ABSTRACT
Wilfred Bion considered that psychoanalytic approaches to understanding groups should be limited in the main to groups that had the task of self-examination. The group, therefore, is orientated towards an outer reality involving other groups that might also have an interest in the group’s task. The conference and its groups are concerned about the failure of leaders and the attempts to find a substitute that satisfies. In group relations, groups study the behaviour and mental life of the group-as-a-whole, that includes conference staff and the director, and this study of the human mind and human systems is furthered by group-wide and systemwide interpretations. Group pressure often directs the leader to be omniscient and make the group feel secure. Group relations work shows how groups defend themselves against unpleasant feelings by splitting and isolating themselves from the rest of the conference in order to avoid the conjunction of certain feelings.
