1 - Nature of GD

Kurt Lewin

When ___ ____ (1951) described the way groups and individuals act and react to changing circumstances, he named these processes group dynamics.

Group Dynamics

A “field of inquiry dedicated to advancing knowledge about the nature of groups, the laws of their development, and their interrelations with individuals, other groups, and larger institutions”

Level of Analysis

the specific focus of study chosen from a graded or nested sequence of possible foci

• Individual-level

• Group-level

Level of Analysis:

Individual-level analysis

examines specific individuals in the group.

Group-level analysis

focuses on the group as a unit

Collective Conscious (Groupmind)

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

Kurt Lewin

______ theoretical analyses of groups were particularly influential

field theory - Interactionism

His __ _____ is premised on the principle of ________, which assumes that the behavior of people in groups is determined by the interaction of the person and the environment.

B = f(P,E)

Field theory FORMULA:

• Members

• Society

• Living Systems

Groups influence:

• Forming

• Storming

• Norming

• Performing

• Adjourning

Groups are living systems:

The Multilevel Perspective

An approach where it examines group behavior from several different levels of analysis

• Individual level (micro)

• Group level (meso)

• Organizational or Societal level (macro)

The Multilevel Perspective includes:

• Observation

• Qualitative studies

• Reliability and validity

• Self-report measures

Studying Groups involves:

Observation

involves watching and recording events transpiring in groups.

• Varieties include overt observation, covert observation, and participant observation

Qualitative studies

require the collection of descriptive data about groups.

Reliability and validity

are essential qualities of all measures, for they must be consistent and they must measure what they are designed to measure.

Self-report measures

ask group members to describe their own perceptions and experiences.

• Case studies

• Experimental

• Correlational

The 3 most common approaches in testing hypothesis:

Case studies

that is an in-depth analysis of one or more groups based on interviews with members, observation, and so on

Experimental studies

manipulate one or more aspects of the group situation

Correlational studies

naturally occurring relationships between various aspects of groups

• Members’ motivations & emotions

• Skinner’s behaviorism, Thibaut & Kelley’s social exchange theory

• Systems theory approach

• Turner’s self-categorization theory (SCT)

• Biological perspectives

Theoretical Perspectives in the Study of Groups: (5)

Theories that focus on members’ motivations and emotions

explain group behavior in terms of members, wants, needs, drives, and feelings.

Theories based on:

• Skinner’s behaviorism

• Thibaut & Kelley’s social exchange theory

assume that individuals act to maximize their rewards and minimize their costs.

Systems theory approach

assumes that groups are systems

input–process–output model (I–P–O model)

An _______________ of group performance exemplifies the systems approach.

Turner’s self-categorization theory (SCT)

a cognitive process approach, for it assumes that group members’ tendency to categorize other people and themselves influences a wide range of group behavior.

Biological perspectives

such as evolutionary theory, argue that some group behaviors, including leadership, may be rooted in people’s biological heritage.