title: Separation and individuation in the group leader.
abstract: Psychodynamic group therapy, by definition, offers group members an opportunity to revisit some of the earliest developmental stages. The authors argue that conflicts around separation and individuation are stimulated with each beginning and ending of an intimate group. The leader of that group is similarly challenged around these primary conflicts. The question of group contagion, difficulties around the capacity to be alone, and the problems of projective identification are explored as they have an impact on leaders in a group. Case examples are offered to illustrate leadership problems along these dimensions.
authors.affiliation: ACC8-General Psychiatry Practice, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Rutan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003379:Countertransference; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007207:Individuation; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D011385:Projection; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group