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Group dynamics is the study of groups, and also a general term for group processes. Relevant to the fields of psychology, sociology, and communication studies, a group is two or more individuals who are connected to each other by social relationships. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" Communication studies is an Academic field that deals with processes of communication commonly defined as the sharing of Symbols over distances in space and time In Sociology, a group can be defined as two or more Humans that interact with one another accept expectations and obligations as members of the group and share a [1] Because they interact and influence each other, groups develop a number of dynamic processes that separate them from a random collection of individuals. These processes include norms, roles, relations, development, need to belong, social influence, and effects on behavior. The field of group dynamics is primarily concerned with small group behavior. Groups may be classified as aggregate, primary, secondary and category groups. A primary group is a typically small social group whose members share close personal enduring relationships

Contents

Key theorists

Gustave Le Bon was a French social psychologist whose seminal study, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind (1896) led to the development of group psychology. Gustave Le Bon ( May 7, 1841 &ndash December 13, 1931) was a French Social psychologist, Sociologist, and amateur Social psychology is the study of how people and groups interact

Sigmund Freud's Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, (1922) based on a critique of Le Bon's work, led to further development in theories of group behavior in the latter half of the twentieth century. Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded

Kurt Lewin (1943, 1948, 1951) is commonly identified as the founder of the movement to study groups scientifically. Kurt Zadek Lewin (1890 - 1947 a German-born psychologist, is one of the modern pioneers of social, organizational, and Applied psychology He coined the term group dynamics to describe the way groups and individuals act and react to changing circumstances.

William Schutz (1958, 1966) looked at interpersonal relations from the perspective of three dimensions: inclusion, control, and affection. William C Schutz ( 1925 - November 9, 2002) was a psychologist at the Esalen Institute ( Big Sur, California) This became the basis for a theory of group behavior that see groups as resolving issues in each of these stages in order to be able to develop to the next stage. Conversely, a group may also devolve to an earlier stage if unable to resolve outstanding issues in a particular stage.

Wilfred Bion (1961) studied group dynamics from a psychoanalytic perspective, and stated that he was much influenced by Wilfred Trotter whom he worked for at University College Hospital London, as did another key figure in the Psychoanalytic movement, Ernest Jones. Wilfred Ruprecht Bion DSO (8 September 1897-8 November 1979 was a British psychoanalyst. Psychoanalysis is a body of ideas developed by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and his followers which is devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and behavior Wilfred Trotter (1872-1939 was a British Surgeon, a pioneer in Neurosurgery. University College Hospital is a Teaching hospital in London, England, part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Alfred Ernest Jones ( January 1, 1879 – February 11, 1958) Welsh Neurologist, Psychoanalyst and Sigmund Many of Bion's findings were reported in his published books, especially Experiences in Groups. The Tavistock Institute has further developed and applied the theory and practices developed by Bion. This article is about the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations

Bruce Tuckman (1965) proposed the 4-stage model called Tuckman's Stages for a group. Bruce Wayne Tuckman (1938-) - published in 1965 a short article - Developmental sequence in small groups: see Forming-storming-norming-performing. The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing model of Group development was first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases Tuckman's model states that the ideal group decision-making process should occur in four stages:

Tuckman later added a fifth stage for the dissolution of a group called adjourning. (Adjourning may also be referred to as mourning, i. Mourning is in the simplest sense synonymous with Grief over the Death of someone e. mourning the adjournment of the group). It should be noted that this model refers to the overall pattern of the group, but of course individuals within a group work in different ways. If distrust persists, a group may never even get to the norming stage.

M. Scott Peck developed stages for larger-scale groups (i. Morgan Scott Peck ( 22 May 1936 – 25 September 2005) was a US Psychiatrist and best-selling Author. e. , communities) which are similar to Tuckman's stages of group development. [2] Peck describes the stages of a community as:

Communities may be distinguished from other types of groups, in Peck's view, by the need for members to eliminate barriers to communication in order to be able to form true community. Examples of common barriers are: expectations and preconceptions; prejudices; ideology, counterproductive norms, theology and solutions; the need to heal, convert, fix or solve and the need to control. The word prejudice refers to prejudgment making a decision before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case or event An ideology is a set of beliefs aims and Ideas especially in politics Counterproductive Norms ( as in Group Dynamics) is a situation that prevents a group, Organization, or other collective entities from performing Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective A community is born when its members reach a stage of "emptiness" or peace. Peace, in the modern usage is a concept defined by the ideal state of relationship as absence of hostility at the international level that of a War.

Application

Group dynamics form a basis for group therapy, often with therapeutic approaches that are often formed of groups such as family therapy and the expressive therapies. Group psychotherapy is a form of Psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group Family therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy and family systems therapy, is a branch of Psychotherapy that works with families Expressive therapy, also known as creative arts therapy is the use of the Creative arts as a form of Therapy. Politicians and salesmen may use their knowledge of the principles of group dynamics to aid their cause. Political philosophy is the study of questions about the City, Government, Politics, Liberty, Justice, Property, Rights Increasingly, group dynamics are becoming of particular interest because of online, social interaction made possible by the internet.

Software Project Management

The agile software development which puts emphasis on people rather than processes has been interested in Group Dynamics. Agile software development refers to a group of Software development methodologies that are based on similar principles It is then known that some agile practices (Collective Code Ownership and pair programming) must be taken with care because developers in a team-rewarded team will eventually try to match their efforts to the average of what they think their teammates are doing (Lui and Chan). Pair programming is a Software development technique in which two programmers work together at one keyboard

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Forsyth, D. Cog's Ladder of group development is based on the work "Cog's Ladder A Model of Group Growth" by George O Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals — for example an intellectual Collaborative methods are processes behaviors and conversations that relate to Collaboration between individuals Crowd psychology, or social facilitation theory, is a branch of Social psychology. A facilitator is someone who helps a group of people understand their common objectives and assists them to plan to achieve them without taking a particular position in the discussion The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing model of Group development was first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases Group-dynamic games are Experiential education exercises which help people to learn about themselves interpersonal relationships, and how In Sociology, a group can be defined as two or more Humans that interact with one another accept expectations and obligations as members of the group and share a Group conflicts, also called group intrigues is where Social behaviour causes groups of individuals to conflict with each other In Evolutionary biology, group selection refers to the idea that Alleles can become fixed or spread in a population because of the benefits they bestow on groups regardless Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing analyzing and evaluating ideas An interpersonal relationship is a relatively long-term association between two or more people Small-group communication refers to the nature of communication that occurs in groups that are between 3 and 7 individuals Talking Circles have been used by many indigenous cultures particularly in the Native American and Wiccan traditions Counterproductive Norms ( as in Group Dynamics) is a situation that prevents a group, Organization, or other collective entities from performing R. (2006) Group Dynamics
  2. ^ Peck, M. S. (1987) The Different Drum: Community-Making and Peace. p. 95-103.

References

— (1948) Resolving Social Conflicts: Selected Papers on Group Dynamics. New York: Harper & Row.

Differnt type of groups inlcude long term short term formal and informal

External links

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