2024 11 29T1038

An evocative quote from Caper on Bion:

It is not obvious how being contained--having the experience of someone else who remains calm when subjected to experiences one finds unbearable--could by itself lead to self-containment, any more than it is clear how watching a highly disciplined and talented dancer or athlete could make one a dancer or an athlete.

What this evokes in me is that I do not see opportunities for the calmness of containment in my relationships to other leaders, especially to those at higher level. I suspect their urges to micromanage and dictate come from the same places they come from in me: my own inability to manage my feelings.

I am also struck by how prevalent containment seems to be in all relationships. We use friends and colleagues as containers all the time!

Tags: [[leadership]] [[management]] Containment [[psychology]]