Groups Flashcards
Groups
A collection of elements that share attributes and/or relate to one another in specific ways
General characteristics of groups
Group structure
Group process
Group structure
Structured in circular way
A group norm determines whether or not an element can be considered a member of the group
The strengths of the relationships between the elements indicates the cohesion of the group
Group process
Group evolves in a certain direction
Interactions amongst the elements may oppose one another leading to unexpected movements in the group as a whole
Some elements may interact more strongly than others which may exert a dominant influence in which the group progresses
Attributes of human groups
Awareness of group membership Interaction among members Common goals Cohesiveness Socio-metric structure Group norms Group polarisation Group think Group conflict Patterns of leadership and followership
Human membership
To experience group membership, the members have to have at least one thing in common
They have to believe that the benefit of the membership outweighs the disadvantages
They gradually become more committed to the group and socially integrate into it
Group norms
Shared expectations about the kinds of behaviours that are required by all group members
Rules that prescribe and forbid certain behaviours
Originate in three ways:
1. Formulated by group leaders
2. Product of group experience
3. Transferred from other groups
Group cohesion
Strength of relationships among group members
Highly cohesive groups identifies strongly with the group and defend it
A tight group is formed because they have strong sense of joint destiny (inside force)
Their group is threatened by other individuals (outside force)
Socio-metric structures
Members are not equally attracted to one another
There are patterns of liking and disliking which forms the socio-metric structure
Influenced by the groups’s degree of task orientation
If strongly task oriented, there is strongly there is less opportunity for it to focus on interpersonal relationships
Often develop particular patterns of communication (communication network)
The network determines hierarchy of communication, the frequency and the number of people involved in it
Process of human groups
Processes starts with interaction
As it develops, there are significant changes in the patterns and frequency in interaction
Normally have specific purposes which can be implicit or explicit
It defines its goals and its development and functioning are determined by them
Members have to perform specific roles, instrumental and affiliative
As groups develop they may change the way in which they emphasise different roles
Ringelmann effect
Max Ringelmann
When people work in groups, they exert less effort than when working alone
Today this is called social loafing
Social loafing
Occurs when group members feel that their individual performance is not evaluated and acknowledged, thus are less motivated to exert the required effort
Can be reduced by convincing group members that they are held accountable
Instrumental roles
Aimed at executing tasks
If groups aim is to produce a particular product instrumental role type is emphasied
Affiliative tasks
Aimed at support and interpersonal contact
Group polarisation
When group’s views swing towards extreme positions
Occurs when existing individual opinions, views, ideas and positions become more extreme during group discussion
Group conflict
Inevitable in the life of any group
Members may have different expectations of the group
May not agree of the group’s goals and methods of achieving them
May lead to negative feelings about one another
Whether it spirals out of control depends on the strength of the group’s purpose
Group think
In groups that are highly cohesive, the members may become overly aligned with groups goals
Occurs when groups places unanimity ahead of critical thinking
Decisions are taken in an unconsidered and uncritical way
Can happen when group has directive leader who limits the alternatives for group members
Can happen when group is under pressure to make a consensual decision
Catastrophic decisions
Occur when group cohesion creates an illusion of invulnerability and limitless power
When group relies on stereotyping rather than actual observations and tested facts
When group believes strongly in the inherent morality of its own right of existence, methods and decisions
When illusion of unanimity in the group puts pressure on members to keep quiet about their misgivings
Patterns of leadership and followership
Status of members varies depending on the nature of their tasks and level of responsibility Leadership categories -Leading through personality traits -Charismatic leadership -Transformational leadership -Super leadership
Personal-trait approach
Postulates that leaders have specific characteristics such as drive and energy, honesty and integrity, self-confidence, intelligence and expertise
Driven by their ambition and need for power
Group members feel safe with them and are willing to subject themselves to their control
Charismatic leaders
Have self-confidence and sense of purpose
Able to articulate their visions
Motivate group members and guide them with clear purpose
Transformational leaders
Understand the circumstances and the needs of group members
Flexible and adapt their style of leadership to specific dmads of situations
May choose to do one of the following:
-Delegate
-Follow a participatory style
-Follow a selling style
-Follow a telling style
Super leaders
Lead others to lead themselves
Transformational leaders but act as teachers and coaches
Empower group members to manage themselves
Increases members’ feeling personal control and encourages them to become intrinsically motivated
Main processes in group formation
Social categorisation
Social stereotyping
Social identity
Social categorisation
Process of differentiation whereby there is a distinction between an in-group (us) and an out-group (them)
There’s an interplay between similarity and difference (double logic)
Social stereotyping
A process of simplifying information about groups
They create expectancies that allow us to perceive selectively, recognising information that confirms our expectations and overlooking that which refutes it thus perpetuating the stereotypes we already have
Creates prejudice and social distance
Social identity
An individual’s self-confidence has two components: personal identity & social identity
Most individuals have more than one social identity as they belong to more than one of the following groups: ethnic, religious, political and vocational and we play more than one role in the interpersonal domain
Interaction of groups
Occurs when members of one group act toward members of another and when these actions happen in terms of group membership rather than in terms of the members’ individual capacities
Levels of explanation of intergroup relations
Swart
- Individual-level explanations
- Interpersonal level explanations
- Position-level explanations
- Ideological-level explanations
Individual-level explanations
Individual dynamics and personality factors
Interpersonal level explanations
Interpersonal interactions
People are inclined to interact if the interaction offers a psychological reward that is greater than the cost involved
Position-level explanations
Sherif
Says group conflict results from incompatible group goals or from competition between groups over scarce resources
Ideological-level explanations
Refer to general belief systems in society which determines the groups behave
May experience conflict when groups adhere to belief systems that are incompatible
Framework for intergroup co-operation
- Create a social norm
- Maintain equality of status
- Maintain interpersonal contact
- Maintain co-operative activites
- Develop a multicultural ethos
- Develop a critical consciousness of oppressive patterns
Creating a social norm
Affirms and legitimises the commonality of various groups
Maintain equality of status
No single group is superior in all respects regarding the way it differs to other groups and likewise, no single group can be low on all counts of difference
Maintain interpersonal contact
Reduces perceptions of in-group heterogeneity and demolishes perceptions of out-group homogeneity
Maintain co-operative activities
Setting common goals and allowing groups to develop common interests and values and to look for solutions to problems together
Develop multicultural ethos
Group members should become aware that apart from being members of a particular group, the also have membership of the broader context in which their group exists
Develop a critical consciousness of oppression
Replacing an oppressive system with another one, or simply switching the roles of oppressed and the oppressor within a particular system are not cures for oppression
