![]() It is also well equipped to challenge arrangements that stifle individual and organizational development.”Ī diverse group of scholars and practitioners have contributed to the field over the years, many related to the Tavistock Institute for Human Relations Both Fraher and Petriglieri (referenced at the end) offer excellent summaries of the history of the field if you want to know more.Įarly ideas came from among others Sigmund Freud and Melanie Klein (psychoanalysis) Wilfred Bion, A.K. It is most useful to investigate the unconscious forces that underpin the persistence of dysfunctional organizational features and the appeal of irrational leaders. Petriglieri & Petriglieri states that “Systems psychodynamic scholarship focuses on the interaction between collective structures, norms, and practices in social systems and the cognitions, motivations, and emotions of members of those systems. I cannot do this field justice in one or even several posts, so I recognise that I may be omitting several key contributors and ideas.Īccording to Amy Fraher, “ Systems psychodynamics is an interdisciplinary field that integrates three disciplines - the practice of psychoanalysis, the theories and methods of group relations, and open systems perspectives.” ![]() I wanted to start here because I believe these ideas provide useful lenses for many other areas I would like to explore. My intent here is not to build a scientific case for these ideas. I have a strong interest and have gone to great lengths to experience and be trained in systems psychodynamic processes. Reasons are many and varied, and I will try to unpack some of these later on.īefore going further, a caveat: I am not an expert in the field of psychology. ![]() I also expect this to be the most controversial of the ideas I will explore as systems psychodynamics (sometimes called group relations) often elicit negative and cynical responses. So I thought I’d start this series of exploratory blogs reflecting on the field of systems psychodynamics. Much of what I have learned about how to “be” in uncertainty has come from this field. For example, the use of constraints and emergence, taking a non-reductionist approach and systemic perspective, working with roles, not individuals, and the importance of relationships and interactions, to name a few.Īttending these events has become a ritual for me, a way of disrupting myself by intentionally entering a space of utter ambiguity and uncertainty and emergence. Looking at the theory and practice of systems psychodynamics through the lens of complexity, I could see many and rich synergies. The best way I describe what I have gained is a profoundly different way of seeing, a new lens through which to observe human systems. ![]() After three days, it suddenly became crystal clear: this weird setup was a near-perfect mirror of every organization I have ever worked in and every social system I have ever been part of.Īfter that first experience, I have attended several other learning events and joined a learning group. After a while, in this environment, defenses could no longer be maintained, and patterns started emerging: power plays, boundary challenges, scapegoating, and all kinds of gender and race dynamics. We found ourselves in a world of rigidly held time boundaries, highly ambiguous instructions, and weird consultants that kept speaking in riddles (or what my husband called “Lord of the Rings language”). ![]() The learning environment set up by the faculty felt artificial and rigid. We spent five days in a state of confusion, ambiguity, and often deep frustration. It was also one of the richest learning experiences in my life. My first experience of a group relations conference and a systems psychodynamic consulting stance was weird and profoundly unsettling. ![]()
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