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Object relations and regression in groups.

P M Brigham1

  • 1Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA.

International Journal of Group Psychotherapy
|April 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary

This study explores how group members use leadership as a defense against regression. The leader is seen as an internal object, helping to manage internal conflicts and form social roles within the group.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychoanalytic theory
  • Group dynamics
  • Ego psychology

Background:

  • Individual regression within groups can be a significant challenge.
  • Defensive mechanisms are crucial for maintaining psychological stability during group interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the psychoanalytic ego-psychological underpinnings of regression in group members.
  • To analyze the defensive functions of leadership formation within a group setting.

Main Methods:

  • Psychoanalytic ego-psychological framework.
  • Examination of intrapsychic processes within a group member.
  • Analysis of leadership as an internal object and its projected/personified aspects.

Main Results:

  • Leadership functions defensively by serving as an internal object for group members.
  • The leader integrates projected part-objects and acts as a whole object, aiding in defense.
  • Group phenomena like relationship lability and externalized regulations are explained through this lens.

Conclusions:

  • The formation of leadership is a defensive strategy against regression, rooted in intrapsychic dynamics.
  • Leadership facilitates the emergence of social roles and consensual perception.
  • An intrapsychic perspective is essential for understanding group member defenses and leadership functions.

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