This article attempts to present some of the concepts developed by Trigant Burrow during the first half of the 20th-century. He wrote prolifically on psychoanalysis and extended his research and writing to the analysis of divisions within groups and society. Three concepts are examined (social image, ‘I’-persona, and the principle of primary identification) and used to explore the origins of the personal and social problem of homophobia in contemporary western society. From this perspective, homophobia can be understood as a group process.
BurrowT. (1917) ‘The genesis and meaning of “homosexuality” and its relation to the problem of introverted mental states’ in E.G. Pertegato and G.O. Pertegato (2013)From Psychoanalysis to Group Analysis, the Pioneering Work of Trigant Burrow, pp. 25–38. London: Karnac Books.
2.
BurrowT. (1924) ‘Social image versus reality’in E.G. Pertegato and G.O. Pertegato (2013)From Psychoanalysis to Group Analysis, the Pioneering Work of Trigant Burrow, pp. 63–9. London: Karnac Books.
3.
BurrowT. (1925) ‘A relative concept of consciousness. An analysis of consciousness in its ethnic origin’ in E.G. Pertegato and G.O. Pertegato (2013)From Psychoanalysis to Group Analysis, the Pioneering Work of Trigant Burrow, pp. 71–85. London: Karnac Books.
4.
BurrowT. (1926) ‘Our mass neurosis’ in E.G. Pertegato and G.O. Pertegato (2013)From Psychoanalysis to Group Analysis, the Pioneering Work of Trigant Burrow, pp. 157–64. London: Karnac Books.
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BurrowT. (1927) The Social Basis of Consciousness. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co Ltd.
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BurrowT. (1928) ‘The autonomy of the “I” from the standpoint of group analysis’ in E.G. Pertegato and G.O. Pertegato (2013)From Psychoanalysis to Group Analysis, the Pioneering Work of Trigant Burrow, pp.189–206. London: Karnac Books.
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FoulkesS.H. (1975) Group Analytic Psychotherapy Method and Principles. London: Gordon and Breach, Science Publishers Ltd.
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GaltA.S. (1984) ‘Forward’ in Trigant Burrow: Toward Social Sanity and Human Survival. Selections from his writings, pp. xv-xxxiv. New York: Horizon Press.
PertegatoE.G.PertegatoG.O. (2010) ‘The Role of Social Images in Conflict and Pathology of Normality’, presented at 84th Anniversary Conference of the Lifwynn Foundation. New York. Available at: www.lifwynnfoundation.org (accessed July 2014).
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The Risen People (1958) Writer: James Plunkett. First produced by Abbey Theatre, Ireland.
