Zinkin, L. (London). ‘The group as container and contained’.  Group Analysis,  22,  3. 1989.

The central idea of this interesting paper is that any evolutionary change has to take place within some form of container. Zinkin suggests that ‘we begin and end our life in a container’. At times of crisis we withdraw into a container or break out of one, or we change containers. Do we ever live outside one? It is of consequence that container and contained are in constant conjunction and interplay.

There is, therefore, recognition that any innovative challenge to a group structure and organisation poses the problem for that group of how to contain such a challenge, how much will the group have to change to contain the challenge? Believing this application to the group to be of importance for the group therapist, the author proceeds through several conceptual steps to put into perspective the group as container. Holding function, changes from without and within are examined leading away from the idea of a fixed container toward a model of circular interaction between container (the group) and contained (the group members). The group members change the group which then enables them to change further, which then changes the group and so on.

Transformations of the group as container can occur through interpretation, systemic imbalance, but can best be understood, the author believes, through dreams, fantasies and myths, even though this understanding involves apparent contradictions, paradoxes and other illogicalities. ‘Container’ and ‘contained’ can be reversed or fused. The author cites Bion, who accords words containing meaning to meaning containing the word.

It is not surprising, and rather pleasing, that the author concludes that our understanding of the group as a container can be enhanced by the study of anthropology and comparative mythology, which is extremely rich in container imagery, for example, Pandora's Box and the Holy Grail legend. He suggests that the confusion in boundaries between container and contained is well exemplified by the members of a group