Some consequences of conceiving society as a large group

There is today a convergence between politics and therapy, and disillusion with both. As awareness of boundaries increases, the question of how to both comprehend society and manage oneself becomes acute. We need always to connect the socio- with the psycho-. Study of the large group offers one such means. Life in the large group matches that in society and individual experience. The two basic defenses found in the large group (polarizing and institutionalizing) need not necessarily be defenses. They indicate another connection, namely, to the family. The family may be regarded as the place where we first learn about projections and have our first experience of an institution. The large group links individual, society, and family, especially when we see that the dynamics of the large group and the very small group (family sized) are congruent. Study of the large group is especially important for those whose primary work is with individuals. It may be confusing and exasperating, but that way lies learning.He has written a number of books on theology and pastoral practice employing the basic conceptual framework which underlies the group relations studies of the Tavistock Institute and the A. K. Rice Institute. He has extensive experience in such work. With E. R. Shapiro he has recently published a wider study of the application of such thinking to individuals, groups and society:Lost in Familiar Places: Creating New Connections Between the Individual and Society.