Imperfection and Disillusionment as Therapeutic Agents

In the initial phase of group development the conductor strives hard to nurture the new analytic group in order that it survives as a whole through the early anxieties. The group develops a dependence on the group conductor, who tries to offer something close to perfection. However, during the middle phase this nurturing role needs to be reduced to allow the growth and creativity of the group to develop.

In this article the concept of disillusionment or de-adaptation is borrowed from the individual analytic literature. In the middle phase of group development imperfections in the conductor are considered as therapeutic agents, necessary for the group to move to a more mature position where their own creativity can be discovered and the group can become owned by its members. Parallels between the group’s development and a child’s development are drawn.