Group Dynamics Lesson 1

Interdependence

"A dynamic whole based on interdependence rather than similarity"

Psychological significance

A psychological group is any number of people who interact with each other, are psychologically aware of each other, and perceive themselves to be in a group

Structure

A social unit which consists of a number of individuals who stand in (more or less) definite status and role relationships to one another and which possesses a set of values or norms of its own regulating the behavior of individual members, at least in matters of consequence to the group

Interrelations

An aggregation of two or more people who are to some degree in dynamic interrelation with one another

Systems

An intact social system, complete with boundaries, interdependence for some shared purpose, and differentiated member roles

Planned Groups Emergent Groups

Categories under Origin

Interdependence

Do the members depend on each other?

Entitativity

Does the group look like a group? the apparent cohesiveness or unity of an assemblage of individuals; the quality of being a single entity rather than a set of independent, unrelated individuals.

Origin

Founded or formed?

Unity

How Cohesive is the group?

Structure

How is the group organized?

Size

How large is the group?

Social unit

Persons who recognize that they constitute a meaningful social unit, interact on that basis, and are committed to that social unity

Concocted Groups Founded Groups Circumstantial Groups Self-Organizing Groups

Taxonomy of planned-emergent dimension and the internal-external dimension

Communication

Three or more people ... who (a) think of themselves as a group, (b) are interdependent (e.g., with regard to shared goals or behaviors that affect one another), and (c) communicate (interact) with one another (via face-to-face or technological means)

Shared tasks and goals

Three or more people who work together interdependently on an agreed upon activity or goal

Categorization

Two or more individuals ... [who] perceive themselves to be members of the same social category

GROUP

Two or more individuals who are connected by and within social relationships.

Influence

Two or more persons who are interacting with one another in such a manner that each person influences and is influenced by each other person"

Task Interaction Relationship Interaction

Types of interactions in groups

Role Norm

Types of structures in groups

Interaction

What do members do?

Goals

What is the group's purpose?

Boundaries

Who Does NOT Belong?

Composition

Who belongs to the group?

Norm

a consensual and often implicit standard that describes what behaviors should and should not be per- formed in a given context.

Social Category

a perceptual grouping of people who are assumed to be similar to one another in some ways but different in one or more ways, such as all women, the elderly, college students, or all the citizens of a specific country

Collective

a relatively large aggregation or group of individuals who display similarities in actions and outlook. • A street crowd, a line of people (a queue), and a panicked group escaping a fire are examples of collectives, as are more widely dispersed groups (e.g., listeners who respond similarly to a public service announcement).

Social (Secondary) Group

a relatively small number of individuals who interact with one another over an extended period of time, such as work groups, clubs, and congregations.

Primary Groups

a small, long-term group characterized by frequent interaction, solidarity, and high levels of interdependence among members that substantially influences the attitudes, values, and social outcomes of its members.

Stereotype

a socially shared set of qualities, characteristics, and behavioral expectations ascribed to a particular group or category of people.

Social Identity

an individual's sense of self derived from relationships and memberships in groups; also, those aspects of the self that are assumed to be common to most or all of the members of the same group or social category.

Circumstantial Groups

are emergent, unplanned groups that arise when external, situational forces set the stage for people to join together, often temporarily, in a unified group.

Concocted groups

are planned by individuals or authorities outside of the group.

Founded Groups

are planned by one or more individuals who remain within the group.

Emergent Groups

come into existence spontaneously when individuals join together in the same physical location or gradually over time as individuals find themselves repeatedly interacting with the same subset of individuals

Planned Groups

deliberately formed by its members or an external authority for some purpose

Self-Organizing Groups

emerge when interacting individuals gradually align their activities in a cooperative system of interdependence.

Relations

individuals who stand in certain relations to each other, for example, as sharing a common purpose or having a common intentionality, or acting together, or at least having a common interest"

Open groups

membership is fluid, may voluntarily come and go as they please with no consequences (and they often do), or the group may frequently vote members out of the group or invite new ones to join.

Role

socially shared set of behaviors, characteristics, and responsibilities expected of people who occupy a particular position or type of position within a group; by enacting roles, individuals establish regular patterns of exchange with one another that increase predictability and social coordination.

Essentialism

the belief that all things, including individuals and groups, have a basic nature that makes them what they are and distinguishes them from other things. A thing's essence is usually inferred rather than directly observed and is generally assumed to be relatively unchanging.

Task interaction

the conjointly adjusted actions of group members that pertain to the group's projects, tasks, and goals.

Relationship interaction

the conjointly adjusted actions of group members that relate to or influence the nature and strength of the emotional and interpersonal bonds within the group, including both sustaining (social support, consideration) and undermining actions (criticism, conflict).

Social Capital

the degree to which individuals, groups, or larger aggregates of people are linked in social relationships that yield positive, productive beneZits; analogous to economic capital (Ziscal prosperity), but determined by extensiveness of social connectedness.

Closed Groups

the membership roster changes more slowly.

Group cohesion

the solidarity or unity of a group resulting from the development of strong and mutual interpersonal bonds among members and group-level forces that unify the group, such as shared commitment to group goals and esprit de corps.

Thomas Theorem

the theoretical premise, put forward by W. I. Thomas, which maintains that people's conception of a social situation, even if incorrect, will determine their reactions in the situation; "If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences"

Group dynamics

the word dynamic comes from the Greek dynamikós, which means to be strong, powerful, and energetic. Interpersonal processes that occur within and between groups; also, the scientiZic study of those processes.

Size

two or more people

Shared identity

two or more people possessing a common social identification and whose existence as a group is recognized by a third party

Open Groups Closed Groups

types of boundaries in groups