The group analytic approach to the unconscious

As the founder of Group Analysis, S. H. FOULKES believed that by replacing free association by group association in the group, he had taken a "decisiv e step not only in method, but also in theory". In fact, he argued that by changing verbal communication in the group into a 'free floating group disc ussion' provided Group Analysis with a consistent method to get access to u nconscious processes in groups; a method however that is different from cla ssical Psychoanalysis. This thesis is outlined in the paper, stressing the overall importance of group communication as central to all dynamic and the rapeutic pocesses in the group. The group analytic understanding of communi cation is being discussed, and in the closing section linked to J. LAPLANCH ES term of the "message" resp. his term of an "enigmatic signifier". Insofa r the paper intends a discussion of central theoretical conceptions underly ing Foulkesian Group Analysis, no reference to empirical research is being made. Also no references are being made to the contributions of north ameri can authors in the field, because outlining their positions would have been beyond the scope of the present paper.