Stuart's willingness finally to insert himself into the group with some vulnerability would demonstrate a legitimate step for which he would receive ample support from the group. The functionality of this process would be rewarding to Julius, who took it is with some comfort which had been scarce in the prior two weeks. Still, Stuart's case remains a difficult one throughout the process, with his strong professional and intellectual capabilities often undermined or sullied by his disengagement. This causes some resentment from others in the group and results in Stuart associating many of the women in the group with his wife, who responds similarly to the sense that he stands passively aside and witnesses human interaction without ever fully partaking. From the perspective of Julius, this is a mixed-bag, with the group causing confrontations with Stuart that often force him to mediate through his emotions. On the other hand, as Julius characterized it, "Stuart was the informal historian of the group: he was blessed with such a retentive memory that Julius could always call on him for an account of past or present group event. He tried not to overuse Stuart, who was in the group to learn how to engage others, not to be a record of events." (136) Inevitably though, this role causes others such as Bonnie and Rebecca to express frustration with Stuart. In an instance here where he is asked to recall the...

Often, progress emerges when Stuart is confronted on his disengagement and his feelings explode in an unleashed torrent. In a discussion about Rebecca's clear flirtation -- or preening as Bonnie labels it -- upon Phillip's entrance into group, Stuart is challenged to blurt out; "How did I feel about it? I felt a little jealous. No, a lot jealous -- you never preened for me. No one ever preened for me." (137) Such an expression of self, and a willingness to risk further confrontation and defense of emotional validity, suggests that Stuart has traveled some considerable distance as a human being, even as he struggles to reconcile this with his instincts toward withdrawal.
Moments like this are, though infrequent for Stuart, increasingly reflective of the opportunities for emotional progress directly within the context of the human confrontations demanded by group therapy. It becomes increasingly less of a mystery as to why this has become a meaningful safety net for the dying therapist.

Works Cited

Yalom, I. (2005). The Schopenhauer Cure: A Novel. Harper Collins.