Group Dynamics: Chapter 1

group dynamics

A scientific discipline/ influential actions, processes, and changes that occur within and between groups over centuries.

group

Two or more individuals who are connected by and within social relationships, with an average of 2-7 people, have a stable but permeable boundary, and have a common identity.

Maximum number of ties within a group

[n(n-1)]/2

Membership

The state of being included within a social group.

Network

A set of interconnected individuals, consisting of a set of social or non-social objects, that are linked by relational ties; no boundaries.

social identity

The aspects of self-concept that derive from relationships and memberships in groups; common qualities of group members.

Relationship interaction

Refers to positive and negative actions influencing the emotional and interpersonal bonds within the group.

task interaction

Actions pertaining to the group's projects, and goals.

Conflict

Cognitive conflict tasks, decision-making tasks, Mixed-motive tasks, contests/battle/competitive tasks

Cooperation

Intellective tasks, creativity tasks, planning tasks, performances/psychomotor tasks.

Conceptual

Cognitive conflict tasks, decision-making tasks, intellective tasks, creativity tasks.

Behavioral

Mixed-motive tasks, contests/battle/competitive tasks, performances/psychomotor tasks, planning tasks.

Cognitive conflict tasks

resolving conflicts of viewpoint

decision-making tasks

deciding issues with no right answer

intellective tasks

solving problems with correct answers

creativity tasks

generating ideas

planning tasks

generating plans

Performances/psychomotor tasks

executing performance tasks

competitive tasks

resolving conflicts of power

Mixed motive tasks

resolving conflicts of interest

Circumplex model of group tasks

classification of group tasks along the dimensions: cooperative-competitive and conceptual-behavioral.

Interdependence

Members are obligated or responsible to other group members.

Mutual and reciprocal

All members influence one another.

Unilateral

A leader influences others but is not influenced by them.

Reciprocal but unequal

A leader's influence over followers is substantially greater than follower's influence on the leader.

Structure

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

Roles

Set of behaviours expected of people.

Norm

Consensual and often implicit standards of what behaviors should (not) be performed.

Group cohesion

strength of bonds linking individuals to and in the group; how the group really is.

Entitativity

The extent to which a group seems to be a single unified entity- a real group; how the group is perceived from outside. Depends on common fate, similarity, and proximity.

Primary/intimacy Groups

Small, long-term groups (family, friendship cliques); face to face interaction, solidarity, high member-group interdependence and identification. Is the basic source of socialization according to Cooley; shaping of attitudes, values and social orientation.

Social group

Larger but still small number of individuals interacting over extended period of time; more formerly organized, memberships shorter and less emotionally involving, more permeable boundaries, more instrumental. Example: work groups, congregations, clubs.

Collectives

Large group of individuals with similarities in action and outlook like street crowds, mobs, queues, movie audience.

Categories

Aggregation of individuals sharing a common attribute or are related in some way. If the aggregation have no social implication, it only describes individuals with similar features and is not a meaningful group; For example: New yorkers, gamblers, Afro americans.

Crowd

A large number of people gathered together in a disorganized or unruly way.

Congregation

A gathering or collection of people, animals or things.

Minimal groups

Groups connected by only one very small characteristic (eg: eye color, ...)

Level of analysis

Individual level vs. organizational level

individual level analysis

Examines specific individuals in the group; personality, attitudes, or motivations being true determinants of social behavior.

organizational level analysis

Assumes each person is an element in a larger system, and what he does is presumed to reflect the state of the larger system and the events occurring in it.

Collective conscious (or groupmind)

A hypothetical unifying mental force linking group members together; the fusion of individual consciousness into a transcendent consciousness.

Interactionism formula proposed by Lewin

Assumes that each person's behavior (B) is a function of his or her personal qualities (P), the social environment (E), and the interaction of these personal qualities with factors present in the social setting. B= f(P,E)

Groupmind

A supra-individual level of consciousness that links members in a psychic, telepathic connection.

Group development

patterns of growth and change that emerge across the group's life span.

multilevel perspective

examining the group behavior from several different levels of analysis, including individual level (micro), group level (meso), and organizational or societal level (macro).

Truckman's forming phase

Orientation of group members towards one another

Truckman's storming phase

Conflicts over status and goals

Truckman's norming phase

Structure and standards emerge

Truckman's performing phase

No more disagreement and organization so as to increase their task focus.

Truckman's adjourning phase

The group disbands.

Thomas theorem

Understanding of social situation determines action.

Lewin's call for action research

Scientific inquiry that both expands basic theoretical knowledge and identifies solution to significant social problems.

Collective representations

Widely shared beliefs.

Crossing levels

Individual skill and quality of performance influenced by social context.

Interdisciplinary orientation

common property of all social sciences.