The sixth basic assumption baPu (basic assumption purity/pollution)

Abstract

W. R. Bion postulated on the basis of his experience that workgroups engaged with tasks of the system from time to time unconsciously get engaged in pursuing non-task related activities when a number of members of the group feel threatened by some issues that arise in the course of engaging with the task. Such groups in the grip of unconscious assumption behave as if their survival depends on a particular person or process. At other times they may behave as if the group members' survival depends either fighting or taking flight from an issue in the group. Thirdly, such groups under the grip of an unconscious assumption that if only they allow a pair to verbally copulate that the solution to the threat will descend from, perhaps, heaven. These assumptions were named as basic assumption dependency, basic assumption fight/flight, and basic assumption pairing, respectively. To these three Turquet added the fourth basic assumption O, Bain et al. added the fifth basic assumption Me. In this article, the sixth basic assumption of Purity/Pollution is added. Groups operating under this unconscious process behave as if their survival depends on distancing themselves from impurity, as they define it. © 2018 Serials Publications.