Narcissistic vulnerability in a group for psychiatrically hospitalized fathers

Three short-lived groups for psychiatrically hospitalized fathers comprise one aspect of a greater effort to study such men. Most of the fathers held a tenuous position within, or had been ejected from, their families. Their symptoms were often self-defeating efforts to regulate interpersonal distance. Many felt themselves to be too defective or unworthy to merit respect or authority. Shame and depression flooded the sessions and were rarely offset by hopefulness. On follow-up the men acknowledged the importance of paternal dysfunction but felt unable to tolerate further exploration. Further group treatment might employ a less focused format.