Thinking about the breakdown of care in Maltese society

Abstract

What kind of society perpetuates such horrors as those we have seen in Malta over the last years? Whilst individual psychology may offer some insight into intrapsychic processes underlying specific events or people, it is imperative that we adopt a group psychological view of societal forces promoting such phenomena as structural oppression and silencing of the Other, crass materialism, splitting, and scapegoating. Such dynamics seem to suggest a fracture in the very fabric of society: a dehumanising process whereby the values of solidarity, compassion, and care for other human beings are neglected. They highlight a culture of selfishness and lack of concern for those who are not part of a person’s inner circle of relationships. This paper refers to a conference session by the author: during the session, group analytic principles, such as the foundation matrix, basic assumptions, the anti-group, and malignant mirroring were utilised in an attempt to shed light on the breakdown of care in contemporary Maltese society. Whilst this paper presents reflections on the session, it also seeks to propose a way forward and focuses on the questions that we need to ask ourselves as participants in this societal dynamic.