The Importance of Group Therapy in Healthy Character Development

The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues within psychology. Nature refers to hereditary factors that influence who we are and nurture refers to environmental variables that impact who we are, such as early childhood experiences, how we were raised, our social relationships, and our surrounding culture.

Both nature and nurture are influential factors; while character attributes are developed, they can be changed. This means that the brain’s hard wiring may have a significant influence on character development, but it is also true that “community” (social norms, influential networks, and the behaviors expected by one’s family and friends) plays a critical role in character development, regardless of underlying traits.

At The Arise Society, therapy helps our students uncover strengths and learn new skills. A successful therapy experience does not mean a student is cured; it means the person has the inner and outer resources to handle the ups and downs of life.

Group therapy is a key aspect of our community and culture – and through this experience our students not only learn the social skills of establishing and maintaining peer relationships, but also how these translate into healthier family relationships. The fundamental objective is to release problems and move forward in the exploration of one’s identity.

The community and the group (through group therapy) provide an authenticity that professionals alone cannot provide. A freely interactive group will develop into a social microcosm. With enough time, students will begin to be themselves. They will interact with group members as they interact with anyone within their social sphere – and will create in group, the same interpersonal universe they have always inhabited, including their unhealthy patterns.

The emotional experience and the student’s discovery, through real-world reality testing in group therapy, produce interpersonal learning about their reactions that are appropriate, inappropriate, or get in the way of intimacy and closeness.

Group therapy allows individuals to develop self-awareness by listening to others with similar issues. We know that change occurs through meaningful here-and-now relational experiences that challenge and disconfirm their internal beliefs.

As our students change their “signature” patterns, their ability to form rewarding relationships increase.  Social anxiety decreases, self-esteem rises, and the need for self-concealment diminishes.