Abstract
The author first states that all groups have two innate aspects, namely, that of a Work Group, and that of a Basic Assumption Group. If a group is exposed to a threat, the aspects of the Basic Assumption Group come to predominate and the group becomes ruled by assumptions which prevent them from demonstrating their original functions that are reasonable and meet various purposes. The in-hospital medical team described in this paper became overwhelmed by anxiety that "A," a terminal patient, might commit suicide if he learned about his situation. This fear prevented the team from confronting the risk of suicide, and the members became unable to focus on suicide prevention as a work goal. As a result, their work goal was redirected to persuading As parents who opposed the team informing the medical condition to their son. The team went as far as asking the Psychiatry Department to "somehow get the parents to change their mind" which, to me, appeared to be an unreasonable request. For this in-hospital treatment team to regain its intended function, it proved effective to have the members verbalize the anxieties that ruled them and discuss their fears among themselves. In this process, the author, a psychiatrist, played the role of a consultant to help verbalize matters which, because they were difficult to raise and discuss, the members of the in-hospital treatment team were unable to think about. To do this, the author needed to listen intently to what the inpatient medical team had to say, and, by so doing, identify the reason why the Basic Assumption Group had become dominant. It was also necessary to focus on, as topics of the discussion, the anxieties and feelings of threat that were overwhelming the members, and encourage them to talk about these matters among themselves.
