So, I sent my last blog post, about Wilfred Bion and his ideas of the basic assumptions mentality and the work-group mentality to someone I have ENORMOUS respect for (seriously, this person is one of the smartest people I know, and I know a lot of very smart people. This person is the real deal.)
And this person (yeah, pronoun games, what can you do) pointed me at Morris Nitsun’s work. And here’s a quote from a googled source.
The Antigroup
The concept of the anti-group was formulated by Morris Nitsun in 1990 as a challenge to the optimism of Foulkes’ group analysis. Foulkes advocated the group as a powerful therapeutic medium, in general a force for good. Although there was reason to promote a positive vision of the group, Nitsun argued that Foulkes had underplayed its negative, disruptive aspects: fear and hostility in and towards the group could potentially undermine its collaborative and therapeutic function. While presenting the anti-group as a critical principle, Nitsun nonetheless stressed the constructive purpose of the concept: by recognising and addressing the anti-group, there was a greater chance of the group reaching its creative potential.
We need to be able to admit and communicate about the the undertow of groups – how people need them but simultaneously fear and resent them, seek to control them or kill them. All the while that we do this acknowledging, we need to be trying to keep the work-group-mentality from being overwhelmed by the basic assumptions mentality. Oi vey.
Meanwhile, of course, there’s the rising levels of a) fascism and b) carbon dioxide emissions (the two are loosely coupled, but will probably get more tightly coupled as the remaining years unfold…) Fun times. Just so glad I didn’t breed. You breeders must be going outa your gourds about now.
marchudson.net 
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