SILENT MEMBER OF THE PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC GROUP

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

A group member who is constantly silent can be a difficult problem for the leader. Some tacit group members may benefit from their tacit participation by identifying with other active group members, and outside of the group, gradually learn new behaviors and take more risks more decisively. However, practice shows that the more active a participant is, the more likely they are to benefit from group therapy. I. Yalom cites the results of a study that showed that the more participants pronounce words, regardless of what they say, the more noticeably they change in a positive direction. Many leaders of psychotherapy groups agree that the silent member does not benefit from being in the group. Those members of the group who very slowly open up can never keep up with the rest of the more active members of the group. Yalom warns not to be fooled that the silent group member is benefiting from his time in the group.

The silence of a group member can be attributed to many reasons. Some of them are terrified at the thought of self-disclosure; others are afraid of the manifestation of aggression, so they do not dare to assert themselves associated with participation in the conversation; some expect to be activated by some kind guardian; others maintain an arrogant silence, keeping the group at bay. Another reason for the silence of a group member can be the fear of falling into crying and lamentation. And, of course, there is a type of participants who, with their silence, try to attract attention to themselves.

Group dynamics play a role here. Group anxiety about potential aggression or the availability of emotional resources in the group can force the vulnerable participant into silence in order to reduce tension or competition for attention. Thus, it is very useful to distinguish between situational silence and permanent silence.

Meanwhile, silence is never silent, silence is behavior, and, like any other behavior in a group, carries a certain semantic load. Help the participant understand the meaning of this behavior.

The choice of strategy depends on the host's understanding of the reasons for this silence. Extremes should be avoided, so that, on the one hand, do not put too much pressure on the participant, and on the other hand, do not allow him to go into complete isolation. The facilitator may from time to time engage the silent person by commenting on their non-verbal behavior. Often the tacitist who is introduced to the work group fears the clarity, discernment, and directness of the more experienced group members. In such a case, it is helpful for the therapist to emphasize that previously these experienced participants also struggled with their silence. A good way to encourage a participant to become more involved in group work is to encourage other participants to reflect aloud on how they are being perceived, and then ask the silent participant to respond to those experiences. Even if constant persuasion is required, you can still avoid turning the participant into a passive object: for this you need to constantly ask questions like: “Do you want to be pushed to talk at this meeting?”, “Could you let us know when from - because of our conversations you feel uncomfortable? "," What question could we ask you so that you could join our conversation?"

If, despite all these efforts, the participant is still silent after three months of his stay in the group, then this will become more and more perplexing and frustrating for the group. At this stage, individualized psychotherapy for the participant is helpful.