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SOME GROUP PSYCHODYNAMIC ASPECTS IN INTERACTION RELATIONSHIPS AT SCHOOL ISPA 28'7'07 48

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Title: SOME GROUP PSYCHODYNAMIC ASPECTS IN INTERACTION RELATIONSHIPS AT SCHOOL ISPA 28'7'07 48


1
SOME GROUP PSYCHODYNAMIC ASPECTS IN INTERACTION
RELATIONSHIPS AT SCHOOL
ISPA 28.7.07 48
  • Pirjo Sjö
  • School psychologist in the Education Department
    of Helsinki

2
THE INTRODUCTION
  • The work of a school psychologist has
    traditionally focused on the problem solving of
    individual students by means of individual
    psychological tests
  • The study of Galen Alessi, 1988
  • Everyday observations suggest however that the
    same student can behave differently in different
    groups or in different situations
  • Why so ?
  • In this presentation I shall observe some group
    psychodynamic aspects in interaction
    relationships at school
  • I shall also describe one process of changing
    the focus in the work of student wellfare team at
    school where I also work as school psychologist

3
ABOUT GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS
  • A newborn child has enourmous need and ability to
    be in contact with other people
  • Ways of being contact vary during ones lifespan
  • The other as important developmental process is
    to become more independent
  • One has to refind her/his identity in every group
    and interaction
  • relationships
  • How one is like others
  • How one is different
  • What is permanent and valuable
  • In the beginning of a group there will always be
    tension and anxiety
  • Individuals are testing each others
  • Who are alike and possible alliances and who are
    not
  • In groups there are always tension between the
    need to be like the others and between the need
    to be independent and unique

4
SOME BASIC CONCEPTIONS OF GROUP
PSYCHODYNAMICW.R.BION (1897-1979)
  • A GROUP HAS TWO TASKS
  • THE PRIMARY TASK
  • - the task, why a group has originally
    been formed
  • THE TASK TO TAKE CARE OF THE WELL-BEING AND
    SAFETY OF THE MEMBERS OF A GROUP
  • - this task is usually invisible, it is
    mostly unconscious dynamic process in a group
  • In groups there are always dynamics between the
    primary task and invisible emotional needs
  • There is a tendency to decrease working and
    falling to a state of basic assumptions,when the
    primary task is not clear or not accepted and the
    anxiety in a group increases
  • THE STATES OF BASIC ASSUMTIONS
  • DEPENDENCY
  • FIGHT AND FLIGHT
  • PAIRING

5
  • THE DYNAMICS OF PROJECTIVE IDENTIFICATION
  • Very important invisible psychodynamic process of
    interaction in groups
  • THE VALENCE
  • Individuals readiness to take a role in the
    dynamic process of a group

6
ABOUT THE TASKS OF THE SCHOOL
  • THE PRIMARY TASK OF THE SCHOOL IS TEACHING AND
    LEARNING
  • This primary task inevitably causes anxiety
  • In order to be succesful with this primary task,
    the anxiety must be kept within tolerant limits
  • THE TASK OF TAKING CARE OF THE WELLBEING AND
    SAFETY AT SCHOOL
  • At school there are many diffrent groups which
    are linking to each others
  • Some are formal with clear structure, some are
    informal
  • During schooldays both students and teachers
    attend many different groups
  • This is very demanding

7
  • If the primary task is unclear and the structures
    dont properly work,there will be confusion and
    chaos in groups
  • Then anxiety in groups will increase and
    permanent roles like spacegoat, being bullied or
    being left aside may come out
  • In these situations there will be a danger that
    the problems may be seen caused by one or some
    individuals
  • Then actions and working is focused on individual
    students and their missing abilities instead of
    observing the whole group and its
    psychodynamics
  • Challange of the work of the school psychologist
    is to try to make these invisible dynamics
    visible

8
SOME ASPECTS IN LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
  • THE LEARNING RELATIONSHIP
  • The meaning of the leadership is most important
  • The good leadership and clear structures can be
    contained as experiences of a clear target and
    safety
  • The head is the leader of the school
  • Teachers are leaders of large groups of
    students
  • It is important that they have also ability to
    understand dynamics of a group
  • Anxiety reduces at school if there is capacity
    to create a genuine,respectful and open-minded
    interaction
  • Confidental, permanent relationships reduce
    anxiety
  • Turnovers of a teacher or a class may cause
    feelings of lost which has been experienced
    earlier in life

9
  • There should be time to process turnovers and
    other important changes at school
  • Ways of managing changes and the feelings which
    accompany these , and structuring the beginnings
    and the ends of the day, the week, the terms in
    school life, can reduce anxiety based on early
    infantile experiences of separation and change
  • Students can learn to recognise their emotions
    and to find age-relevant ways to express
    themselves in everyday life
  • It is possible to get new, correcting emotional
    experiences in containing learning relationships
    at school

10
  • Both the whole group (school/class) and
    individuals are important
  • Social spirit will increase by strenghtening the
    feelings of belonging together and cohesion
  • This can be carried out by all kinds of
    activities, rituals and celebrations, by
    remembering the history of a group and by
    planning future
  • Students are mostly working in large groups at
    school
  • There may be much creativity in large groups
  • But in large groups the amount of relationships
    is great, dynamics are strong and there may be
    feelings of losing control

11
  • By dividing a large group into heterogenous
    smaller ones, the feelings of safety may
    increase
  • If learning tasks demand everybody
    participating,it will be difficult to remain an
    outsider
  • And if a teacher gives varying roles to members
    of a group, permanent roles can be avoided
  • It depends on a task, which kind of grouping is
    best
  • Cohesion will increase and interaction
    relationships will become better, if everybody
    works with everybody during the school year
  • Then phantasies may decrease

12
  • The lifespan of a group at school should be
    noticed
  • In the beginning of a new group there will be
    anxiety and tension earlier experiences of
    relationships and groups may come into the mind
  • Dependency of the leader is great
  • Building the structure is important
    tasks,rules,methods and ways by which to be in
    contact
  • Culture of a group begins to develope
  • In the next stage of the development of a group
    members want to be seen as individuals
  • Conflicts and resistance are usual
  • Different kinds of cliques may be born
  • There will be many feelings of envy and rivalry

13
  • In the next stage acceptance of others ways of
    being in a group will grow
  • Cohesion will become important
  • Undertaking the primary task will increase
  • The last stage is the ending of the group
  • That can arouse strong feelings of past
    experiences
  • This stage is very important, because it is the
    start of new beginnings

14
  • ENVIRONMENT
  • Individuals are also joining emotionally to
    physical environment
  • It can support the well-being and safety
  • LEARNING SITUATIONS
  • Students have different styles in learning and
    different kinds of abilities
  • For many students subjects like art, music,sport
    and handicraft can give possibilities to express
    their abilities
  • These subjects also make it possible to develop a
    person as a whole
  • Naming of things and feelings helps students to
    find words and conceptions for their experiences
    and to integrate them
  • Learning situations should be entities the
    meaning of the beginnings and endings
  • Many situations include competition and arouse
    strong feelings e.g sport lessons should end in
    relaxing and calming

15
  • CO-OPERATION WITH PARENTS
  • Building the partnership with parents is
    extremely important
  • School must take an active role
  • Clear structures are needed
  • It will be challange as to closeness and
    distance

16
  • SUPPORT
  • Children and young students show quite openly
    their feelings
  • This may arouse into the adultsmind feelings of
    their own earlier disappointments, shame and
    unfilled needs
  • Then a need to upbring, teach and take the bad
    away will increase
  • Adultscapacity to contain is very important
  • At school it can be strenghtened by good
    leadership, genuine, open-minded interaction and
    structures both inside a school like teams( e.g
    student well-being team) and outside a school
    like e.g supervision

17
THE STUDENT WELL-BEING IN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY
  • In Helsinki development of the student well-being
    at schools has continued already for years
  • There are student well-being teams in every
    school
  • Usually the teams consist of the head, the
    teacher with special education,the study
    counselor teacher ,the school nurse, the school
    social worker and the school psychologist
  • In large schools the team has weekly meetings
  • The Education Department in Helsinki has
    published a report concerning the development of
    the student well-being in 2003
  • The report gives general outline when planning
    the student well-being program in school

18
STUDENT WELL-BEING IN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Student well-being
Principal/Head Teacher Special educ.
teacher Studies counsellor School
assistant Parents
The whole staff Parents
SAFETY IN SCHOOL
TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN IN SCHOOL
STUDENT WELFARE TEAM
Cooperation partners Social administration Health
service Parents
SUPPORT AND CARE/THERAPY
School social worker School psychologist School
nurse School doctor Parents
The student well-being services
19
THE STUDENT WELLFARE TEAM GHANGES THE FOCUS OF
ITSWORK ON PREVENTION
  • THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SCHOOL AND ITS STUDENT
    WELLFARE TEAM
  • This primary school has 400 students
  • There are general classes, seven classes for
    students with special needs and three
    international classes for English speaking
    students in this school
  • The student wellfare team consists of the head,
    the vice head,two teachers with special
    education,the school nurse, the school social
    worker and the school psychologist

20
  • The meetings of the student wellfare team (SWT)
    in 2005
  • Every class teacher had their meeting with SWT
    once a year
  • In these meetings they wanted to discuss about
    the problems of individual students
  • Theachers told about so many problems that there
    never was enough time
  • The problems were seen as separate from the
    learning environments of the class and the school
  • Teachers were expecting actions from the SWT
  • They especially expected that the school
    psychologist would test those students having
    problems
  • Unability to utilize the special knowhow of the
    whole SWT and its members could be seen
  • Teachers didnt know exactly what the primary
    task of the SWT was
  • The work of the SWT focused on individual
    students and on their problems
  • There was only a little space for preventive work
  • After the meetings the members of SWT (and maybe
    teachers too) were often very tired and
    frustrated

21
  • The change starts
  • The school psychologists in comprehensive schools
    in Helsinki City formed in 2005 a group with the
    primary task to understand better the meaning of
    learning environments
  • One of its tasks was to study the work of SWTs
    and begin this task with conversations with the
    head
  • The head of this school considers the meaning of
    the learning environments very important
  • She thought that it was necessary to change the
    focus of the SWT
  • The whole team wanted to develop the preventive
    work
  • As the result of these discussions the SWT
    decided that every member of SWT (except the
    head)will take more resbonsibility of some
    classes than the other members, and that she will
    visit her classes and will discuss with the
    class teachers before the meeting of SWT during
    the spring term in 2006

22
  • The resistance
  • In the evaluation meeting of the teachers in the
    end of the spring term 2006 some teachers wanted
    back the traditional work of SWT
  • They were frustrated in reporting twice of
    their students first to one member and then to
    the whole team
  • In spite of resistance the head wanted to
    continue and develop the preventive work

23
  • The preventive work reinforces
  • In autumn 2006 the SWT discussed much of learning
    environments
  • The school psychologist made a litteral
    suggestion for the team the meaning of which was
    to help the discussions with class teachers
    before the meetings of SWT
  • The school psychologist also made a form to be
    fullfilled together with teachers before the
    meetings of SWT
  • The meaning of these discussions and suggestions
    was to find important aspects conserning learning
    environments
  • The whole team wanted to continue in this way

24
  • The evaluation
  • During 2006-2007 the focus of SWT changed towards
    learning environments
  • The utilization of the special abilities of every
    member in SWT increased
  • The group dynamic in SWT changed
  • The role of spacegoats decreased when the classes
    were observed as entities
  • Beacause the meetings were better structured, the
    time of the meetings was long enough
  • The SWT got much information of all students and
    learning environments at school
  • In the evaluation meeting of the school in spring
    2007 teachers told that they were satisfied with
    this kind of working model and were eager to have
    more discussions with their own member of SWT
  • Some of SWT experienced that they lacked time
    for these discussions
  • The process goes on
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