La capacitŕ negativa dello psicoterapeuta come sostegno del pensiero di gruppo

During the course of a conversation in a social setting such as a party or dinner, if the conversation seems to be approaching a sensitive point or delicate area, the host or hostess will probably intervene to try and redirect the conversation. If they don’t succeed then the atmosphere is likely to become considerably more uncomfortable. During a group therapy session, things go in a very different way. It is possible to get into very delicate situations without bringing about this atmosphere of concern or agitation. On the contrary, people become more engaged, and, at the same time they continue to think and express their thoughts freely. At least a part of this behaviour is due to the fact that the analyst continually exercises his negative capability. The aim of this paper is to investigate this function.