Difference and integration in groups

Abstract

Many of us are called on to lead groups- seminar groups, business/organisational groups, therapy groups, support groups and what are termed growth groups, family groups, school groups and others. There are many ways of leading these groups. Groups can be challenging and also frightening, for both leaders and participants, especially larger groups and ones that are less easy to control. Many of us prefer peaceful behaviour in groups where one person speaks at a time, where one sentence is finished before moving onto the next, where staying seated in an orderly fashion is the norm, and efforts are made not to be too loud or outspoken and not to be too quiet as both attract unwanted attention, judgement and even analysis.

In this paper, I present a way of working with groups, group diversity and conflict, that provides a possible direction we could follow to fully harvest the potential of our turbulent and challenging times. I will draw on the work of Arnold Mindell, originally a physicist, then Jungian analyst, who developed the framework of what we now call Process Oriented Psychology or Process Work.