Being and Belonging

de Gaie Houston

The ways in which people struggle to establish a sense of belonging, and their need to preserve their individuality, has long fascinated psychologists, therapists and group-workers. Overvaluing separateness may be at least as damaging as abandoning personal judgment to the dictates of the group. We all belong; yet many people are far less skilled at recognising and managing themselves as group members than at behaving as isolates. This highly original book brings new insights to this fundamental issue and examines the ways in which different theoretical interpretations of group processes may be integrated. The author gives an account of how the reality of belonging is dealt with during a residential group experience. The fictional participants talk for themselves but, at the same time, they also represent a range of theoretical perspectives. By means of this compelling dialogue, and commentary, the reader is guided through a series of crucial issues in the struggle to understand what happens when people attend to their experience in and between groups. This book is both a powerful drama and a handbook for all those working with groups as counsellors, therapists and facilitators.