Research around learning community models often shows a structured and defined model to follow with the underlying assumption being if the steps are followed, the results will come. The model we offer in this paper is rather counter-cultural as it was not a specific process or practice we followed; rather, we found ourselves in a highly engaging,…

This article proposes a pedagogical framework to help students analyze their group and team interactions. Intersecting five fundamental group attributes (group size, group goal, group member interdependence, group structure, and group identity) with three overarching group processes (leadership, decision making, and conflict management) creates an…

Ethnographic methods were used to examine functions of a clique and informal leaders in a work group at a sheltered workshop for mentally retarded adults. Two leaders, an instrumental leader and a socioemotional leader, served to maintain group cohesion and allow members to act outside of direct staff influence. (Author/DB)

Commonly accepted ideas, on the one hand, about how small groups in a writing class should work and, on the other hand, psychological research about what makes a small group work well are not consistent. Social psychologist Clovis Shepherd claims that the "popular notion that the democratic ideal is a group in which all members exert an equal…

Examines the proposition that the "leader" role is an unconscious myth invented by members of a group to ward off anxieties and uncertainties associated with day-to-day exercise of interpersonal power. Focuses on describing the myth, its consequences for the involvement of group members, and researchable propositions derivable from the myth.…

Describes personal growth group processes from a Jungian perspective. Assumes a conceptual framework for personal growth groups that uses constructs from Jung's theory of the individuation process in the first half of life (approximately before age 40). A 3-stage theory, with 18 testable hypotheses is proposed. (JBJ)

Sponsored by National Institute of Mental Health grant MH-08274.

The thesis of this paper is that the group therapy process is enhanced by the use of two or more therapists in the group. The three main roles in a group are: (1) facilitator, (2) focal member, and (3) observer. The use of an additional therapist affords the opportunity for therapists to assume the focal member role without loss of group control,…

The purpose of this paper was to measure small groups at various stages of their development and observe the effects of changes in group process on emergence of role types and the impact these roles have on group membership as a whole. Most small group measuring instruments have been built around a task-leader or socio-emotional leader dichotomy.…

The purpose of group counseling was to promote new social learning involving identification with other group members, leading to expanded field perception and insight into the projection of thoughts, feelings and motives onto others. (Author)

After a brief historical look at personal growth groups, this paper traces the steps involved in the development and evaluation of simulation materials which were designed to aid the group leader's understanding of his affect in the member/leader relationship. It examines the concept of this specific relationship in personal growth groups. Groups…

This article focuses on the following areas of group process: the nature of the task group, the steps taken to reach a decision, and the ways in which a leader can effectively manage the inevitable conflict that emerges within groups as the problem-solving process progresses. (CT)

Examines which leadership model provides a better explanation of the relationship between leadership behavior and group outcomes--the group leadership influence model or the leaderless group discussion model. Discusses implications for group leadership from a leaderless group discussion perspective based on the findings of a laboratory descriptive…