The role of groups during individual development and within the clinical dyad

The author proposes that group identifications have been under-appreciated by individual psychodynamic psychotherapists in their conceptualization of normative individual development. He identifies the routes by which the child begins to internalize small and large groups during the early years of i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of psychoanalysis 2023-09, Vol.83 (3), p.320-348
Main Author: Smolar, Andrew I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attachment
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Children & youth
Clinical Psychology
Families & family life
Psychoanalysis
Psychology
Psychotherapy
Therapists
Therapy
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:The author proposes that group identifications have been under-appreciated by individual psychodynamic psychotherapists in their conceptualization of normative individual development. He identifies the routes by which the child begins to internalize small and large groups during the early years of identity formation. Through individual therapy vignettes, the author suggests modifications to customary technique so that developmental shortcomings in group attachment security can be shored up. He offers some guidelines for the individual therapist so that group experiences are accounted for as the clinical narrative is written. Finally, he distinguishes patients who may require additional group-level interventions to address their avoidance of group participation.
ISSN:0002-9548
1573-6741
DOI:10.1057/s11231-023-09412-y