Phases of Group Development: A View from Self Psychology

Abstract

This paper delineates four phases of group development from the standpoint of self psychological theory. The author contends that a stable sense of “groupself” develops over time and that the groupself has a distinct number of phases, each of which has a therapeutic impact on members. The individual patient's selfobject experiences include a relationship to the “group-as-a-whole,” a transference state of which the leader is but one part. Thus, rather than “dilute the transference,” group analysis offers a unique opportunity to help the individual experience him or herself within a selfobject matrix that extends beyond the dyad. Group analysis leads to a strengthening of the self, especially as it enables the self to experience itself as part of a group identity, which provides alter-ego selfobject experiences, as well as a sense of acceptance within a larger community. This paper attempts to clarify how different selfobject experiences may be highlighted within the groupself at different stages of group development.