'Unconscious Factors in Group Therapy.': Geraldine Pederson-Krag, M.D. (New York).

Psychoanalytic Quarterly, Vol. XV, 1946, No. 2.

In this paper the author gives an account of her study of forty different groups with the purpose of discovering the efficacy of this type of treatment. She maintains that most therapists believe that successes are due to 'education of groups members and permissiveness of the group atmosphere', thereby neglecting the unconscious motivation of conflicts and Freud's observation that in groups

unconscious mental processes seem to dominate conscious ones.

The therapists' accounts of these forty groups were studied and it was seen that successes were due to an emotional experience arising out of the realization of a preconscious phantasy; these produce narcissistic gratification and a lessening of anxiety. The author describes some of these phantasies emphasizing that they are not the only ones working in each group.

The first type of phantasy is that found in the protective group; the preconscious phantasy realized is 'I have more powerful and accepting parents than the people with whom I live'. The second type is the permissive group as used by the Jewish Board of Guardians for children. This realizes the child's phantasy: 'I am stronger than my father. He cannot stop me from doing what I like'. The third type is exemplified by Schilder's interpretative groups. The fulfilled phantasy of the group member is 'my sins are forgiven me'. The fourth type of group is for adults in outpatient departments for physical or mental disabilities (Marsh, Hadden, Chapell). Here the phantasy is 'I can work magic. I say to my peptic ulcer "Be gone" and it diminishes'. The last type is the group used by Wender. Here the phantasy may be formulated as 'my father loves me because of my failings and hurts'.

The author describes how in each type of group the realization of the specific phantasy lessens Oedipal anxiety and provides narcissistic gratification.