The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and Group Process

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PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS

Though readers of this column know I am a music jazzer, I do like some pop, especially from years back. So I was very interested in the segment of our favorite TV show—Sunday Morning on CBS—this past weekend that featured the Rolling Stones and the remaining members of the group.

Although they have often been called the “bad boys” of rock n’ roll, they are still going strong and creating new music 62 years after their formation in 1962. On the show, you could sense the fun and love between the members.

Contrast that with the Beatles. Often called the “cute boys” by many as they became popular, they lasted for a decade, from 1960 to 1970. They, too, seemed to have fun at the beginning, but more conflict as times went on, as members became involved with significant others. They also had a very involved musical producer, George Martin.

Musically, the Rolling Stones came right out of American Black blues, mixed with emerging rock n’ roll. The depth of their blues respect, admiration, and knowledge was reflected in a comprehensive and beautiful book by founding member Bill Wyman.¹ As I have gotten more and more involved in studying various religions and spirituality, I get drawn to their song “Symphony for the Devil,” especially the insight of this verse:

“I shouted out,

‘Who killed the Kennedys?’

When after all

It was you and me.”

The Beatles had that influence, too, but gentler and poppy. As time went on, their songs became much more complex and experimental. Take the song “A Day in the Life” near the end of their group, the title of which I used in writing about my own “A Day in the Life of a Community Psychiatrist” and other psychiatric functions. In the song, the line “I’d love to turn you on” after the description of major trauma particularly grabs me now with our belated research on the psychedelics for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.

One way to understand the differences between these 2 groups is group dynamics.² One of the major theoreticians was Wilfred Bion. He posited 2 sorts of groups that develop in each group. One is the work group, which is staying on task with the primary goals of the group. Then there are 3 basic assumption groups: dependency, fight-flight, and pairing, any of which interferes with the work group. Perhaps the Beatles outside pairings were a major cause of their breakup.

Besides the use of group therapy with patients, knowledge about how groups work become more and more important as destructive conflicts emerge in political and cultural clashes. Studying music groups like the Rolling Stones and Beatles is one pathway, with the added opportunity and benefit of hearing their still-moving music.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.

References

1. Wyman B. Blues Odyssey: A Journey to Music’s Heart & Soul. DK Publishing; 2001.

2. Yalom I. The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, third edition. Basic Books; 1985.