Extracts:
“There
is the constant danger that local groups will fall under the control
of individuals who have not only imaginative and persuasive
powers but also "ideas of their own" sufficiently unique to
lead the group out of its loose and tentative structure into a
rigidified form of organization and procedure which may destroy, or
at least seriously hamper, the therapeutic effectiveness of the
group, particularly where its appeal to new members is concerned.”
“This
structure also has its dangers - it contains within it the seeds of
jealousy, just as the human family does. The sponsor obtains a
protégé. That man is "his baby." When another "baby"
comes, the first is likely to be somewhat neglected, and to resent
it. He may even have a "slip" to regain his place as the
centre of attention. Another crisis appears when a protégé begins
to be attracted to other members of the group, to listen to their
views and explanations, and is "weaned away from his original
sponsor. This time the sponsor himself may "slip" from an
excess of resentment or a need for attention.”
“There
is a more or less definite limit to the number of old members who can
retain top positions of veneration and direction in any one local
group, and when this limit is approached the political conflicts
may be expected to grow more acute. This is the time when the
local group is subjected to the most severe strains toward splitting
into rival factions or cliques. One possible solution to such a
conflict, if it arises, is to make such a clique-formation the basis
of a new group in a territorial setting somewhat removed-perhaps in a
separate part of the city. If allowed to continue in one setting,
these clique strains are a potential source of competition,
irritation, jealousy and resentment - a whole series of emotional
disturbances which may lead to slips.”
(our
emphases)
Comment:
Ring any bells?
Cheerio
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
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