Exchange,Balance, and Formal Organization in Psychotherapeutic Interactions*

ABSTRACT: Psychotherapeutic interactions in crisis situations are analyzed in terms of the “sociodynamic” concepts of exchange, balance, and formal organization. It is argued that psychodynamic interpretations of crisis intervention therapy tend to be incomplete and nonsystematic and, thus, fail to produce adequate predictions, explanations, and control of psychotherapeutic outcomes. Small-group principles and methods are applied to selected crisis cases to illustrate gains in prediction and control over psychiatric approaches.