The Hopeless Group

A group that remains together for many years often demonstrates the fusion of the many individual members' discontents, frustrations, and complaints into one massive group resistance, evidenced by a pervasive, all-encompassing feeling of hopelessness. The members to be described here have been in individual therapy with me for many years and continued their individual therapy throughtout the course of group analysis. The group consists of four men and three women. Of the seven, five suffered traumatic lives of emotional, cultural, and financial deprivation. On can be considered as having been provided with a family that was stable but had basic emotional attitudes which interfered with the development of a healthy gender identification.

In view of the clearly demonstrable gains that all members of the group made during the years of their individual and group psychotherapy, why, one might ask, was the group dominated by pervasive feelings of despair and hopelessness? In the past, one member of another would feel hopeless, disappointed, or frustrated. However, the feelings in the group eventually coalesced into one total group resistance. My feelings mirrored those of the group. I felt unappreciated, discouraged, and eager to terminate the group, and I fantasied a group of gratifying and gratified members who were able to ennoy being together and sharing the satisfactions of a harmonious and cohesive, albeit symbolic, family. But this wish of mine had also given way to feelings of hopelessness. I felt inadequate, incompetent, and wondered whether I lacked the ability, talent, or training required to be an effective group analyst.

I sought relief by complaining to my friends, family, and colleagues,