Theme development and role types were investigated in eight same-sex, self-analytic groups with male or female leadership, through the use of The General Inquirer, a computerized program of content analysis. All groups, male and female, showed a significant increase in the use of AFFILIATION words over time. Groups with female members used significantly more AFFILIATION words than groups with male members. Significantly more HOSTILE words were found in female-led groups than in male-led groups. There was no support for the traditional view that there is a sequential relationship between resolving first authority and then intimacy issues. Five general role types—the Instrumental Leader, the Expressive Leader, the Seducer, the Aggressor, and the Distressed Participant—were identified in all groups. Scapegoating was seen as a group process rather than a specific role type.
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