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Related Experiment Videos

Pursuing relational consciousness: thinking and antithinking in group.

Richard M Billow1

  • 1Derner Institute, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, USA.

International Journal of Group Psychotherapy
|October 18, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Human beings avoid mental relationships due to potential psychic pain, preferring "antithinking" to evade difficult thoughts. Group therapy can address these resistances by understanding hatred of thinking and projective identification.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Group Therapy

Background:

  • Human beings are inherently social and curious, yet possess a defensive aspect of the self that resists mental relationships.
  • These resistances stem from the threat of psychic pain associated with deep self and interpersonal connections.
  • Wilfred Bion's concepts of thinking and antithinking are central to understanding these relational dynamics.

Observation:

  • A "psychotic part of the personality," akin to group "basic assumptions," actively promotes antithinking.
  • Antithinking manifests as forestalling, evading, and assaulting cognitive processes and individuals engaged in thought.
  • Clinical observations highlight pervasive resistances to relational consciousness within group settings.

Findings:

  • Group therapy can effectively address resistances to relational consciousness.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Understanding the dynamics of hatred of thinking is crucial for treatment.
  • Key clinical manifestations include excessive projective identification and anticipatory anxiety regarding thinking.

    • Implications:

    • Therapeutic interventions can help individuals and groups overcome barriers to deeper connection.
    • Recognizing and treating antithinking patterns can alleviate psychic pain.
    • This approach offers insights into managing bizarre and hallucinatory thought transformations in a group context.