Group Dynamics Quiz

Group Dynamics: A Summary

• Group dynamics is a system of behaviors and psychological processes occurring within a social group or between social groups.

• The study of group dynamics can be useful in understanding decision-making behaviour, tracking the spread of diseases in society, creating effective therapy techniques, and following the emergence and popularity of new ideas and technologies.

• The history of group dynamics has a consistent underlying premise: 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.'

• The concept of a collective consciousness is not essential to group dynamics.

• Gustave Le Bon, William McDougall, Sigmund Freud, Jacob L. Moreno, Kurt Lewin, William Schutz, Wilfred Bion, Bruce Tuckman, M. Scott Peck, and Richard Hackman are key theorists in the field.

• Intragroup dynamics are the underlying processes that give rise to a set of norms, roles, relations, and common goals that characterize a particular social group.

• Group formation starts with a psychological bond between individuals, and through interaction, individuals begin to develop group norms, roles, and attitudes which define the group and are internalized to influence behavior.

• Joining a group is determined by a number of different factors, including an individual's personal traits, gender, social motives, attachment style, and prior group experiences.

• The Minimax Principle is a part of social exchange theory that states that people will join and remain in a group that can provide them with the maximum amount of valuable rewards while at the same time, ensuring the minimum amount of costs to themselves.

• Groups can vary drastically from one another, and past research has identified four basic types of groups which include, but are not limited to: primary groups, social groups, collective groups, and categories.

• In many fields of research, there is an interest in understanding how group dynamics influence individual behavior, attitudes, and opinions.

• The dynamics of a particular group depend on how one defines the boundaries of the group.Overview of Social Groups

• Individuals tend to naturally sort groups of people into four categories: intimacy groups, task groups, loose associations, and social categories.

• Primary groups are small, long-lasting groups of individuals who share personally meaningful relationships, such as family, close friends, and gangs.

• Social groups are larger, formally organized groups of individuals who are not as emotionally involved with each other as those in a primary group, with examples including coworkers, clubs, and sports teams.

• Collectives are loosely formed, spontaneous, and brief groups of individuals who display similar actions or outlooks, such as a flash mob or an audience at a movie.

• Categories are collections of individuals who are similar in some way and become groups when their similarities have social implications, such as groups of different races.

• Social identity and group membership satisfy a need to belong, while optimal distinctiveness theory suggests that individuals have a desire to balance being similar to others and different from others.

• Group cohesion is critical for keeping members of a social group connected and has been linked to group performance, intergroup conflict, and therapeutic change.

• The black sheep effect refers to individuals derogating socially undesirable ingroup members relative to outgroup members, which can lead to marginalization.

• Groups influence individual behavior, decision-making processes, and performance, with both positive and negative implications.

• Group structure includes roles, norms, values, communication patterns, and status differentials, which can influence group performance and dynamics.The Psychology of Intergroup Dynamics and Social Facilitation

• Social facilitation refers to the improvement in task performance that occurs when people work in the presence of other people.

• Robert Zajonc observed two categories of behaviours in his Theory of Social Facilitation - dominant responses and nondominant responses.

• Several theories analysing performance gains in groups via drive, motivational, cognitive, and personality processes explain why social facilitation occurs.

• Intergroup dynamics refers to the behavioural and psychological relationship between two or more groups.

• Intergroup conflict starts with a process of comparison between individuals in one group (the ingroup) to those of another group (the outgroup).

• The formation of intergroup conflict was investigated in a popular series of studies by Muzafer Sherif and colleagues in 1961, called the Robbers Cave Experiment.

• There have been several strategies developed for reducing the tension, bias, prejudice, and conflict between social groups.

• Promoting contact between groups can help reduce prejudice.

• Several models utilize a superordinate identity to reduce prejudice.

• Techniques that utilize interdependence, between two or more groups, can help reduce prejudice.

• Social identity theory, realistic conflict theory, social dominance theory, and social-/self-categorization theory are the prominent theories relating to intergroup conflict.

• The jigsaw classroom is a strategy of interdependence that uses intergroup cooperation to reduce conflict.