S. H. Foulkes, Founder of Group Analysis and the Group Analytic Society, London, with international membership in many countries. Also known as Michael, he was the founder with others of Group Analysis. A refugee from Germany who settled in England prior to WW2 after his medical studies, he also had interests in neurology, psychiatry, sociology, and psychology. Foulkes' early work with groups of WW2 soldiers at Northfield Hospital (UK) contributed to his founding of the Group Analytic Society (GAS) in 1952, based in London and with international membership http://www.groupanalyticsociety.co.uk. He was later instrumental in starting the Institute of Group Analysis (IGA) in 1971 for training practitioners. Both the GAS and the IGA have spawned numerous related professional associations and training bodies in the UK and several other countries.

Foulkes regarded groups as basic to human existence, all individuals being born into social groups (families, cultures, societies) that shape the lifespan continuously in conscious and less conscious ways.

Group Analysis values communication and relationship, dialogue and exchange.