Idealization and devaluation in group analysis: From splitting to integration

Background: Idealization and devaluation are central in group analysis, where initial admiration often shifts to disappointment and criticism. These dynamics, while challenging, reveal early relational patterns, collective anxieties, and unconscious group processes. Aim: This paper presents an integrated model combining the cognitive ‘good–bad’ framework with psychodynamic and group-analytic accounts of splitting, treating culture as constitutive of these dynamics. Method: Group-analytic principles (matrix, mirroring, conductor) are integrated with psychodynamic concepts (splitting, projective identification), schema therapy (early maladaptive schemas, mode shifts), and mentalization theory. Phase-specific development and cultural/intersectional influences are considered. Results: The group acts as a mirroring field for these dynamics. Effective practice requires phase-sensitive interventions, a mentalizing conductor stance, countertransference management, and cultural attunement. A clinical case illustrates movement from splitting to integration. Conclusion: Guiding idealization and devaluation towards a ‘good-enough’ perception fosters self-acceptance, authentic connection, and constructive engagement with group and societal polarization.