GROUP DY - MIDTERM

• Group cohesion is the strength of the bonds linking members to a group.
• Cohesiveness is an indication of the health of the group and is related to a variety of other group processes.
• Theorists have debated the nature of this construct, but a multicomponent, multilevel approach assumes cohesion has a variety of indicators
• Social cohesion - attraction
• Task cohesion - coordination
• Perceived cohesion - sense of belonging
• Emotional cohesion - shared emotions
• social cohesion - Lewin and Festinger, taking a social psychological approach to cohesion, emphasized the impact of attraction (in both individuals and groups) on cohesion.
• task cohesion - The strength of the group’s focus on a task, and the degree of:

  (a) teamwork displayed by group members as they coordinate their efforts.

  (b) the group’s level of collective efficacy.
• Teamwork - The combined activities of two or more individuals who coordinate their efforts to make or do something.
• collective efficacy - The belief, shared among a substantial portion of the group members, that the group is capable of organizing and executing the actions required to attain the group’s goals and successfully complete its tasks.
• perceived cohesion - The extent to which the group members feel as though they belong in the group (individual-level) and the overall entitativity of the group (group-level).
• emotional cohesion - The affective intensity of the group, often described as élan, morale, esprit de corps, or positive affective tone. Group-level, consensual emotions are distinct from an individual-level emotions.
• social cohesion - attraction of members to one another and to group as a whole
• task cohesion - capacity to perform successfully as a coordinated unit and as part of the group
• perceived cohesion - the construed coherence of the group; sense of belonging to the group; unity
• emotional cohesion - emotional intensity of the group and individuals when in group
• what factors combine to determine group's level of cohesiveness?

  attraction; stability, size, and structure; initiations
• cognitive dissonance - theory postulates that an underlying psychological tension is created when an individual’s behavior is inconsistent with his or her thoughts and beliefs
• what are the signs of cognitive dissonance?

  inconsistency, feeling of mental discomfort
• According to cognitive dissonance theory, that should depend on the strength of a person's commitment to the prophecy.
• Hazing - An initiation into a group that subjects the new member to mental or physical discomfort, harassment, embarrassment, ridicule, or humiliation.
• Cohesion is, the consequence of a period of group development — a pattern of growth and change beginning with initial formation and ending, in most cases, with dissolution
• Many theories have been developed to explain group development. Most, however, are consistent with Tuckman’s five stage model
• what are the five stages of tuckman's five stage model?

  forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning
• Tuckman’s model is a successive-stage theory — it specifies the usual order of the phases of group development. Sometimes, however, group development takes a different course.
• In most instances, cohesion is associated with increases in member satisfaction and decreases in turnover and stress.
• Cohesion and performance are linked, both because success increases a group’s cohesion and because cohesive groups tend to outperform less cohesive groups.
• Cohesion intensifies group processes.
• Cohesive groups can be so psychologically demanding that they cause emotional problems for members (e.g., the old sergeant’s syndrome).
• Dependence, pressure to conform, and acceptance of influence are greater in cohesive groups, and can result in the mistaken decisions identified by Janis in his theory of groupthink.
• orientation - forming - members become familiar with each other and the group; dependency and inclusion issues; acceptance of leader and group consensus
• conflict - storming - disagreement over procedures; expression of dissatisfaction; tension among members; antagonism toward leader
• structure - norming - growth of cohesiveness and unity; establishment of roles, standards, and relationships; increased trust, communication
• work - performing - goal achievement; high task-orientation; emphasis on performance and production
• dissolution - adjourning - termination of roles; completion of tasks; reduction of dependency
• orientation - forming - communications are tentative; polite; concern for ambiguity, group's goals; leader is active; members are compliant
• conflict - storming - criticism of ideas; poor attendance; hostility; polarization and coalition formation
• structure - norming - agreement on procedures; reduction if role ambiguity; increased "we-feeling"
• work - performing - decision making; problem solving; mutual cooperation