The Journey from Psychoanalysis to Group Analysis

Reviews / Votes

'Few people have contributed as much to the growth of mental health care in the United Kingdom as the late Dr. Malcolm Pines. Over more than sixty years he transformed the profession, not least the discipline of group analysis, increasing the number of patients in treatment by an unparalleled percentage. We extend our deep thanks to John Schlapobersky - an esteemed clinician and author in his own right - for having prepared these highly-readable, core papers with such meticulousness.'

Prof. Brett Kahr, Senior Fellow, Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, London; Hon. Director of Research, Freud Museum London; Visiting Professor of Psychoanalysis and Mental Health, Regent's University

'Malcolm Pines has piloted the ship of group analysis from its earliest days when Foulkes was at the helm, and he set its compass into the twenty first century with amazing prescience. In this enthralling compilation he revisits his journey from psychoanalysis to group analysis and brings together the social and biological worlds of discourse. His writing is coloured by reminiscences of the earlier pioneers. We find him admiring their ideas but refusing to be beholden to their monolithic schools. The result has been a liberating experience for practitioners all over the world whom he has inspired. He has not only chronicled the history of psychotherapy: he is an essential part of it and these papers represent the summation of his lifetime's work.'

Dr. Harold Behr, Honorary Member and Training group analyst, Institute of Group Analysis, London; Consultant Psychiatrist; Former Editor, 'Group Analysis - The Journal'

'I can almost hear Malcom speaking as I read the papers - some of which I knew but not all. He saw himself as a teacher and would talk softly, not at length, waiting for those he taught to add their own ideas to what he was bringing. These papers are often quite short but always stimulate the reader or the student to see their own ideas from a different perspective. Malcolm was a life-long clinician who had a very deep love of learning. These papers show his excitement at the drama of connecting new learning to our group analytic frame. An erudite, stimulating collection.'

Sue Einhorn, Training group analyst, Institute of Group Analysis (UK)

'Reading this book gave me great joy; it was like meeting Malcolm again still alive, with his spontaneity and freshness, clarity and depth. People who were lucky enough to know him will have the same joyful surprise on reading this book. Those who did not know him personally will have the opportunity to discover his great vitality and generosity. The enormous theoretical and organizational work done by Malcolm Pines throughout his life is impressive. Group Analysis is not only a healing discipline but an opportunity to expand the fields of linguistics, semiotics, communication and political science described here. The book is recommended not only for group therapists, psychoanalysts, and psychology students, but also for the general reader.'

Prof. Claudio Neri, Professor in Psychology, la Sapienza University, Rome and la Universita Statale, Turin; Training and supervising analyst, Italian Psychoanalytic Society; Member, International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA), Institute of Group Analysis (UK) and Confederation of Italian Organizations for Analytic Research on Groups (COIRAG)

'Malcolm Pines develops group analysis on wonderfully coherent terms in this collection which gives 'an account of our lifelong and often unsuccessful struggle to become, and remain, relatively healthy human beings' - living on reasonably good, tolerant relations with ourselves - our inner society - and with others - our external society. John Schlapobersky has done a fine job selecting and editing the papers.'

Dr. Robi Friedman, Past President, Group Analytic Society International; Co-Founder and Formerly Chair, Israel Institute for Group Analysis

'Malcolm and I first met at the Maudsley Hospital in 1975, where I was a young psychiatrist specialising in psychotherapy. Working with and being supervised by him was a lesson in the art of perceptive but gentle enquiry, always respectful of the whole person while exploring the reaches of their inner world. The breadth and depth of his erudition was astounding, yet always offered in the spirit of a Socratic dialogue among equals. His contribution to the field of analytic psychotherapy has been immense, leaving a legacy of outstanding scholarship and clinical acumen. Those of us who counted Malcolm a friend, remember with lasting affection the gentle giant of group analysis. I strongly commend this volume of his papers so thoughtfully edited by John Schlapobersky.'

Dr Andrew Powell, Formerly Consultant Psychotherapist and Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry, St George's Hospital and University of London; Formerly Consultant Psychotherapist and Hon. Senior lecturer, Warneford Hospital and University of Oxford

'Malcolm Pines is at his best in this fine collection, edited attentively by John Schlapobersky. The papers represent a distillation of 60 years embedded in group analysis and its culture of enquiry, from its very beginnings. He writes with beautiful clarity, a keen eye on the historical detail of the personalities and movements, and always with a gentle compassion. On reading him and integrating what he offers, you can easily discover his wisdom in your own work without realising its origins - something Oklander identifies in his Foreword. For those of us who trained with him, hearing his words again in these pages is like another immersion in the 'sound bath' he describes, and we are warmly reminded of the profound debt we owe to him. This book will be an essential, core text in our discipline. It is also a page turner!'

Dr. Jale Cilasun, Formerly Consultant Medical Psychotherapist, South West London and St George's Mental Health; Member, Institute of Group Analysis (UK)

'Beautifully written, these last papers of Malcolm Pines cover much of his wide-ranging thought in many of the fields in which he worked over a lifetime. He was a man I was glad to have known for over 60 years. Developments in Psychoanalysis, Group Psychoanalysis and Therapeutic Community are put in context, demonstrating how each one throws light upon the others. His quest was to promote the study and teaching of these endeavours and secure their future. He tells their story, and their success and spread are testaments to his work. There are also elegant papers using the myth of Narcissus and Echo to illustrate the to and fro of both auditory and visual communication from birth onwards, essential for the creation and maintenance of relationship throughout a lifetime. Malcolm envisaged this volume before he died and John Schlapobersky, his former pupil, colleague and friend, has completed and set it in its own context in an appropriate tribute.'

Dr. Jennifer Johns, Psychoanalyst, British Psychoanalytical Society

'This collection of Malcolm Pines's papers reflects changes in society and knowledge development over 30 years of practice. They illustrate Russian dialogism represented by Bahktin and Vygotsky to whom Pines returns, repeatedly. Their claims - that the personal and the social are indivisible, that the social precedes the psychological - demonstrate that we need the other to complete the task of becoming ourselves. Malcolm's contribution consequently evolves around concepts like dialogue, mirroring and resonance. I had not expected to find that these 'dated' texts would resonate so well with recent developments in relational psychology and social and affective neuroscience. He stands amongst contemporary theorists exploring the emotional drivers we are governed by, showing how the life of the mind is dialogue. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the life of groups. It will have an essential place in reading lists on group psychotherapy education.'

Dr. Christer Sandahl, Professor Emeritus, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm; Formerly President, International Association for Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes (IAGP)

'No group analyst since Foulkes has done so much as Malcolm Pines to promote and shape the development of group analysis in theory and practice. He was also significantly involved in the return of group analysis to Germany. This book presents well-known central papers and many others previously unpublished, brought together through the excellent editorial work of a pupil of the next generation, John Schlapobersky. Providing deep insights into the history of psychotherapy, the papers include the intersubjective turn in psychoanalysis and the interdisciplinary orientation and philosophical tradition that Foulkes brought with him from his Frankfurt years, prior to his forced migration to England. Groundbreaking papers like The coherency of group analysis, and From social mind to social brain, bear witness to this. The further development of his own perspective is combined with an openness to other, sometimes strongly divergent schools of thought, as with Building on Bion, Following on Foulkes. Contributions like Dialogue and selfhood - Discovering connections; Listening and the sonorous self; and The 'in-between', will remain indispensable points of reference for group-analytic thinking. Everyone with a serious interest in the group analytic tradition and its comparison to other forms of group psychotherapy and to psychoanalysis, will need this book.'

Dr. Thomas Mies, Director, Institute of Therapeutic and Applied Group Analysis Muenster; Training group analyst, Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Gruppenanalyse und Gruppenpsychotherapie (D3G); Co-editor, Gruppenpsychotherapie und Gruppendynamik

'Malcolm Pines was one of the few remaining links to the great developments in dynamic individual and group psychotherapy - and social therapy - in the second half of the 20th century. He participated in all of it and passed on his accumulated knowledge through his practice, teaching, training and publications. As one of the founders of Group Analysis, he was close to Foulkes who was also his individual analyst. He was at the forefront in the development of new ideas, his own as well as other sometimes overlooked theories of man and society. He writes about complex topics with an ease that can only come from a man of great knowledge derived from a life in close and personal contact with other great minds of his time. This last book portrays and sums up an incredibly productive life representing the accumulated knowledge of 60 years of practice as a group analyst and psychoanalyst - a gift to everyone interested in Group Analysis, its foundations, history, contemporary context and practice.'

Svein Tjelta, Training group analyst and Training psychoanalytical psychotherapist, Institute of Group Analysis, Norway. Formerly editor in chief, 'Matrix', The Nordic Journal for Psychotherapy.

'This book contains 20 of Malcolm Pines' key papers, edited by his good friend John Schlapobersky, the two working closely together before Pines died in July 2021. Several papers have been published previously others have been extended and many will be new to readers. They are ordered in six sections according to chronology and thematic category, presenting a rich selection of new themes and deepening group analytic theory. Pictures of Malcolm from numerous previous encounters and situations popped up as I read this book, as if I could hear him again. He has been a prolific writer, scholar, and mediator of knowledge as editor of the journal Group Analysis and as an eloquent speaker from the podium or with comments in large groups at international conferences - his influence and presence have been marked. He means something special to many of us trained outside the UK, as he originally effected contact between representatives of the Norwegian Psychiatric Association and IGA, London. There are two highly interesting introductions by the author and the editor respectively, and a Forword by Juan Tubert Oklander. Appendix 1 gives an excellent overview of all Malcolm's writing and Appendix 2 references all the books he edited in the International Library of Group Analysis. Congratulations to John Schlapobersky for his long years of work planning, preparing and integrating these papers. The book is a must for everyone who wants to understand the roots and history of Group Analysis!'

Steinar Lorentzen, Professor Emeritus and Consultant Psychiatrist, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo; Member, Institute of Group Analysis, Norway

'Reading this selection of papers - some old, some new - takes you on a journey through the historical evolution of group analysis, a discipline in which Malcolm Pines has been a pioneer, narrator, historian, teacher, innovator and deep thinker - the creator of its main theoretical and technical principles. This new book confirms and sustains our conviction that group analysis is the basis of psychoanalysis in a bi-personal or a group setting and gives us the deepest insight into the human condition. This book is a must for anyone who studies, works with or has an interest in the human soul.'

Reyna Hernandez-Tubert, Member, Argentine Psychoanalytic Association, International Psychoanalytic Association; Professor and Researcher, Doctorate in Relational Psychoanalysis and Group Analysis, Marista University of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico