Trigant Burrow's Group Analysis

Abstract

Two related aspects of the group research of Trigant Burrow are discussed: the development and structure of the self-image, called the `I'-persona by Burrow, and the protocol of Burrow's group analysis. The `I'-persona is viewed as the product of social conditioning and considered to be at the root of interrelational conflict, due to its propensity to pursue its own interests at the expense of the common interests of the group. The objectives of Burrow's group analysis are to identify the manifestations of the `I'-persona's self-serving, oppositional tendencies as they arise in the group context, and to transform those tendencies to more cohesive interrelational behavior by employing a somatic technique that involves the shift of attention from the self-image to organismic and proprioceptive sensations.