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Section 3. Educational and Organizational Group Work

The Invisible Revealed: Collusion as an Entry to the Group Unconscious

Pages 332-343
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
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In group consultation, as in therapy, a shared awareness of projective processes is helpful to both consultant and client. If left unaware, the flow of material can submerge both. The consultant risks colluding with the group by adopting their projections and then either withdrawing or acting out. When such situations are “exposed,” they are usually considered to be either professional embarrassments or evidence of professional incompetence. Yet careful investigation of the experience of collusion can lead to a deeper understanding of the covert and unconscious elements of working with a group.

Additional information

Author information

Gianpiero Petriglieri

Gianpiero Petriglieri, M.D., is apsychiatrist who works as an independent management and organizational development consultant and as a psychotherapist in private practice. He is a member of the National Training Laboratory (NTL) Institute for Applied Behavioral Science and a Regular Member of the ITAA.

Jack Denfeld Wood

Jack Denfeld Wood, Ph.D., is a professor of organizational behavior at the International Institute of Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is also a psychotherapist in private practice and a diploma candidate at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland.