Psychology of Groups: How Archetypes & Hidden Forces Shape Behaviour — Brant Elwood & Aodhán Moran

Aodhán Moran and Brant Evans are experts in group relations, exploring the hidden dynamics that shape how groups function and how individuals relate within them. Their work combines psychology, mythology, and practical insights to reveal the deeper forces at play in teams, families, and communities. From Jungian archetypes to the scapegoat mechanism, their approach helps people better understand and navigate the complexities of group behaviour. Here’s what we explore in this discussion: — What group relations are and why they’re essential to understand. — How group dynamics often reflect myths and archetypes — The scapegoat mechanism, how to avoid being scapegoated, and what to do if you find yourself in this unfortunate position. — Why strong emotional reactions often reveal hidden projections. And more. You can get a copy of their book by going to https://bit.ly/GHG-2025. --- Aodhán Moran has one foot in psychology and the other in technology. Starting his career in tech and e-commerce, Aodhán worked various roles in start-ups and scale-ups across Galway, San Francisco, and Toronto before pursuing a career in clinical psychology. Aodhán is a certified executive coach through Dr Simon Western’s Ecoleadership Institute. His practice is grounded in the analytic-network systems psychodynamic lens, which he uses to coach young entrepreneurs toward self-awareness in their work. As a student of group relations since 2019, Aodhán has attended multiple group relations- style conferences in member, trainee consultant, and staff roles, including The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations’ Leicester Conference. Aodhán draws on Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Jonathan Pageau, René Girard, Simon Western, and others in his explorations of individual and group dynamics. Aodhán is particularly interested in the intersection of psychology, mythology, and religion, and how these areas can inform our understanding of individual and group behaviour. Brant Elwood has a MA in Social-Organisational Psychology from Columbia University and is a therapeutic consultant. He has held leadership positions within several therapeutic treatment organizations. During the pandemic, he directed a non-profit that utilised myth and archetypal theory to conduct rites of passage work with young men in the southeast US. Brant draws from the mythopoetic lineage of Robert Bly, Robert Johnson, and others in an attempt to establish a novel style of thinking about groups in communities and organisations. He first attended a Tavistock-style group relations conference in 2015. --- Interview Links: — Aodhán & Brant's Book - https://bit.ly/GHG-2025 — X: https://x.com/aodhanpmoran