Group Dynamics 1

Groups

The tendency to join with others in _____ is perhaps the single most important characteristic of humans.

indelible imprint

The processes that unfold within these groups leave an _____ ____ on their members and on society

Group Dynamics

are the influential processes that place in groups and also the discipline devoted to the scientific analysis of those dynamics

Group Dynamics

the influential actions, processes, and changes that occur within and between groups over time; also, the scientific study of those processes.

Group

two or more individuals who are connected by and within social relationships

Group

can range in size from two members to thousands of members

series of interconnected computers

The members of any given group are networked together like _____ __________

Membership

Relationships among members people in a group are said to be linked by their ________.

Group members

______ _____ share a common identity with one another

Social Identity

creates a sense of “we” and “us”, as well as a sense of “they”.

Social Identity

This refers to the aspects of the self concept that derive from relationships and memberships in groups

• Interaction

• Goals

• Interdependence

• Structure

• Unity

(IGISU)

Characteristics of Groups:

Interaction

varied

Goals

groups usually exist for a reason

• Relationship Interaction

• Task Interaction

(2) Interactions:

Relationship Interaction

Actions that relate to or influence the emotional and interpersonal bonds within the group

Task Interaction

Actions performed by group members that pertain to the group’s projects, tasks, and goals.

Circumplex Model of Group Tasks

(1) Goals:

Joseph E. McGraths’s

Circumplex Model of Group Tasks BY?

brings order to the many goal-related activities that groups undertake.

1. Generate

2. Choose

3. Negotiate

4. Execute

(GCNE)

Circumplex Model of Group Tasks QUADRANTS:

Quadrant 1 - Generate

• Generating Ideas

• Generating Plans

Quadrant 2 - Choose

• Solving problems with correct answers

• Deciding issues with no right answer

Quadrant 3 - Negotiate

• Resolving conflicts with viewpoints

• Resolving conflicts of interest

Quadrant 4 - Execute

• Executing performance tasks

• Resolving conflicts of power

Interdependence

The state of being dependent to some degree on other people

• Mutual, Reciprocal

• Reciprocal, Unequal

• Unilateral

• Sequential

4 Interdependence:

Structure

Group members are not connected to one another at random, but in organized and predictable patterns

Group Structure

The underlying pattern of roles, norms, and relations among members that organizes groups

Norm

a consensual and often implicit standard that describes what behaviors should and should not be performed in a given context

Role

a coherent set of behaviors expected of people who occupy specific positions within a group.

Unity

A group, viewed holistically, is a unified whole

Group Cohesion

The quality of “groupness” or solidarity is determined in part by _____ _____

Group Cohesion

The strength of the bonds linking individuals to and in the group.

Entitativity

Groupness is also related to __________

Entitativity

the extent to which an assemblage of individuals is perceived to be a group rather than an aggregation of independent, unrelated individuals

EX.

• A basketball team wearing the same jersey, moving together, and working toward one goal → high entitativity (feels like a real group).

• People waiting at a bus stop, not talking, each doing their own thing → low entitativity (just individuals who happen to be in the same place).

• Common Fate

• Similarity

• Proximity

What influences Group Entitativity?

• Thomas Theorem

• Essentialism

When is Seeing (a group) Believing (in the group)?

Thomas Theorem

if people define groups as real, they are real in their consequences.

• Once people think an aggregate of people is a true group—one with entitativity,—then the group will have important interpersonal consequences for those in the group and those who are observing it.

Essentialism

The belief that all things, including individuals and groups, have a basic nature which makes them what they are and distinguishes them from others; this basic essence, even though hidden, is relatively unchanging and gives rise to surface-level qualities

• Primary Groups

• Social Groups

• Collectives

• Categories

Types of Groups: