Wilfred Bion

Disciplines > Psychoanalysis > Theorists > Wilfred Bion

Description | Discussion | See also

Description

Wilfred Bion (1897-1979) was a psychiatrist with the British Army during the second world war, working on ways to improve selection of officers and treating casualties. He is particularly known for his work at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations in London.

From his work with the army, he retained a focus on individuals and groups.

• Work Group: The normal work group.
• The Basic Assumption Group: Unconscious dysfunctional responses to anxiety.

Discussion

Bion's general thinking falls into the Object Relations Theory school of thought.

See also

Melanie Klein, The depressive position, Oedipus Complex, The paranoid-schizoid position