SCHIZOID MEMBER OF THE PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC GROUP

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Schizoid people more often than others turn out to be outsiders, observers of human existence. The "splitting" contained in the etymology of the word "schizoid" is manifested in two areas: between one's own I and the surrounding world; between the experienced self and desire.

Guntrip described the "classic dilemma" of schizoid individuals as follows: "They can neither be in a relationship with another person, nor be outside of this relationship, without risking, one way or another, losing both themselves and the object." Robbins summarizes this dynamic in this message: "Come closer - I'm alone, but stay away - I'm afraid of implantation" (quoted from N. McWilliams).

In a psychotherapeutic group, participants of the schizoid type immediately draw attention to themselves by their blocking, isolation and detachment. They often turn to group therapy because of a vague feeling that they are missing something: they cannot feel, they cannot love, they cannot play, they cannot cry. Such people are spectators in relation to themselves; they do not live in their own body, do not experience their own experiences. The schizoid individual suffers from a deficit in emotional and reflexive abilities.

At each meeting of the psychotherapy group, such an individual receives evidence that his emotional experience is significantly different in nature and intensity from the emotional experience of other participants. Sometimes such a discrepancy in emotional manifestations puzzles the participant, and he concludes that other participants are overly emotional, pretenders, pay too much attention to little things, or simply have too excitable temperaments. But sooner or later, the schizoid members of the group begin to think about themselves.

I. Yalom describes a schizoid member of the group who, in response to the reproaches of the other members that he did not show a single gram of empathy towards its two very upset members, replied: “That means they feel bad. There are many people all over the world who feel bad at this moment. If I get upset about everyone, it will turn into work for the whole day."

The group learns to decipher what the schizoid participant is experiencing through his gestures and behavior. By and large, these participants talk about themselves in the same spirit as the other participants and join the group in their research, for example, by remarking, "I clenched my fists, I probably feel angry." In a sense, they experience the same difficulties as persons with alexithymic features, who are not able to determine how they feel, and instead of describing their own feelings, they can replace them with somatic equivalents. Often, in response to the questions that the leaders or other members of the group address to such a member: "What do you feel" or "What is happening to you now", you can hear: "I am cold" or "I have a headache."

Such a group member always attracts attention. At first, the participants look with curiosity at the silent and non-intrusive person, who is usually very careful about attending group sessions. After that, the participants are puzzled and ask the question: "What is he doing here?" After that, mistrust appears, especially when other participants have more or less crossed the line of distrust and anxiety associated with self-disclosure in front of other people, such a non-participating participant begins to strain and annoy. There comes a point where the members are no longer willing to delicately tolerate the detached member of the group. More and more often they turn to him with the question: "How do you feel about this?" Depending on their own personal characteristics, the participants can be conditionally divided into two camps, some of them actively try to help the schizoid participant become a feeling and participating member of the group, others accuse such a participant of insensitivity and cruelty, usually react violently and even offer him to leave once and forever group. But, in the end, everyone gets tired, disappointment comes into its own. From time to time, bursts of activity may again occur in relation to such a participant.

The therapist, on the other hand, should not join the search for rapid change. The schizoid member of the group does not change under the influence of some kind of dramatic event. Change can come only through long, tireless, painstaking work, which consists of countless tiny steps of almost imperceptible progress. Schizoid group members, first of all, need a new interiorized experience of the world of interpersonal relations, and this takes time, perseverance and patience. Of course, the group leader may be tempted to use some kind of activating technique to accelerate the process of change, but in this case there is a risk of reducing the group's potential and making it more dependent on the leader.

When working with such a group member, the facilitator should focus on the "here and now"; to encourage a participant with schizoid features to differentiate participants for himself, in fact, he does not treat and does not react to all participants in exactly the same way; help deepen feelings they describe as insignificant and not worthy of attention. For example, a schizoid participant may agree that he is slightly annoyed, in which case he can be asked to look at this irritation through a magnifying glass: "Look at your irritation through a magnifying glass, describe exactly what it is." Encouraging the schizoid participant to observe his own body is essential. Most often, such people, having difficulties in feeling and naming something, reflecting a feeling, are aware of the somatic and vegetative components of emotions: sweating, a lump in the throat, reddening of the face, heaviness in the stomach, etc. Having patience, a group can gradually learn to help the schizoid participant translate bodily sensations into the language of feelings and emotions.

Perhaps the most important thing for the leaders, in the group of which there is a schizoid member, is to leave the dreams of such a person's quick and effective changes. Haste, calls for such a participant to be more active, more humane, can only lead to the fact that he will not stand it and simply abandon the group. However, a patient and delicate attitude towards such a group member almost always leads to the fact that he necessarily derives significant benefits from the group form of psychotherapy.