Individuals & Groups Flashcards
explore various types of groups in the community and explain why each group has formed
● family and friendship groups
May from due to common or shared issues that build on lived experiences
-Sporting and leisure groups
Form because participants have similar interests or goals, i.e.: fitness, maintain or improve health, lose weight etc.
-Study and work groups
Form when enough interest has been identified by a number of people seeking similar outcomes
-Religious Groups
Form as individuals often share common religious beliefs
-Cultural Groups
form as a result of a similar cultural identity
○ occur when a group of people share similar beliefs, values, interests or goals
What are general reasons towards reasons group form?
Group formation is based on shared values, goals and belief systems
The outcome of group membership is largely to enhance individual wellbeing
○ self-confidence and self-esteem are also recognised benefits
critically examine groups to which they belong by:
– identifying the type of group
– explaining why each group formed
– justifying why they belong to each group
Reasons for group formation:
Locality/Geography:
Form as a result of living in a specific region, area or geographical location
■ Ties are generally tight-knit, surviving many generations and shared hardships
Gender: society feels a need to identify gender on most forms and marketing is
increasingly targeted at specific gender
○ shared interests/common goal
■ the sharing of a common goal or interest may result in the formation of a group:
e.g: people who attend a weight loss group
○ bikers who ride to generate funds for a charity
Security:
- individuals often choose to form groups by living in close proximity to others to realise their need to feel safe
Sexuality:
may form social groups in response to their
shared values, beliefs and experiences
specific needs:
many local communities and welfare groups provide the opportunity for people to work
through any issues/problems they may face
e.g: Alcoholics Anonymous: support group for people suffering or
recovering from alcohol addictions
Social Interaction:
-form to satisfy the need for social interaction
■ members generally share common values, goals, beliefs and standards
○ culture
group of individuals to have the opportunity to reflect on and celebrate
traditions practiced in their country/s of origin
○ other reasons
an individual may join a group in an effort to gain greater recognition or power
e.g:
○ a political party
○ an elite club
What are the wellbeing aspects regarding group formation?
belonging to specific groups is generally associated with heightened esteem and serves to
enhance the self-confidence of an individual;
determine the specific roles individuals adopt in the groups and propose how and why their roles may vary
to ensure tasks are achieved (task-orientated)
largely concerned with completing the task within a specified time
– to maintain/build relationships– emotional (wellbeing)
concerned with the wellbeing of the group
● group cohesion is the primary focus
e.g: peace-maker, advocate etc
– to influence the group’s progress (destructive)
- divert attention from the tasks
-goals may not be achieved or achieved at a
substandard level
-may push the group to
make hasty/ill-informed
decisions
● may impact on group
cohesion
e.g:
-distractor
-delayer
explore how individuals can influence a group’s progress and discuss the impact this can have on group cohesiveness
in a group context, norms may refer to the expectations of behaviour placed on each individual
○ successful groups feature individuals who effectively interact with one another and practice
effective interpersonal communication in order to achieve a specific task or goal (norm encourage
cohesiveness)
assess the extent to which personal factors impact the role individuals adopt within groups
Self-confidence
is commonly used as self-assurance in one’s personal judgment, ability, power, etc.
■ a person who is self-confident or self-assured may be more willing to assume a more prominent role in a group
Self esteem is used to describe a person’s overall sense of self-worth or personal value
■ a person with high self-esteem may be more willing to contribute to the group process
Personal experience may affect the role a group member assume
● example
○ an individual who has extensive knowledge and experience in a
particular topic may assume a leadership role
explain how social factors contribute to an individual’s sense of belonging within a group
Groups are influenced by individuals and their interactions
■ to establish effective relationships within groups, a range of factors need to be considered
The acceptance of individuals with groups often impact on the individual’s sense of belonging
■ perceived social acceptance may become an increasingly important marker of success within the group.
The socialisation of an individual influences how gender is perceived and the norms of the
roles of people of particular gender
the media consists of the various means by which information reaches large numbers of people,
such as television, radio, movies, newspapers, and the Internet.
■ mass media is an integral feature of socialisation and influences people’s values, beliefs,
perceptions, and behaviours
Advantages & disadvantages of observation as a primary research method
advantages
■ participant: the researcher is able to clarify any actions of the participants to avoid any
misinterpretations
■ participant: grants researcher the ability to empathise with the participants; deepens
understanding of knowledge through experiences
■ more reliable measurement of actual participant behaviour, rather than self-reported
metrics
■ ideal for situations in which nonverbal communication is important
○ disadvantages
■ can include a high degree of researcher bias
■ relies on the interpretation of observation
■ may not be an accurate demographic sample
■ attitudes and opinions cannot be clearly expressed only through actions
■ Hawthorne effect: the alteration of behaviour by the subjects of a study due to their
awareness of being observed
What is observation as a primary research method?
requires the researcher to watch and record the behaviours of their subject/s
○ ethics and privacy must be adhered, ∴ permission must be gained prior to conducting the
observation
What is participant and non-participant observation?
participant observation vs. non-participant observation
○ participant
■ researcher immerses themself into the group
● communicates/interacts with subject/s
● participates in activities, events, etc.
○ non-participant
■ researcher monitors and examines the operations of the subject/s
● detached from subject/s
● will not communicate/interact with subjects
● attempts to remain unnoticeable to participants
evaluate the impact of power bases used by individuals in a range of groups
Legitimate:
refers to the power and individual has due to their position in the group
Reward:
reward-based leaders offer rewards in terms of gifts, incentives and compensation
Coercive:
individuals who pressure and intimidate group members to do things
Referent:
individuals who try to connect with their group members and build effective relationships
Expert:
Power an individual has due to their knowledge and capabilities
assess the role of self-leadership in contributing to positive interpersonal relationships and task achievement
within a group, the member who fulfils the role of a leader will invariably have both a direct and indirect effect on the group as a whole.
○ regardless of whether it is assumed or a negotiated position a leader will, if effective, demonstrate common desirable characteristics and carry out similar texts
self-leadership:
○ the process by which an individual influences themself to achieve their objectives
justify the importance of leadership adaptability by examining how each factor can influence different styles of leadership
ultimately, the style of leadership demonstrated should be adapted to suit individual situations
○ an effective leader will switch between different styles, and also will have the ability to use a
combination of styles in any one situation
effective leaders recognise the individual motivations of group members and seek to cultivate
those motivations
○ as a visionary leader, an individual must be able to adapt and be flexible to manage changing
goals, motivations, resolve conflict and delegate responsibilities to build a successful group
analyse the impact conflict has on groups by:
– identifying examples of group conflict
– recognising the causes of the conflict
– analysing the extent of the impact on wellbeing
incompatible goals:
Refers to goals within a group that cannot coexist. This may cause conflict as their goals are incompatible with each other due to disagreements in resource allocation.
i.e. one person wants to spend
money while the other wants to save money
- individual differences/personality
Each person has distinct characteristics and personality traits, and is unlike anyone else.
■ Conflicting personalities may cause conflict.
E.g:
An exuberant and loud individual may cause a quiet and withdrawn
individual to feel intimidated or threatened
- limited resources
Refers to the lack of resources or supplies a group or individual may have access to.
e.g: If a group cannot access required resources, conflict may arise out of frustration or aggravation.
- Ineffective communication
if communication is ineffective, misunderstanding may occur and conflicts may arise
from these misunderstandings - varying values
as values are highly important to individuals, conflict may arise when values differ or
vary or, alternatively, when an individual’s values is challenged - multiple role expectations
this expectation may cause conflict is it may overstretch the human resources of the
individual and cause the individual to feel frustrated, stressed or aggravated
