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Editorially, this is a well-engineered book, divided, like Gaul, into three parts. The distinguished contributors were asked to present their views, first, on recent therapeutic developments, then on clinical applications to patient care, and finally on the role of the therapist. Each of these subjects is viewed from the perspectives of object relations theory, self psychology theory, and social systems theory. Each of the three parts ends with a summary by the editors, who, in the final chapter, offer their considered conclusion about the three approaches. The contributors are all distinguished by their previous contributions to the field of group psychotherapy.
The editors, surveying both early and later historical developments, provide a historical prelude to the contemporary scene. But to me there is a certain lack of perspective in that the group analytic approach of S. H. Foulkes, which is the leading model in the United Kingdom and other European countries, is given only slight attention. This omission highlights the North American outlook of the whole volume. The view from Europe would naturally have a different perspective.
Cecil Rice opens part one, on recent theoretical developments, with a clear account of object relations theory. Howard Bacal, who had his earlier training at the Tavistock Clinic, which was then under