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SWK 292 S2 Understanding Group Dynamics, Interpersonal processes &…
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- Interpersonal processes & interactional processes that takes place in a group session
- Workers have to constantly promoting healthy group dynamics & prevent the development of unhealthy ones
- Healthy group dynamic: promotes satisfaction of member's socio-emotional needs whole meeting group tasks Steps to promote healthy dynamics (1) identify emerging group dynamics (2) access the impact of group dynamic on members & group (3) Examine member's satisfaction in relation to group dynamics (5) facilitate development of group dynamics
- Communication: The process by which people convey meanings to each other by symbols.
- Purpose of communication: (1) To understand others (2) To find out where they stand in relation to others (3) To persuade (4) To maintain or gain power (5) To defend (6) To provoke a reaction (7) To gain & maintain relationships
- Communication entails (1)Encoding of thoughts and language (2)Transmission of symbols and language (3) Decoding of transmission
- Worker's position They are in a better position to intervene in the group as they have a better understanding behind messages communicated & received. Analysing members' body language
Distorted message (1)Language barrier (2)Noicse * other distortions (3) Hearing & sight problems (4) Cultural Intepretation
- Interaction process: (1) Maypole (2) Round robin (3) Hot seat (4) Free floating
- Leader Centred Facilitation Communication directed from members to worker. Reducing members' opportunities to interact with one another
- Group Centred Facillitation: Members are able to communicate freely, increased social interaction, group's morale & members' commitment to group's goal
- Factors influencing interactional pattern (1) Cues & reinforcement:words & gestures that act as signal for members to talk more or less (2) Emotional bonds interpersonal liking & attraction (3) Subgroups Occur naturally in groups, may make group more attractive, 3 types: dyad, triad, clique, however it isolates scapegoat and may affect interactional pattern in group. (4) Size & Physical arrangement Larger groups has more social relationships but lesser opportunities to maintain them. It's worker's responsibility to access whether all members are actively engaged. Physical arrangement affects interactional patterns. (5) Power & Status depends on how important member is in helping group achieve tasks/ socioecmotional needs or how liked they are
- Definition The attraction group has for members as a result of all forces on members to remain in group
- Makes up of 3 component (1) Member to member attraction (2) A sense of unity & community (3) Sense of teamwork
- Reasons for members' attraction in group (1) Need for affiliation, recognition & security (2) Resource & prestige available from group participation (3) Expectation of the beneficial & detrimental consequences of group (3) Comparision of group with other group experiences
- Members need to feel that their participation is valued and provide them a sense of competence & members' confidence in group attaining tasks
- Reasons for the lack of attraction to group (1) Pressure to attend if not members will face consequences. Egs of such members include drug addicts, alcoholic etc
How to overcome resistance & the lack of attraction: worker should help member build trust, providing some incentives for attendance.
- Consequences of High cohesion Advantages: Tend to perform better. Limitations: Occurence of group think, suppression of personal expression & minority opinions
- Refers to how members fit together & are accepted in group.
- For group to function effectively, social integration & influence needs to be high
- Social integration build unanimity about the group's purpose & goals, helping members move on in an orderly & efficient manner to achieve group goals
- NORMS: Shared expectations & beliefs about the ways to behave in group, Stabilises & regulates group, Provides guideline for acceptable & appropriate behaviour in group. Overt norms (Those that are articulated clearly by leader) Covert norms(Those that exert influence over member's behaviour, often known as the unspoken rules)
Changing equilibrium maintaining norms: (1) There will be a disequilibrium caused by member (2) Member return to equilibrium with new norms replacing old ones (3) New equilibrium is stabalised and recognised
- ROLES: An important influence to group members, it is the shared expectation on the function of individuals in group, allows for the division of labour and appropriate use of power.
- STATUS: Social control are exerted through members' status in group. Status refer to the evaluation & ranking of each member's position in relative to other members. Low status members: Least likely to conform to group norms as they have nothing to lose by deviating. Workers should attempt to move these members to medium status so that they do not lose them. Medium status members: They will conform to group norms, attempting to maintain or raise their status . High status members They perform value service to group & are free to deviate from acceptable norms
- Refers to the values, beliefs and tradition held by group members
- Has 3 levels: Surface: Symbols & rituals display culture of group. Deeper level: Displayed in a way members interact with one another. Deepest level Include the core beliefs, ideologies & vaues held
- Heterogeneous When membership is diverse, group culture emerges slowly. When culture is established, the ones that shares and believes it feel secure & accepted, but those that who do not believe it will feel isolated, left out & misunderstood.
- Homogenous Group members have similar life experiences, hence group culture will emerge very quickly
- Group development is affected by the needs of members, type of group & the goals of the group.
- For group to move past beginning stage, there should be lesser membership changes.
- Groups with high membership changes will have to cope with problems in continuity, & development in group progress and intimacy
Model of group development (1) Provides framework to describe worker's role & intervention during each stage of the group. (2) Help worker organise & systematise strategies of intervention. (3) Usefulness of theories of group development for groupwork practice
- Concern with planning, organising and convening
- Characterise as the emergence of group cohesion
- Leader can prewarn members, telling them that encountering conflict & dealing with them is normal & helps with the group development process
- Conflict over norms, roles and other group dynamics as they slowly become established pattern of interaction
- Deepening of interpersonal relationship & greater group cohesion
- Period of: problem solving, performance, maintenance, intimacy, work & maturity
- Characterised as completion & evaluation of group efforts
- Task group: making of final decision, finishing their bisness & produce the result of their effort
- Treatment group: emphasise on socioemotional functioning and task accomplishment