Trauma and reconstruction in a large group of refugees

The study is a continuation of a research which the expert team started in refugee and displaced persons' settlements in Croatia. By studying a group of refugees in its entirety we could not avoid noticing its extremely regressive position. Faced with the refugees' numerous existential problems we took the role of good, caring and tender mother (a good object) who will protect her children, give them security, meet their essential needs. Looking at the group dynamics, in the light of Melanie Klein's theory, we noticed the existence of schizo-paranoid and depressive position in the group, manifesting itself through the gap occuring as defense from its self-destructiveness, i.e. as the protection of introjected object which has be saved from destruction because the true "good object" was destroyed. Through the analysis of schizo-paranoid and depressive position of large group of refugees the aim of our work was to enable the group to gradually overcome the schizo-paranoid position and transfer into a more mature phase of development, thus creating a favorable atmosphere for maturation and self-protection.