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Group Dynamics Summary ( Forsyth, 7th edition) - Summary Psychology (English) $6.50   Add to cart

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Group Dynamics Summary ( Forsyth, 7th edition) - Summary Psychology (English)

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Summary of Group Dynamics exam of second year of International Bachelor Psychology at Leiden University.  Lecture 1: Chapter 1, 3, 4.  Lecture 2: Chapter 7, 5.  Lecture 3: Chapter 6, 8.  Lecture 4: Chapter 10, 12.  Lecture 5: Chapter 11, 9.  Lecture 6: Chapter 13, 14. ...

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Group Dynamics, Exam Summary

Lecture 1:
Chapter 1: Introduction to group dynamics:
Group dynamics = the influential actions, processes, and changes that occur within and between
groups (and the scientific study of those groups).

Groups:
Group = two or more individuals who are connected by and within social relationships.

Characteristics of groups:
1. Interaction:
 Task interaction: fulfilling tasks that contribute to the group’s goals.
 Relationship interaction: actions of group members in order to influence the strength
of the emotional and interpersonal bonds within the group.
2. Goals:
 Generating: create new ideas to accomplish goals and solve problems.
 Choosing: choose the correct ideas/solutions.
 Negotiating: resolve differences of opinion among group members.
 Executing: carrying out actions to obtain the group goals.
3. Interdependence:
 Symmetric interdependence: two or more members influence each other.
 Hierarchical interdependence without reciprocity: one leader with subordinates.
 Hierarchical interdependence with reciprocity: the subordinates influence the
leader, but the leader influences the subordinates again.
 Sequential interdependence: member A influences member B, and member B
influences member C.
4. Group structure: the complex of roles, norms, and intermember relations that
organizes the group.
5. Cohesion:
 Group cohesion = the unity of a group, which is the result of strong and mutual
interpersonal bonds among members.

Types of groups:
1. Primary groups = small, long-term groups that’s characterized by a high frequency of
interaction (usually face-to-face settings), cohesiveness, and member identification (e.g.,
close friends, families, gangs, military squads).
2. Social groups = large groups of moderate duration that’s characterized by moderate levels of
interaction and are often goal-oriented (e.g., co-workers, crews, fraternities).
3. Collectives = group of individuals that forms spontaneously, lasts only a brief period of time
and relations among members will disappear immediately (e.g., audiences, bystanders,
crowds, waiting lines).
4. Categories = group of individuals who are similar to one another in a way according to
gender, ethnicity, religion, or nationality (e.g., Asian Americans, women, Jews).

,  Social identity = occurrence of a feeling that distinguishes groups between ‘we’ and ‘them’.

Observing groups:
 Campbell: entitativity = the quality of being a single entity rather than loosely associated,
independent individuals. Influenced by: (1) Common fate: having the same ideas about
achieving goals, (2) Similarity: do the individual express similar sorts of behaviors? And (3)
Proximity: how close are the individuals to each other within the group?
 Lickel: research in which they asked participants to make aggregations of individuals. 
Suggest that people spontaneously draw distinctions among primary groups, social groups,
collectives, and more general social categories.
 Thomas theorem = suggests that if individuals think an aggregate is a true group, then the
group will have important interpersonal consequences for those in the group and those who
are observing it.
 Essentialism = the persuasion that all groups that are high in entitativity are assumed to have
a basic essence that defines the nature of their members. It is unchangeable.

Assumptions that guide the research in groups and their dynamics:
Group dynamics = the field of research that is dedicated to advancing knowledge about the nature of
groups.
Assumptions that led to the paradigm (= scientists’ shared assumptions about the phenomena they
study and the set of research procedures) of group dynamics:
 Groups are real: Durkheim: adopted a group-level of analysis instead of individual-level of
analysis, such as psychologists do.
o Allport: objected group-level concepts, because they are examples of group fallacy =
explaining social phenomena in terms of the group as a whole instead of basing the
explanation on the individual-level processes within the group.
 Groups are more than the sum of individuals: Lewin: field theory = the behaviors of
individuals in groups is determined by the interaction between the person and the
environment, expressed as the law of interactionism: B = f(P,E)  Each person’s behavior B
is a function f of his/her personal qualities P, the social environment E, and the interaction
between P and E.
o Sherif: group mind does exist. Group members adapt their opinions to the group
norms.
 Groups are influential: groups influence their members by forming their behaviors, thoughts,
and feelings.
 Groups influence the society: groups have an important role in maintaining religious,
political, and economic systems in a community.
 Groups are living systems: Tuckman: theory of group development = over time, most groups
move through five stages(1) Forming: group members get to know each other, (2) Storming:
resulting conflicts due to members competing for status and the group sets its goals, (3)
Norming: group becomes more structured and standards emerge, (4) Performing: group
members execute actions in order to obtain the goals, (5) Adjourning: disagreement results
in the group splitting up.
 Groups consists of multiple levels: multilevel analysis perspective = investigates both the
influence of the individual on the group as the influence of the group on the individual. Must
distinguish between: (1) micro-level factors = characteristics and actions of individual group
members, (2) meso-level factors = characteristics of the group (e.g., structure, size, and
cohesion), and (3) macro-level factors = characteristics and processes of larger collectives
that groups are part of (e.g., societies, organisations, and communities).

The usefulness of groups:

,  Lewin: came up with the concept of action research = scientific research must describe the
basic theoretical knowledge and, next to that, must offer solutions to significant social
problems that are associated with group processes.
 Buys: despite the many problems caused by groups (competition, conflict, poor decision),
humans can’t survive without groups.



Chapter 3: Inclusion and identity:
Putman: Social capital = positive advantages that people obtain from social relationships.

Three important processes that determine the relationship between individuals of groups:
1. Inclusion and exclusion: the degree to which the individual is included or excluded from the
group.
2. Individualism and collectivism: the emphasis on the primacy of the individual versus the
group.
3. Personal identity and social identity: basing self-conceptions on personal qualities or shared
interpersonal qualities.

Inclusion and exclusion:
Ostracism = deliberately excluding someone from the group by ignoring and avoiding him.
 William: temporal need-threat model = a three-stage response to exclusion (ostracism): (1)
Reflexive stage: experiencing negative feelings (stress, pain, disappointment), (2) Reflective
stage: thinking about reasons why being excluded and worrying about self, and (3)
Resignation stage: when exclusion continues, person experiences helplessness, sadness, loss
of self-worth, and depression.
 Two kinds of responses to exclusion: (1) Fight-or-flight response: confront or withdraw from
the group, and in extreme/unexpected conclusion, they might display a freezing response,
and (2) Tend-and-befriend response: provide support to the group (‘tend’) and seek social
reconnection (‘befriend’).

Need to belong and human evolution:
Evolutionary psychology: the need to belong resulted from natural selection as individuals who were
affiliated with groups were more likely to survive.
 Leary: sociometer theory / sociometer model of self-esteem = self-esteem provides
individuals with feedback about their degree of inclusion in groups instead of only a
perception of own self-image.
 Negative reactions resulting from exclusion are associated with specific hormonal and
neurological processes.  Exclusion leads to activation of the sympathetic nervous system.
Inclusion leads to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system and secretion of
hormone oxytocin, which is associated with positive social behavior.
 Brain studies: pain of exclusion is maintained by the same biological systems responsible for
the experience of physiological pain. Thus, social pain has a neurologic basis.

Individualism and collectivism:
Individualism and collectivism are distinguishable in their relative emphasis on individual and
collective across people (micro level), groups (meso level), and cultures (macro level):
1. The micro level: individuals differ in their conception of themselves as individuals or
members of the collective. A person’s conception of himself includes both individualistic
elements (the personal identity) and collectivists elements (the social identity / collective
identity).

,  Personal identity = individual’s perception of those aspects of his/her self-concept
that derive from individualistic, personal qualities, such as traits, beliefs, and skills.
o Individualists/independents/idiocentrics: stress personal qualities,
independence, personal goals, competition, uniqueness, need for privacy,
and self-knowledge.
 Social identity / collective identity = individual’s perception of those aspects of
his/her self-concept that derive from his/her relationships with other people, groups,
and society.
o Collectivists/interdependents/allocentrics: emphasize relationships, belong,
duty, harmony, seeking advice, context, hierarchy, and the groups’ goals and
needs.
 No substantial difference between sexes in individualism or collectivism.
 Millennials may be shifting in a more individualistic direction.
 Brewer: optimal distinctiveness theory = individuals strive to maintain an optimal
balance between three fundamental needs: (1) need to be assimilated by the group,
(2) need to be connected to friends and loved ones, and (3) need for autonomy and
differentiation.
 Group members with a lower socioeconomic status (SES) are more collectivistic.
2. The meso level: the group culture determines the group’s emphasis on the individual
members or the group as a whole. Group culture = shared values, attitudes, persuasions,
practices, and preferences.
 Individualists: emphasize exchange relationships = interaction is meant to obtain
rewards that stimulate own well-being.
 Collectivists: emphasize communal relationships = interaction is meant to increase
the group’s well-being.
 Ultimatum game = experiment whereby an individual must come up with a proposal
regarding the distribution of a common source. When the proposal is rejected by the
others, no one will get anything  Egocentric tendencies are more likely in
individualistic settings in contrast to the sociocentric tendencies that are seen in
collectivist settings.
 Norm of reciprocity = a social standard that enjoins individuals to pay back in kind
what they receive from others. Is implemented differently in individualistic and
collectivistic groups:
o Individualists: equity norm = a social standard that encourages distributing
rewards and resources to members in proportion to their input.
o Collectivists: equality norm = a social standard that encourages distributing
rewards and resources equally among all members.
3. The macro level: cultures and subgroups within countries vary in their relative emphasis on
individualism and collectivism.
 People in collectivist cultures (e.g., Asian, Eastern European, African, and Middle
Eastern countries) are group-centred, whereas people who live in individualistic
cultures (Western countries) are self-centred.
 Certain subgroups and geographic regions within a larger area may display more or
less collectivism:
o The southern portion of the U.S. is more collectivistic than other regions.
o Some ethnic groups in the U.S. (e.g., Asian Americans and Hispanic
Americans) are more collectivistic than individualistic.

Personal identity and social identity:
Social identity theory = groups influence the self-concept and self-esteem of group members. Two
cognitive processes:

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