[en] The role of Lie groups in atomic spectroscopy and their usefulness in treating problems of direct physical significance is discussed in a general way. Racah's analysis of the inner electronic Coulomb interaction for the f shell is outlined, and alternate schemes are briefly described. Among these are the intervention of quasi-spin, spin-up and spin-down spaces, and quasi particle factorization. An example considering spin-spin interactions between electrons is detailed. Configuration interaction and its representation by effective operators is discussed. (27 refs.) (U.S.)