No Such Thing As A Group In this post I will discuss in relation to the work of Wilfred Bion the proposition that just as Winnicott says: “There’s no such thing as a baby”, there is no such thing as a group. I will begin by exploring what Winnicott had in mind, in order to provide […]
Bion and Work Groups
Bion observed activity in groups where the group seems “capable of establishing contact with reality and recognises the need to evolve, and to work together towards a common aim.” (Lopez-Corvo, 2003, p.310) Bion called this a “work group” (Bion, 1961, p.98), but it is not really a group, rather it is a way of describing an aspect of mental states operating within a group. Learning, in these mental states, is by experience: There is a need for truth, and an awareness of the painful consequences of acting without an adequate grasp of reality. (Ibid, p.100)