Intragroup regulations in teams and organizations are sometimes difficult to change, even if they appear irrational and do not function well. They may indicate the presence of collective ideologies within teams and can be understood as an expression of interpersonal defense. Group ideologies may become part of the identity of the individual group members. Being a member

of a group and sharing a collective ideology stabilizes individual identity; at the same time, reality perception and range of thinking in the individual are narrowed. If supervisors and therapists consider both aspects of ideologies, they may approach some interpersonal defenses in groups and teams in a different way. A psychoanalytic concept of identity may contribute to an understanding of developments in large-scale organizations and in society.