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Case Study 2
A senior GP feels the partners are not acting in the best possible way for
both the practice and patients. She is convinced that no one understands the patients or clinical work like she does. The partners are dealing with political meetings, recruitment, finances, as
well as patients. They find the constant reminder and judgement that they are not perfect parents to be a drain on their wellbeing. The conflict is not a full-blown bust-up but a constant weekly sore that festers within the practice.
In this case, what happens within the unconscious family is that the state of mind shuts down the dialogue and leads to the creation of ongoing beliefs and conflict about whose values are best. It becomes a negative competition about who offers the best support to those who use their services. To get out of that conflict, it is usually helpful to understand the unconscious family within the individuals involved and what happens within the organisation.
Achieving Resolution
Whether it is rumbling conflict or full- blown conflict, sometimes, people need outside help with the unconscious dynamic coupled with organisational understanding. You can also resolve conflict without external help by understanding these same factors. You can do it best by asking yourself, ‘what age have I fallen to and what is the impact of that on me and on another?’
We all bring our internal inter-generational family into the workplace. If we felt judged when we were three, we are likely to feel judged when in work. If we come having experienced a severe form of prejudice,
we bring that fear into work. If we come from a family that was filled with conflict, we are likely to be conflict avoidant or conflict creative. That is what we mean by the unconscious family. When the organisation does not meet our expected unconscious pattern of the way a team ticks, then we end up slipping and falling. Conflict resolution lies in understanding our own internal world, our internal age, and how we interact with someone who also has an internal family and an internal age of their own.
EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS
Dr Emma Loveridge
PhD (Cantab) MA (Psych) FRGS
Director/founder of Rafan House T: 020 3542 9935
E: reception@rafanhouse.com W: www.rafanhouse.com
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