Bion, Basic Assumptions, and Violence: A Corrective Reappraisal

Abstract

Group psychoanalytic theory rests on many of the same psychoanalytic assumptions as individual psychoanalytic theory but has been slow in developing its own language and unique understanding of conflict within the group, as many group phenomena are not the same as individual psychic events. Regressive fantasies and alliances within and to the group are determined by group composition and the interaction of fantasies among members and leader. Bion’s useful but incomplete early abstract formulation of psychic regression in groups was the initial attempt to move beyond Freud’s largely sociological view. This paper explores some of the origins of Bion’s neglect of murderous violence in groups as a result of his own experiences in the first European war. In the following, I present evidence for the existence of a violent basic assumption and offer evidence as to Bion’s avoidance of murderous and violent acts.