Group Work Flashcards
Group Dynamics
Generalized leadership styles
A. Generalized Leadership Styles (Knowles, 1959)
The classic Lewin, Lippitt, and White study of 1939 identified three basic leadership styles and evaluated their effectiveness.
1. Authoritarian – The leader sees him/herself as an expert; very directive.
(Example: Psychoanalytic counseling; teaching)
Liked the least by members.
Members exhibit aggressive behavior; thirty percent higher hostility rate than with the other two styles.
Preferred when an immediate decision is necessary.
2. Democratic – Leadership is shared.
(Example: Group-centered counseling; non-directive counseling)
Members behaved appropriately.
Liked by members but not shown by research to be the most productive style.
3. Laissez-faire – No leadership is in place. This is considered to be generally ineffective.
(Example: New counselors and those who have a strong need to be liked.)
Members exhibit aggressive behavior.
Preferred when a decision has been made and committed to.
Yalom’s Leadership Types
- Impersonals – Are distant and aggressive. They rate low on caring. (Poor)
- Managers – Use lots of structured activities and control how members interact. (Poor)
- Laissez-faires – Provide low input, low support, and low control. (Poor)
- Social Engineers – Are group-focused and concerned with how members relate to the social system. They rate low in charisma and low in emotional stimulation. (Moderate)
- Energizers – Are caring and charismatic providing intense emotional stimulation and firm control. (Moderate)
- Providers – Specialize in caring and meaning attribution. They focus on individuals and give love and information but don’t press their own views on group
members. (Best)
Group Leader Skills
Counselor attributes which improve and enrich individual counseling, such as genuineness (congruence, authenticity), will also enhance group counseling.
- Active listening
- Reflection and clarification
- Questioning and summarizing
- Information giving
- Encouragement and support
- Modeling
- Self-disclosure at appropriate times
- Blocking – intervention to stop counterproductive behaviors (scapegoating, group pressure, excessive questioning, etc.)
- Attending behavior – evidenced by facing a group member who is talking, etc.
Several types of individuals have been identified by research as poor choices for group membership unless the group is specifically designed to deal with these
particular issues:
hostile physically aggressive paranoid actively suicidal actively homicidal psychotic (not in touch with reality) totally self-centered
Members’ traits correlated to premature termination from group included:
low intelligence
low motivation
high denial
Should the counselor’s approach be content or process oriented?
i. Content – the client’s material; how the client is or seems.
“Jill seems relaxed.” “I hear hurt in George’s voice.”
ii. Process – how communication happens or transpires; how the client acts. “Bill looks away or Rachel closes up when something is mentioned.”
Should the counselor’s approach be horizontal or vertical?
i. Horizontal – the leader works with the group as a whole and employs techniques which facilitate group processes, tasks, interactions, and relationships; sometimes called interpersonal. Interpersonal leaders tend toward here and now interventions.
ii. Vertical – the leader works with individuals within the group and, in effect, provides individual counseling in a group setting; sometimes called intrapersonal. Intrapersonal leaders tend to focus on the past and sometimes use psychodynamic principles. Effective counseling will exhibit both horizontal and vertical interventions.
Specific Developmental Group Stages Proposed by Theorists
Yalom (1995)
a. Orientation
b. Conflict
c. Cohesion (in two levels)
great mutual support – the group against the world.
true teamwork – each member against his or her own
resistances.
Specific Developmental Group Stages Proposed by Theorists
Tuckman and Jensen
a. Forming/Orientation (Acceptance, approval, commitment, search for orientation
and structure)
b. Storming/Transition (Dominance, control, power)
c. Norming (Risk taking, openness, cohesiveness, caring)
d. Performing/Working (Honesty, spontaneity, responsibility, self-disclosure)
e. Adjourning (Terminating, distancing, summation, closure)
Specific Developmental Group Stages Proposed by Theorists
Gazada
a. Exploratory Stage – superficial
b. Transition Stage – significantly deeper self-disclosure
c. Action Stage – working, productive
d. Termination Stage – tapering off of self-disclosure
Specific Developmental Group Stages Proposed by Theorists
Corey and Corey
Stage 1: Pregroup Issues – Formation of the Group
Stage 2: Initial Stage – Orientation and Exploration
Stage 3: Transition Stage – Dealing with Resistance
Stage 4: Working Stage – Cohesion and Productivity
Stage 5: Final Stage – Consolidation and Termination
Stage 6: Postgroup Issues – Follow-Up and Evaluation
Characteristics of Group Developmental Stages
Introduction - Initial - Orientation - Exploration - Forming Stage
a. Self-disclosure
b. Setting structure of the group meeting
c. Setting norms
d. Getting acquainted based on externals (dress, language, culture, occupation)
e. Clarifying expectations
f. Defining individual goals
g. Leader responses: warmth, empathy, respect for members
h. Characterized by approach-avoidance conflicts
i. Employing techniques specifically chosen to
Initiate getting acquainted
Focus members
Create trust
Deal with initial resistance and fears
Start a session
Ending a session
Teach member self-evaluation
Characteristics of Group Developmental Stages
Transition-power and control- storming stage
Anxiety, defenses, resistance, and ways to address the goals are the issues.
a. Vying for position or power
b. Exhibiting resistance or judgmentalism
c. Verbally attacking the leader and other members
d. Fighting among subgroups and factions
e. Leaders must learn to distinguish between a “challenge” and an “attack” (Corey
and Corey, 2000)
f. Leader responses: genuineness, concreteness, deeper self-disclosure
g. Employing techniques specifically chosen to
Deal with defensive behaviors
Deal with difficult members
Deal with conflict
Explore common fears and resistance
Deal with challenges to the leader
Characteristics of Group Developmental Stages
Working- action- productive stage
Taking responsibility for attaining goals and changing behaviors are the issues.
a. Increasing cohesion and trust to a high level
b. Increasing mutuality and self-exploration
c. Less dependence on the leader
d. Modifying interaction patterns
e. Committing to change in the here-and-now context
f. Leader responses: interpreting meaning, appropriate confrontation, and feedback
g. Employing techniques specifically chosen to
Deal with expressed confusion
Deal with issues of closeness
Teach appropriate disclosure
Elicit emotional responses when they are being held back
Deal with the fear of losing control
Deal with intense emotions in all members simultaneously
Work with dreams
Work with projection and self-awareness problems
Characteristics of Group Developmental Stages
Terminaton-separation-adjourning stage
Reinforcing the growth experienced by members, making sure differences between members are worked out before departure, and assisting with ongoing individual
counseling as needed are the issues.
a. Summarizing the group’s activity and discussion
b. Evaluating the group process
c. Allowing the group to evaluate the group and themselves individually
d. Providing for referral or continued counseling for those who feel they should
continue
e. Explaining that because of emotional involvement it may be strange to not have group and there may be a period of adjustment; outside bonds should be
established
f. Saying good-bye
g. Employing techniques specifically chosen to
End a session
Terminate a group
Assess and follow-up
Evaluate a group
Adult Groups
Adult groups have been successful with as few as three members and as many as fifteen. Groups usually have between 8 to 10 members with the optimum size for adult groups being eight. Research indicates that as the group increases in size, opinions and personal sharing decreases, and the group becomes more leader
centered.
The groups generally meet once a week for one or two hours with the average being ninety minutes. Most counselors consider heterogeneous groups best to
stimulate maximum interaction. Heterogeneous groups include socio-economic, illness, and behavioral pattern categories.
Adolescents Groups
Adolescents do well in groups with their peers, especially for exploring their outlook on authority, peer pressure, social development, and consolidation of their identity. Group size can range between 6 to 8 members; the
optimum size is six.
Role playing techniques are useful in helping an adolescent see someone else’s
point of view.
“Promises” of confidentiality must allow that child abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation be reported. Additionally, ethics would require the same for
suicidal adolescents and for those planning to harm someone else.
Children’s Groups
Younger children are usually placed in small groups of two or more but never over five; the optimum size is three or four. Children are best served in groups of children their own age but with somewhat diverse problems. The
length of sessions depends on the children’s attention span with more frequent, shorter sessions often recommended. Ginott recommends play therapy for children ages 3-9 years old. Dinkmeyer and others suggest using a variety of media.
Corey and Corey believe that reducing resistance and improving cooperation with children is best gained by enlisting parental involvement. The counselor should
not side with a child against a parent or an institution.
Role playing techniques are useful in helping children see someone else’s point of view.
“Promises” of confidentiality must allow that child abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation be reported. Additionally, ethics would require the same for
suicidal children and for those planning to harm someone else.
Closed vs Open Groups
- Closed Groups
No new members are allowed to join after start date.
Promotes cohesiveness and trust since membership is consistent.
Drop in membership may cut the overall interaction of members. - Open Groups
New members are allowed to join after the start date.
Cost effective since new people may replace those that drop.
Members joining after the first session do not receive information/experiences
shared earlier.