Group Dynamics

• Group


  Two or more individuals who are connected by and within social relationships
• Varieties of Groups


  • Primary Group
  • Social Group
  • Collectives
  • Social Category
• Primary Group


  • Small, long-term group characterized by frequent interaction, solidarity, and high levels of inter-dependence among members that substantially influences the attitudes, values, and social outcomes of its members
• Social Group


  • Relatively small number of individuals who interact with one another over an extended period of time, such as work groups, clubs, and congregations
• Collectives


  • Relatively large aggregation or group of individuals who display similarities in actions and outlook
• Social Category


  • 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
• Social Identity


  That part of an individual's self-concept which derives from his knowledge of his membership of a social group (or groups) together
• Characteristics of Groups


  • Composition
  • Boundaries
  • Size
  • Interaction
  • Task Interaction
  • Relationship Interaction
  • Interdependence
  • Structure
  • Goals
  • Origin
  • Unity
  • Entitativity
• Composition


  • Qualities of the individuals who are members of the group
• Boundaries


  • Those who are included in the group are recognized as members and those who are not part of the group are excluded outsiders
• Size


  • Social network - A set of interpersonally interconnected individuals or groups
• Interaction


  • Conjointly adjusted actions of group members
• Task Interaction


  • Conjointly adjusted actions of group members that pertain to the group's projects, tasks, and goals
• Relationship Interaction


  • 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)
• Interdependence


  • Mutual dependence, as when one's outcomes, actions, thoughts, feelings, and experiences are influenced, to some degree, by other people
• Structure


  • The organization of a group, including the members, their interrelations, and their interactions
• Group Goals (Joseph McGrath 1984)


  • Generating
  • Choosing
  • Planning tasks
  • Creativity tasks
  • Intellective tasks
  • Decision Making tasks
  • Cognitive Conflict tasks
  • Mixed motive tasks
  • Negotiating
  • Executing
  • Competitive tasks
  • Performances/psychomotor tasks
• Group Origin


  • Planned groups
  • Emergent groups
  • Concocted groups
  • Founded groups
  • Circumstancial groups
  • Self organising groups
• 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
• Entitativity


  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
• Group Dynamics


  Interpersonal processes that occur within and between groups; also, the scientific study of those processes
• Processes in Group Dynamics


  • Formative Processes
  • Influence process
  • Performance processes
  • Conflict Processes
  • Contextual processes
• Understanding the Social World - Groups within social system determine that society's culture and institutions
• Almost everything is decided, worked, produced etc., came from groups
• Groups are the bedrock of humans' social existence, and we must accept the charge of understanding them