Support groups as 'shock absorbers' in periods of transition: A case study of groups for parents of soldiers in Israel

The special characteristics of support groups place them at the crossroads between the individual and society. Among these characteristics, we can point to the group as a microcosm, as a primary group, and as an entity which conducts social interaction with its environment. An analysis of data drawn from five support groups for families whose children have been despatched to the army, in an Israeli society in transition from a state of war to one of peace, points at four conflicts, with which they and society are concerned: dependency versus independence, passive versus active, pride versus fear and a conflict of values.