Isabel Menzies Lyth was ‘that rare combination, a distinguished psychoanalyst and social scientist’ , and ‘a formidable consultant in Tavistock group relations conferences’ with a ‘deep respect for the psychotic processes in groups’ and for the need ‘to remain open to their study without being blown off course by them’ (The Times ). She may always be best known for ‘The functioning of social systems as a defence against anxiety’ , but it was a combined concern with the social, the organizational and the individual that ran through her life, and sustained her both professionally and personally. I remember this well in her, as her editor in the 1980s, and later as a friend. In compiling this tribute, I simply sought memories of her impact, professionally and personally.1 A tireless devotion to life and development characterized Isabel, and the reflections here illustrate it in the different strands of her life.

Ann Scott