this evening?”
Then without waiting for an answer, Collin turned to Dr. Eldren, “what do you think, doctor?”
Dr. Eldren responded, “my observation is that this was a very profound and disturbing experience in Donna’s life. Further discussion may relieve some of the obvious trauma. So I think it would be beneficial, not only to the group but to Donna as well if we proceed with it further while the matter is open. Then she can put it behind her again to some degree and hopefully with some resulting relief of pain.
“Yes,” replied Collin, “I agree. Its been my experience that when such profound experiences are left dangling in mid air so to speak for a period of time, it leaves the person in a mental turmoil for that period, in this case it would be a whole week.”
“Would you like a five minute break, Donna, as we did for Gilda?” asked Dr. Eldren.
She agreed, and after the brief period of relaxation said she was able to recollect her thoughts and continue.
“It doesn’t hurt beyond my endurance,” she said, “and I would prefer to discuss it more fully now rather than have it dangling all week, as Collin said, and have my mind in a turmoil until next group session.”
“Good,” said Dr. Eldren.
“May I question you more, Donna?” asked Collin, eagerly.
“Sure, go right ahead,” replied Donna.
Collin asked, “Donna, did that supervisor who chastised you for being late ever chastise other employees in the same manner. Was this a regular way with him?”
“Not to my knowledge,” said Donna. “In all the time I was in his department, I never saw nor heard of it happening to anyone else.”
“Were there other people late at times,” asked Collin further.
“Oh yes, lots of them,” said Donna, now becoming more calm and settled, as she began to realize she had in Collin a friend who understood.
“Were there some who were late often, perhaps habitually late,” Collin pressed on.
“Sure there were, Collin,” Donna replied. “One of the girls in the collections section, one of the draggers, I call her, she came in late nearly every morning. Not only that, after she did come in and make an appearance at her desk, she would leave again for the washroom where she would spend ten or fifteen minutes putting on her make up and fixing her hair, things she should have done at home.”
“And to your knowledge nothing was ever said to her?”
“That is so.”
“What kind of girl was she, her character I mean.”
“To put it bluntly, she was coarse and tough, sometimes getting impatient with her work and using bad language to describe it. She often complained about other employees behind their backs, running them down, supervisors and all. At times when a supervisor or other employee would complain about her work, she would lash back at them with tough defensive talk about the faulty system, thereby putting an end to their complaints. Does that give you some idea, Collin?”
“Indeed it does,” replied Collin. “Were there others of her type in the department?”
“Several,” said Donna, “but she was the worst, I would say.”
Collin’s questions became more crucial to the point he wished to bring out.
“Was the supervisor afraid of that tough girl and the others like her?”
“Yes, yes indeed, replied Donna, breaking into a smile of relief. “That’s it Collin, he was afraid of them. Come to think of it, I heard her tell him off one day when he questioned her about something pertaining to her work, and he walked away like a beaten man.”
“Coward!” remarked Leo boisterously and contemptuously.
“Yes, Leo, a coward all right, but more, a bully also. Bullies are always cowards,” added Collin as he turned to Donna again. “The supervisor was afraid of those other girls, but he lashed into you for being late. It may seem this was because he was not afraid of you. But there was more than that churning up in this man.
“Yes,” replied Donna, “I think you are right, much more.”
“Do you care to put it into words?” asked Collin.
“I’m not so good at that especially on the spur of the moment,” she replied. “Would you help by expressing your views on the matter?”
“Okay,” said Collin. “The way I see it is: this man hated you because you were too good for him. He didn’t know how to look up to and respect someone he perceived to be a cut above himself. He worked you hard as if that was expected of you in his office; and as if you wouldn’t know the difference that you were being overworked. It is another mind-game such people play on people like us. If you had cracked up or quit because of this overwork, he would be able to say you weren’t up to the job. He would make himself believe that, and hopefully other people too. Your enemies there, the draggers and so on, would be only too glad to believe it.
“This man hated you because he was envious of you. The more you beat him to his game, the more his hatred was stirred. Sooner or later, such people, when they can’t stand any more of your fine character and exceptional abilities, explode at you in some way. Or, they may take some other rash retaliation in return for what they perceive you are doing to them just by being what you are, a fine, gifted person.
“This man’s envy could have been stirred for various other reasons. Maybe he could see in you what he would like to see in his wife or his daughter, or his mother for that matter. He may have been deflated because he himself couldn’t get as much work out of the other employees under his supervision as you were able to do. Either way, he was envious of you and hated you surely for unintentionally deflating his ego. It was his problem, not yours.”
“That sounds like the way I would put it if I could have,” responded Donna. “Thanks for your help.”
A noticeable look of relief came over Donna. She expressed gratitude to the group that the supervisor who had caused a trauma in her life was, to her present frame of mind, now out in the open and exposed for what he was. At last some others, the group members, understood in a friendly, supportive manner.
There was a momentary silence, as if the members were waiting for a direction by which to proceed.
Collin broke the silence. “Donna, it may seem relentless of me to ask more of you at this time, but I am anxious to know how things went for you generally during the remainder of your time with that corporation.”
“All right, Collin,” responded Donna, “I think in the time that is left this evening I can give you an overall picture of the remainder of my final year with that corporation.” Then, as if to release her long time pent-up feelings some more, she interjected, “first let me say further, you have been a great help this evening in expressing for me what I find difficult to put into words, mostly because of the trauma involved. And it makes a tremendous difference to talk to a group of people who have had similar experiences as I am sure you all have had; people who know the world out there and who can truly and realistically empathize. To talk about such things to someone who doesn’t know or
