Das dicke Ende — Wenn Abschlüsse von Gruppen „misslingen“

The starting phase of groups has received a lot of attention, in theory as well as in practice of group dynamics. The end, however, symbolizing death of a group, seems to be sort of a methodological stepchild. This is no longer true for evaluation, but evaluation is something quite different from the phenomena meant here: they appear, mostly quite unexpected, at the very end of a course or training. Four difficult final situations in group dynamic laboratories are the material for analyzing the psycho- and sociodynamics of critical final situations. Help is offered for dealing with such situations. “Failure” in ending up a training group, often has to do with narcicisstic dynamics in that group with its up and down of idealizing and discounting. It also has to do with getting hooked in one of those phases that has been described as going “towards death and farewell”. It may be that these dynamics touch upon a taboo.