Positions and figurations in group analytic psychotherapy: an account of therapeutic processes in the individual as part of the group

Abstract

In this article I develop an account of therapeutic change in terms of the dynamics of positioning within figurations.

I argue that the concepts of ‘positioning’ and ‘figurations’ can be integrated to describe processes of change occurring both at the level of the group and of the individual. I propose that figurations in the group are mutative, provoking change in the individuals within them.

I go on to suggest that the psyche is structured by relational positions and that as the individual is able to develop the capacity for increased positional flexibility within the matrix of the group, parallel changes occur in the patient’s internal world. This idea is considered in relation to Foulkes’ concept of ego training in action.