Bion's Group Psychology: Work vs. Work Avoidance

Introduction to Bion's Group Theories

Through analysis and interpretation of Wilfred Bion's various writings on the psychology of groups — and how that psychology affects the individuals within those groups — several associations between his theories and everyday life become clear. His theories on Work offer insight into how groups can succeed at various tasks by inspiring individuals to support each other in the completion of shared goals. With this knowledge, one can see how to apply elements of this theory to organize groups with successful results.

His Work Avoidance theories also show how many people put off taking charge to complete a goal, substituting their ambition with things such as religion, or succumbing to a fight-or-flight response when confronted with the demands of working toward success. With this knowledge, drawn from Bion's work including his 1961 book Experiences in Groups, one can understand how to successfully organize and motivate individuals by reviving their innate place within a supportive work group in order to accomplish shared goals and expectations.

The Individual's Innate Connection to the Group

Wilfred Bion essentially argues that no individual is ever completely separated from a group. It is in our very nature to be incorporated within and associated with a group setting. Bion develops this position through his examination of the prior theories of Freud and Klein. In the case of Sigmund Freud, Bion draws on the Oedipus myth to support his claim. Despite how far one travels from the group, that individual remains intimately connected to it. In the Greek myth, Oedipus is separated from his family, only to reunite with them unknowingly by marrying his own mother. Freud expanded on this myth and argued that all children harbor oedipal feelings toward the parent of the opposite sex — feelings that reinforce the group mentality within every individual.

Bion relates this Freudian theory to his own concept of "pairing" within the group, which is closely associated with his idea of Work Avoidance. The pairing basic assumption involves the group placing its hope for salvation in the relationship between two of its members, reflecting a broader tendency to defer responsibility rather than engage in productive collective effort.

Work Avoidance and Religious Dependency

The contrast between the Work and Work Avoidance theories is central to relating Bion's framework to everyday life. Having established the intimate and innate relationship each individual maintains with a particular group, these theories allow us to assess whether the efforts of a given group will be successful or futile — depending on the group's tendency to adopt Work Avoidance methods, such as placing all faith in a messiah to determine the group's fate.

Religion plays an important role in Bion's theory of Work Avoidance. Groups use the philosophies of religion to assign responsibility for the tasks necessary to ensure the group's survival to a deity or messianic figure. For example, instead of disciplining themselves, many Christians may rely on the figure of Jesus to do that work for them. He becomes a saving figure who will ensure the longevity of the group, rather than the group itself taking charge of its own decisions and fate. This represents a profound dependency on a religious figure — without that figure, the group would be lost. Bion's concept of the dependency basic assumption captures precisely this dynamic, in which a group collectively behaves as though its survival depends on being led and sustained by an all-powerful external source.

Works Cited

Bion, Wilfred. Experiences in Groups. Tavistock, 1961.