Like other methods in social, psychological and therapeutical work the prof
essional identity of group dynamics trainers is directed towards freedom of
will and autonomy of the clients. Nevertheless, matters of social control
are already of importance in the work of Kurt Lewin, one of the founders of
group dynamics, specially in his concept of reeducation. These ideas are c
omplemented by the concepts of sociologist and groupanalysist Norbert Elias
about the ambivalent effects of internalised social control. This leads to
a short analysis of the changing mechanisms of social control in groups an
d organisations and its consequences for applied group dynamics and its pro
fessional standards.