Group cohesion Flashcards
What is group cohesion?
Dynamic process which is reflected in the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its instrumental objective and/or the satisfaction of member affective needs
What are the characteristics of cohesion?
Is dynamic, instrumental (stick together for task purposes) and affective (stick together because like each other)
What determines outcomes of group cohesion?
Group integration (task and social); individual attraction to group (task and social); factors external to person; factors internal to person
What is group integration?
Individuals’ beliefs about closeness, similarity and bonding of group members
What are the two types of group integration?
GI-T: united in trying to achieve goals; GI-S: sticking together outside of training and competition
What is individual attraction to the group?
Individuals’ personal motivation to remain in the group
What are the two types of individual attraction to the group?
AG-T: like the playing style; AG-S: best friends on team
What are three types of external factors that affect cohesion?
Situational; leadership; and team
What are three ways that situational circumstance can affect cohesion?
Physical proximity: opportunities to bond; accommodation; training; travel. Distinctiveness: what makes us “us”. Group size: smaller group = higher cohesion
What are three ways that leadership can affect cohesion?
Leader behaviour; coach decision style; ideal is that players need to feel part of decision making process
What are four ways the team can affect cohesion?
Shared experiences; team stability (could players be traded?); group roles; compatibility between athlete and coach (what motivates)
What are three types of internal factors that can affect cohesion?
Similarity between group and individual (in motivation for sport and way have fun); personal attributes (e.g. extra vs introvert); personal satisfaction
How does cohesion affect performance?
Task and social group cohesion both important for: coactive and interactive sports; both sexes; all levels of professionalism (but decreases as competition level rises)
