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The Invisible Revealed: Collusion as an Entry to the Group Unconscious.

Gianpiero Petriglieri and Jack Denfeld Wood

In group consultation, as in therapy, a shared awareness of projective processes is helpful to both consultant and client. If left unaware, the flow of material can submerge both. The consultant risks colluding with the group by adopting their projections and then either withdrawing or acting out. When such situations are “exposed,” they are usually con­­sidered to be either pro­fes­sional embar­ras­s­ments or evidence of pro­fes­sional in­com­petence. Yet careful inves­tigation of the ex­perience of collusion can lead to a deeper understanding of the covert and unconscious elements of working with a group.

Transactional Analysis Journal, 33 (4), 2003, pp. 332-343 - Download FULL TEXT