Social controls and limitations of professional behavior

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.