On the group entity

The group entity is postulated as a construct that accounts for phenomena, which, in a group, come to be experienced by group members as "the group" and that are referred to in the literature as the group-as-a-whole. This article reviews the literature on whole group phenomena. It describes the group entity as it is formed and maintained. A process is outlined using the ideas of spatialization, objectization, enlivenment, and participation. These concepts will describe the way in which the group entity arises and comes to be a part of the individual's experience in a group. Projective identification is viewed as the main mechanism responsible for the intragroup dynamics involving the group entity.