SYSTEMS PSYCHODYNAMICS: The Formative Years of an Interdisciplinary Field at the Tavistock Institute

Systems psychodynamics is an interdisciplinary field amalgamating a triad of influences-the practice of psychoanalysis, the theories and methods of the field of group relations, and the task and boundary awareness of open systems perspectives. Although systems psychodynamics is not a new field of study, there has been a general lack of awareness of its roots, how its formative elements have become intertwined over the years, and the role of the Tavistock Institute in developments in the field. This article provides a synthesis of this history and focuses, in particular, on the intellectual foundations of the Tavistock method of working experientially with groups and the application of this method to the study of organizations.