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This paper presents two major ideas. The first concerns movement from ‘a culture of narcissism’ (Lasch, 1979) toward elements of a perverse culture. The narcissism and individualism of the late 20th century establishment has, through its values of self, greed, consumerism, acquisition and exploitation, promoted the emergence of perversion through the process of turning a blind eye (Hoggett, 1992). This is relevant to and has an effect on organisational life. Perverse dynamics become more evident, as will be argued through case examples.
The second idea proposes that where problematic organisational dynamics have been primarily conceptualised in terms of neurotic and psychotic processes, this has also promoted thinking about organisations as if they become sick and require healing. That is, it has promoted thinking of organisations within the therapeutic vertex (Bion, 1970) which has the effect of pathologising organisations, people at work and their group dynamics. The conceptualisation of the ‘perverse’ challenges this view because it is not so easily seen as an illness, but more often as a corruption which involves issues of power and social relations with abusive intent. I will here suggest that the perverse makes us think of the way people become unconsciously contracted to one another. It brings forward ideas of how people stand in relation to one another and how their ideas promote collective meaning. This is named as the vertex of community (the social law).