Reviews literature concerning newcomers in groups in different settings. Presents a general model examining factors felt to be important for successful assimilation in group psychotherapy, i.e., overcoming resistance to join group, clarifying group process, examining client's in-group behavior, and confirming client's expectations. (BH)

Examines proposition that covert roles within a group are assigned to individual group members based on their propensity to verbally or nonverbally express certain patterns of unwanted, disowned, and projected emotions that are experienced as threatening by other members. Focuses on articulating a model, describing a method, and presenting…

Examined acceptance and congruence in four Tavistock groups consisting of college student volunteers (N=30) using scales measuring curative factors, group process, and congruence. Found participants with higher rankings on the group acceptance measures experienced greater degrees of congruence following the group experience. Discusses implications…

Used Hill Interaction Matrix to measure content and quality of interactions in 12-hour therapy group of 12 male drug addicts and 3 therapists. Categories of therapeutic work included conventional, assertive, speculative, and confrontive; categories of content included topic, group, personal, and relationship. Group was highly confrontive; most…

Discusses the definition and origin of the term "groupthink." Examines three studies on groupthink by John Courtright (1978), Matie Flowers (1977), and Philip Tetlock (1979). Concludes none of the three is superior to another but that it can be learned from all three that group decision making is fraught with danger. (ABL)

Examines the proposition that members of a group unconsciously displace the shadow of the group onto other groups to reduce feelings of internal conflict and threat within the group. Characteristics of the group shadow, as well as its psychodynamic function within and between groups are described. (Author/BL)

Eight "myths" about small group processes and outcomes are presented and matched against research and practice. Conclusions are drawn concerning benefits of group experience, group composition, leader impact, role of structural exercises, function of the "here-and-now," self-disclosure and feedback, understanding group processes, and the long-term…

Examined applicability of Bednar, Melnick, and Kaul's model of early group development to college student self-help groups using undergraduates (N=101) who met in high-structure or low-structure groups. Found amount of group structure was positively related to ownership of group functioning; importance of performing group behaviors was positively…

To assess the effect of feedback combinations in group interactions, 28 college students participated in a two hour workshop and then completed feedback ratings. Results indicated differences in credibility, desirability, cohesion, and evaluation, with the positive-negative-positive feedback combination being most effective. (BL)

Experimentally varied conditions relating to the people with whom participants (N=45) interacted prior to beginning a small learning group experience. Results showed that rates of attending and remaining varied according to with whom participants interacted prior to the onset of the group. (LLL)

Claims that group cohesiveness has proven to be astonishingly difficult to define precisely and consistently, although it remains a critical group-level variable. Notes that some researchers rely on classic definitions while others leave it undefined. Suggests that greater focus on the definitional issue should improve the quality of future…

Used causal modeling procedures to investigate the relationship between cohesion and productivity in 54 recently formed work groups within the framework of a nine-month longitudinal field study. Results support the central role of group acceptance of organizational goals in determining both productivity and cohesion. (Author/ABL)

Analyzed group discussions associated with 68 high-quality and 29 low-quality decisions made by comparably informed groups using cross-contact comparison. Found vigilance, second-guessing, and accurate information processing associated with high-quality decisions; faulty information processing and improbable fantasy chains with low-quality…

Discusses observations of a group of boys who formed a study group under direction of a local charismatic rabbi in an Israeli slum. Discusses boys' transistion from delinquent to nondeliquent behavior in terms of reference group theory. Found major attracting factors of group to be warmth and caring with order and discipline. Discusses…

Discusses the development and description of a comprehensive framework to explain small group behavior labeled the Matrix Model. Argues that a synthesis of knowledge from the adaptive, developmental, structural, transactional, and gestalt points of view will provide a more meaningful and useful understanding of small groups. (LLL)