In the modern world, aggression is no longer merely an individual phenomenon.
It has become an organizing force within groups and societies, structuring political discourse, defining the boundaries between “us” and “them,” strengthening identities, and at the same time undermining the capacity for dialogue.
Aggression, in itself, is an integral part of psychic life and serves important functions—protection, self-assertion, and the establishment of boundaries. As in the individual context, in group and social contexts it may take on far more destructive forms: intensified through mechanisms such as splitting, projection, and idealization, it loses its connection to reality and begins to shape the ways entire groups think and interact.
Contemporary developments suggest that excessive destructive aggression is not only tolerated, but in some cases actively legitimized by certain political movements and societies. It resonates with collective sentiment, is amplified through group support, and may even serve a cohesive function—uniting individuals around a shared “enemy” while reducing complex reality to polarized, black-and-white categories.
From a psychodynamic perspective, this is associated with regression in large groups, the activation of primitive defense mechanisms, and the intensification of collective forms of narcissism, in which the idealization of “one’s own” is inevitably accompanied by the devaluation of the “other.” Under such conditions, the capacity for individual thinking diminishes, and responsibility for actions is increasingly delegated to the leader.
According to Dr. Otto Kernberg, group members who share the group’s established psychodynamic culture do not experience moral constraints; on the contrary, they may feel a sense of freedom. The absence of a need for self-reflection, along with a lack of guilt and shame, gradually becomes a driving force behind antisocial behavior.
The exploration of these processes and their impact on contemporary society formed the basis of the workshop “Aggression in Groups, Organizations, and the Political Sphere,” within the framework of the one-year training program:
“Love, Sex, and Aggression: From Normality to Pathology”
Trainer — Dr. Otto Kernberg, M.D.
A distinct and conceptually central part of the workshop was devoted to the analysis of narcissism. This is crucial, as narcissistic structures, when scaled to the level of the group, can give rise to collective narcissism.
Otto Kernberg conceptualizes narcissism not only as an individual personality characteristic, but also as a key mechanism shaping the functioning of groups and societies. Under such conditions, the group maintains its cohesion at the cost of simplifying reality, increasing polarization, and identifying an external enemy.
Within this dynamic, the leader and the group mutually reinforce one another, forming a closed system of grandiosity and aggression.
Particular attention was given to malignant narcissism, which, when combined with power, may influence not only the style of leadership but also the direction of entire social systems. So-called “thin-skinned” forms of narcissism were also examined—more vulnerable, yet no less destructive in group interactions, especially under conditions of criticism and frustration.
For this reason, the theme of narcissism served as an important theoretical bridge to understanding aggression in groups, the role of leadership, ideology, and the regression of large groups.
Why is this workshop important for us as psychotherapists?
Because it allows us to recognize that the same psychic mechanisms we work with in the consulting room—splitting, projection, idealization, and devaluation—do not disappear in groups; rather, they intensify and take on collective forms.
The workshop highlights that aggression is not merely accidental or reactive—it can serve an organizing function, sustaining group identity and cohesion, while simultaneously creating risks of regression and destructive dynamics.
A deeper understanding of aggression enables us not to follow group or leadership narratives uncritically, but to maintain the capacity for independent thinking and to assess reality in a more differentiated way.
This workshop is, in essence, an invitation to rethink how we understand both contemporary social processes and clinical practice.
It helps us more precisely discern where we are dealing with individual dynamics,
and where the psyche of the patient is shaped by group influences and broader social processes.
To gain a deeper understanding of these processes, let us turn to the key topics addressed during the workshop.
Key Topics of the Workshop:
- Aggression as an Organizing Force of Social Reality
- Regression of Large Groups and the Breakdown of Individual Thinking — Sigmund Freud
- Collective Narcissism as the Basis of Group Identity — Dr. Otto Kernberg
- Identification with the Leader and the Loss of Personal Responsibility
- Mass Psychology: From Cohesion to Antisocial Behavior
- Primitive Defense Mechanisms in Social Functioning — Wilfred Bion
- Leader and Group: The Dynamics of Mutual Reinforcement
- Malignant Narcissism as a Phenomenon of Political Leadership
- Grandiosity, Envy, and Aggression in the Structure of Power
- Group Identity as a “Second Skin” — Vamik Volkan
- Paranoid Processes and the Construction of the Enemy Image
- Ideology as a Mode of Organizing Aggression — Pierre Turquet
- The Legitimation of Violence in Collective Consciousness
- Totalitarianism as a Psychological System
- Social Trauma and the Formation of Regressive Groups
- Societal Polarization: Mechanisms of Dividing “Us” and “Them”
- Aggression as an “Ethical Position”
- The Destruction of Reality: The Ideologization of Thinking
- Psychological Foundations of War and Mass Violence — Jacques Sémelin
- Possibilities for Prevention: Leadership, Institutions, Education
- and others.
These topics not only deepen our understanding of the psychodynamics of group processes, but also offer a new perspective on the contemporary social reality in which we live and work.
(c) Yuliia Holopiorova,
Ukrainian Association of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy