Robert (Bob) Gosling, OBE (1920–2000), was born in Birmingham in 1920[1],[2],[3]. He became a medical student in Birmingham and obtained a BSc in physiology[4],[5]. He then gained a Rockefeller scholarship to do his clinical training in the US, at Cornell[6],[7],[8], where he studied under Carl Binger the senior teaching psychiatrist[9]. However, after six months in the US he developed tuberculosis, which incapacitated him for four years[10],[11] leaving him flat on his back[12] in a tuberculosis sanatorium in New York[13].
This experience of illness and hospitalization helped shape his attitude to patients, as he realised that whether someone got better or worse depended to a significant degree on their emotional state. It was this insight[14] coupled with meeting a fellow patient who was a psychoanalyst[15],[16] that led him to a career in psychoanalysis[17]. It was also where he developed an enduring taste for jazz[18].
After obtaining his MD at Cornell, he worked as a locum general practitioner[19],[20], before starting psychiatric training at the Maudsley Hospital, working as registrar to Professor Sir Aubrey Lewis[21],[22]. Serious illness struck again: poliomyelitis kept him off work for 18 months, and he had to spend several weeks in an iron lung[23],[24],[25]. His medical registrar colleagues, wanting to cheer him up, would keep telling him how lucky he was that the illness had not spread to certain muscles around his thighs, which meant that he would at least be able to walk again[26]. Trapped in the iron lung, he did not feel so lucky, and spent his time closely watching the ward’s cleaner who worked very energetically with her broom right next to the plug for the machine that was keeping him alive[27].
After completing his formal training at the Maudsley, in 1956[28]Robert Gosling took up post as senior registrar in the Adult Department of the Tavistock Clinic[29],[30]. Along with David Malan and JL Wilson he was one of a number of important recruits from the Maudsley at that time[31].
While working as senior registrar Robert Gosling acted as assistant to Michael Balint for several years[32]. At the time Balint was developing his pioneering training for GPs[33], which like all extra-mural training at that time, was done in conjunction with the TIHR[34]. After Michael Balint’s retirement in 1961[35], the general practitioner seminars continued under the headship of Robert Gosling[36].
Robert Gosling underwent analysis with Wilfred Bion[37] and qualified as a member of the British Psychoanalytic Society in 1958[38],[39]. Robert Gosling participated in the first Leicester Conference and acted as a consultant in one of the small study groups[40].
Rob Gosling had a lifelong interest in group and institutional processes at work[41]. In 1957 the Tavistock Institute launched its first full scale experiment in group relations in partnership with the University of Leicester[42]. These were loosely based on the Tavistock Clinic’s work with group psychology.
In the mid-1960s Ken Rice mounted a group relations conference at the Tavistock Clinic that ran over four months, meeting once a week in the evenings for small groups, lectures and seminars. There were also two inter-group events held at weekends (run by Ken Rice, Isabel Menzies, Bob Gosling, Pearl King, and Pierre Turquet), one of which was facilitated by Wilfred Bion. Participants expected to hear all about Experiences in Groups, but Bion didn’t mention it once and never gave the slightest indication he had read the book let alone written it – apparently he had moved on[43].
Over many years, Robert Gosling continued to work closely with Ken Rice, Eric Miller Gordon Lawrence, Pierre Turquet and others on group relations conferences at Leicester and elsewhere[44],[45], specialising in working in very small groups, which looked at the here and now of behaviour[46]. Robert Gosling rarely wrote articles[47], but for the 1981 memorial Festschrift for his mentor Wilfred Bion[48], he was wrote the classic paper[49]: ‘A study of very small groups’[50]. His portrayal of the psychological field opened up in small groups, broke new ground – drawing attention to the problem of intimacy[51]. His reflections led him to the conclusion that ‘you can be your own most dangerous saboteur and your own knowledge or learning can easily lead you to repeat what you already know and to learn as little that is new as possible’[52].
Robert Gosling was also centrally involved with the Royal College of Psychiatrists[53] and along with Tom Main (of the Cassel), Malcolm Pines and S. T. Hayward (of Shenley Hospital)[54] organised the enormously influential 1964 International Conference on Psychotherapy[55].
From 1968 to 1979 Rob Gosling led the Tavistock Clinic as Chair of the Professional Committee, during a period of significant expansion for the Tavistock Clinic, both in the extent and range of work of the Clinic[56].
Robert Gosling’s leadership style was primarily that of a facilitator, helping staff of different disciplines to work together[57]. The development of the Tavistock tradition of group therapy owed much to him[58]. He brought the clinic into the modern age, creating a multidisciplinary organisation ahead of its time[59]. He saw that clinical intervention alone would never be enough, and took a leading part in developing professional training in groups[60]. He also encouraged outward facing work in schools, residential homes for the mentally ill, and health centres, in order to help staff in their own settings to cope more effectively with the psychological problems they encountered[61].
In late middle age his hearing failed and he took early retirement from the NHS[62] in 1979[63]. He was awarded an OBE in recognition of his work[64],[65],[66].He retired to Gloucestershire and took up carpentry and farming as hobbies[67].
Author: Glenn Gossling 2019
Footnotes
[1] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[2] Sebastian Kraemer, ‘Robert Gosling’, BMJ, 2000, 320:1344
[3] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p356, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[4] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[5] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p356, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[6] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[7] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p356, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[8] Sebastian Kraemer, ‘Robert Gosling’, BMJ, 2000, 320:1344
[9] HV Dicks, 50 Years of the Tavistock Clinic, p289, Routledge, 1970
[10] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[11] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[12] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[13] Sebastian Kraemer, ‘Robert Gosling’, BMJ, 2000, 320:1344
[14] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[15] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[16] Sebastian Kraemer, ‘Robert Gosling’, BMJ, 2000, 320:1344
[17] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[18] Sebastian Kraemer, ‘Robert Gosling’, BMJ, 2000, 320:1344
[19] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p356, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[20] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[21] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p356, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[22] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[23] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[24] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[25] Sebastian Kraemer, ‘Robert Gosling’, BMJ, 2000, 320:1344
[26] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[27] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[28] HV Dicks, 50 Years of the Tavistock Clinic, p267, Routledge, 1970
[29] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p356, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[30] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p111, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[31] HV Dicks, 50 Years of the Tavistock Clinic, p267, Routledge, 1970
[32] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p356, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[33] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p356, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[34] HV Dicks, 50 Years of the Tavistock Clinic, p281, Routledge, 1970
[35] HV Dicks, 50 Years of the Tavistock Clinic, p277, Routledge, 1970
[36] HV Dicks, 50 Years of the Tavistock Clinic, p281, Routledge, 1970
[37] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p112, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[38] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p356, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[39] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[40] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p115, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[41] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p111, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[42] HV Dicks, 50 Years of the Tavistock Clinic, p212, Routledge, 1970
[43] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p114, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[44] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[45] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p111, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[46] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p116, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[47] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p115, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[48] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p116, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[49] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[50] Robert Gosling, ‘A study of very small groups’, in: J. S. Grotstein(Ed.), Do I Dare Disturb the Universe: A Memorial to W.R. Bion (pp.633–645). London: Caesura Press. 1981 [Reprinted with corrections, London: Karnac, 1983]
[51] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p116, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[52] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p117, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[53] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[54] HV Dicks, 50 Years of the Tavistock Clinic, p284, Routledge, 1970
[55] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[56] David Armstrong, Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy, p111, Routledge, 2005, first published in Free Associations, 10 (2003, No. 53): 1–13.
[57] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[58] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[59] Sebastian Kraemer, ‘Robert Gosling’, BMJ, 2000, 320:1344
[60] Sebastian Kraemer, ‘Robert Gosling’, BMJ, 2000, 320:1344
[61] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[62] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[63] Sebastian Kraemer, ‘Robert Gosling’, BMJ, 2000, 320:1344
[64] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000
[65] Alexis Brook, ‘Psychiatrists’ psychiatrist who headed the Tavistock Clinic’, The Guardian, Monday 14 February 2000
[66] Sebastian Kraemer, ‘Robert Gosling’, BMJ, 2000, 320:1344
[67] Anton Obholzer, ‘Robert (Bob) Gosling OBE: Formerly Chairman, Tavistock Clinic, London’, Psychiatric Bulletin, p357, Volume 24, Issue 9, September 2000