Description
Anti-Social Personality in Group Counseling
Research report on Anti-Social Personality in Group Counseling
The Anti-Social Personality (AP) is a challenge to the group leader in the helping process. The AP often has a childhood background of significant conflict with the parent (usually the father figure) in the family of origin. The original parental conflict is repeated in relation to authority figures such as employers and supervisors and in the relationship with the group leader. In the group process, the conflict repetition is expressed by forming a subgroup to form an alliance with group members outside the group sessions. When the sub-group alliance is formed, the AP will then challenge or undermine the group leader during group sessions. Group attendance may then drop, and those members who leave, lose the opportunity for the help they would otherwise have received. For group safety and trust, it is important to identify the AP before admission to the group if possible and to refer the AP to individual counseling if discovered after group admission. To identify the AP, an assessment questionnaire can be used to determine the degree of conflict with the parental figure in the family of origin. A typical scenario is that the AP left home during early adolescence in order to escape a violent father. If the departure was precipitated by a physical altercation, the forming of a sub-group anti-culture and undermining the group leader, is almost certain. Scenario #1: Liz In a group session, Liz revealed that she had engaged others in hiking outings and other social contacts outside the group sessions. In one subsequent session, she contradicted the group leader, and in another session she told a long detailed story that the group leader interrupted. On this last occasion, the AP stated she was disappointed in the group leader who then asked, "What other important person in your life was disappointing to you?" The AP then described her father as a violent alcoholic during her childhood, that she left home at age 15 to escape his behavior, and became pregnant at age 16. The group leader referred Liz to individual counseling and commended her for her pursuit of self-awareness and healing. Scenario #2: Michael In another scenario, a man in his late 20's said he was recommended to get help for his difficulty accepting orders in a military setting. He undermined the group by saying it
was a peanut gallery, and then he turned to the group leader and said, "I guess you know what you are doing, so I'll let you lead the group." The group leader then said, "Do you want to do some therapy right now?" to which he replied in the affirmative. Then the therapist said, "What other important person in your life was someone who didn't appear to know what they were doing." He replied that his father was violent and abusive toward him and that he was kicked out of the house at age 17. The group leader replied, "I wonder if your role in the group is part of an old pattern." The AP in this scenario was new in the group and had earlier formed an alliance with one other group member. He did not return to the group after the above session. Scenario #3: Diana This member attended three group sessions and continued to say she did not feel safe enough to share in the group although she talked briefly about her father's abusing her. She undermined the group leader on separate occasions, attempted to take over the group, and then left the group after a verbal attack on the leader. The group leader removed her from access to other group members on the group website. To process the AP behavior in the group, the AP's relationship with the leader can be used to explore the AP's parental relationship as follows: When the AP reacts against the leader or undermines the leader, he can say things like, "Do you want to explore this right now and take your healing a little further? What are feeling right now in the group? What happened in the group that pushed your buttons? So I wonder if your reaction might be part of an old pattern. Is this the first time this has happened in your relationships with leader or authority figures? What other very important person in your life was someone you experienced as .......(use the AP's undermining words toward the group leader). When the parental relationship is identified, invite the AP to elaborate to gain deeper awareness of the repeating pattern. If the AP is unwilling to explore his or her own patterns, continues efforts to undermine the group through sub-grouping, or devaluing the work of the leader, or other behavior that attempts to undermine the safety of the group or to usurp the leader's role, the leader may choose to recommend the AP for individual counseling.
doc_891600787.docx
Anti-Social Personality in Group Counseling
Research report on Anti-Social Personality in Group Counseling
The Anti-Social Personality (AP) is a challenge to the group leader in the helping process. The AP often has a childhood background of significant conflict with the parent (usually the father figure) in the family of origin. The original parental conflict is repeated in relation to authority figures such as employers and supervisors and in the relationship with the group leader. In the group process, the conflict repetition is expressed by forming a subgroup to form an alliance with group members outside the group sessions. When the sub-group alliance is formed, the AP will then challenge or undermine the group leader during group sessions. Group attendance may then drop, and those members who leave, lose the opportunity for the help they would otherwise have received. For group safety and trust, it is important to identify the AP before admission to the group if possible and to refer the AP to individual counseling if discovered after group admission. To identify the AP, an assessment questionnaire can be used to determine the degree of conflict with the parental figure in the family of origin. A typical scenario is that the AP left home during early adolescence in order to escape a violent father. If the departure was precipitated by a physical altercation, the forming of a sub-group anti-culture and undermining the group leader, is almost certain. Scenario #1: Liz In a group session, Liz revealed that she had engaged others in hiking outings and other social contacts outside the group sessions. In one subsequent session, she contradicted the group leader, and in another session she told a long detailed story that the group leader interrupted. On this last occasion, the AP stated she was disappointed in the group leader who then asked, "What other important person in your life was disappointing to you?" The AP then described her father as a violent alcoholic during her childhood, that she left home at age 15 to escape his behavior, and became pregnant at age 16. The group leader referred Liz to individual counseling and commended her for her pursuit of self-awareness and healing. Scenario #2: Michael In another scenario, a man in his late 20's said he was recommended to get help for his difficulty accepting orders in a military setting. He undermined the group by saying it
was a peanut gallery, and then he turned to the group leader and said, "I guess you know what you are doing, so I'll let you lead the group." The group leader then said, "Do you want to do some therapy right now?" to which he replied in the affirmative. Then the therapist said, "What other important person in your life was someone who didn't appear to know what they were doing." He replied that his father was violent and abusive toward him and that he was kicked out of the house at age 17. The group leader replied, "I wonder if your role in the group is part of an old pattern." The AP in this scenario was new in the group and had earlier formed an alliance with one other group member. He did not return to the group after the above session. Scenario #3: Diana This member attended three group sessions and continued to say she did not feel safe enough to share in the group although she talked briefly about her father's abusing her. She undermined the group leader on separate occasions, attempted to take over the group, and then left the group after a verbal attack on the leader. The group leader removed her from access to other group members on the group website. To process the AP behavior in the group, the AP's relationship with the leader can be used to explore the AP's parental relationship as follows: When the AP reacts against the leader or undermines the leader, he can say things like, "Do you want to explore this right now and take your healing a little further? What are feeling right now in the group? What happened in the group that pushed your buttons? So I wonder if your reaction might be part of an old pattern. Is this the first time this has happened in your relationships with leader or authority figures? What other very important person in your life was someone you experienced as .......(use the AP's undermining words toward the group leader). When the parental relationship is identified, invite the AP to elaborate to gain deeper awareness of the repeating pattern. If the AP is unwilling to explore his or her own patterns, continues efforts to undermine the group through sub-grouping, or devaluing the work of the leader, or other behavior that attempts to undermine the safety of the group or to usurp the leader's role, the leader may choose to recommend the AP for individual counseling.
doc_891600787.docx