analyst at the Institute of Group Analysis and the convenor of the Diploma in Innovative Group Interventions at the Anna Freud Clinic. His books include The Group as an Object of Desire (Routledge, 2006) and Beyond the Anti-Group: Survival and transformation (Routledge, 2015).

Introduction; Foulkes' contribution; The concept of the anti-group; Clinical illustrations of the anti-group; Determinants of the anti-group I; Determinants of the anti-group II; Technical considerations in dealing with the anti-group; The role of the conductor; The transformational potential of the anti-group; 'Nippets and Imps'; The anti-group in the wider social sphere; Conclusion;