Group Techniques and Alcoholism Anonymous

Paper Summary:

This paper uses Alcoholism Anonymous (AA) as an example to explore group techniques in operation. It examines how it is one of the 12-step programs that has become popular for dealing with addictions and other human problems and how there are currently AA meetings in all large cities and in many small towns. Through a combination of personal observations and a literature review, it analyzes the social and group dynamics that make the program so successful.

Outline
Introduction
Personal Observation
Group Dynamics
Minority Groups
Theory in Psychotherapy

From the Paper:

"Studies have shown, however, that there is widespread acceptance of, and belief in, AA in minority communities. For example, Caetano (1993) looked at both Hispanic and African-American communities, noting that large majorities of his subjects favored AA affiliation for substance abuse problems. However, Caetano also noted that prevalence estimates varied widely on the extent to which Hispanic clients or African-American clients would actually choose attendance at AA to deal with their substance abuse problems. Caetano indicated that Hispanics were actually more likely than either European-American or African-Americans to choose AA for dealing with their problems. In the AA membership survey itself, in 1996, membership was predominantly white, with only 4 percent of members identified as Hispanic and 5 percent identified as African-American (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1997)."

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