The Social Unconscious Reflected in Politics,Organizations and Groups: A Case of Overseas Group Analysis Training

Abstract

The aim of this article is to study the impact of parallel processes operating in the overlapping dimensions of history, politics, society, organization, staff and group participants. The focus of the article is the effort to try and make personal sense of and reach a professional understanding of an annihilating, painful process that took place due to combined forces, which will also be examined. These forces, which are of an unconscious, preconscious and conscious character, are very powerful and still exist. Bion's concepts of alpha and beta elements, as applied to organizations, and Nitsun's concept of the anti-group will be discussed as theoretical background that can explain some of the destructive forces. Some moderating factors essential to processes of survival and re-creation and other conclusions will also be discussed.

Keywords

group Israel organization politics society

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bion, W. (1962) Learning from Experience. London: Heinemann.

Bion, W. (1967) Second Thoughts. London: Heinemann.

Biran, H. (1998) `An Attempt to Apply Bion's Alpha and Beta Elements to Processes in Society at Large', in T. Bion and M. Bion (eds) Bion's Legacy to Groups. London: Kamac.

Engel, A. (1958) The Nili Spies. London: Hogarth Press.

Foulkes, S.H. (1986) Therapeutic Group Analysis. London: Kamac.

Hopper, E. (1996) `The Social Unconscious in Clinical Work', Group 20(1).

Mcdougall, W. (1920) The Group Mind. New York: Putnams.

Nitsun, M. (1996) The Anti-Group: Destructive Forces in the Group and Their Creative Potentials. London: Routledge.

Young, R.M. (1996) `The Psychoanalysis of Psychoanalytic Organizations and the Culture of British Psychoanalysis', paper presented at the annual conference of the ISPSO, New York.