"Twenty million Americans are involved in fringe religious cults such as spiritualism, Hare Krishna, Scientology, and Black Gospel groups," according to anthropologist Irving Zaretsky of the University of Chicago. He recently completed a 10-year period as a participant-observer of fringe religious groups in the San Francisco Bay area and the…

A theoretical formulation is proposed that incorporates a concept of stress intended to permit analysis of group moves and individual mechanisms to resolve stress. Two extant theoretical formulations of work group behavior that includes a concept of stress related to group processes are reviewed. (Author/MLF)

Explores the potential usefulness of R.F. Bales' systematic method for the multiple level observation of groups (SYMLOG) by testing the predictive capability of the three SYMLOG dimensions and the amount of member dispersion on each dimension with the amounts of conflict, reported satisfaction, styles of conflict management, and quality of…

EDGE is a flexible group technique that enables participants to express, explain, exchange, and encapsulate their suggestions for creating their corporation's competitive edge. EDGE has two important outcomes: participants become more comfortable with each other and with problem solving, and they acquire small group skills. (JOW)

Examines the strategic coordination of local and global textual resources in conversations of dyads with three different patterns of interaction involvement. Finds the dyads seemed to rely on integrated discourse strategies leading to the use of unified configurations of discourse resources. (MS)

Identifies and interprets the discursive codes (subsystems of symbols and meanings) at a television station, in order to understand cultural communication and organization. (MS)

Examines the expectations that students bring to an introductory sociology course and analyzes how they affect general course evaluation items. Results show that students' gender, year in school, and grade point average are associated with different levels of expectancy and expectancy violation, affecting general course evaluation items.…

Measured clustering effect found during idea-generation phase of nominal grouping. Graduate students (N=23) used nominal grouping procedure to generate new ideas for market strategy program for new product, using five-step, two-vote procedure. Panel of three judges evaluated each idea on creativity and quality. Results support notion that nominal…

Incorporated one aspect of intimacy training (feedback) into one of three introductory group dynamics courses. Administered three intimacy attitude measures to 95 students in all three courses before and after courses. Results revealed that attitudes toward intimacy were related to self-esteem. Feedback was found to enhance positive attitudes…

Developed short-term cooperative wilderness leadership camp to determine if behavioral changes in interpersonal communication and group interaction occurred for 4-H adolescent leaders. Compared adolescents in leadership camp, county camp, and conservation camp settings. Results suggest that leadership development through cooperative survival…

Describes conversational joint remembering in terms of three hierarchically related functions--framing and orientation, correspondence functions, and validation function. Highlights the importance of studying remembering as a social activity governed by the setting in which it occurs. (JD)

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)

Presents an exploratory taxonomy of small group interaction-coding systems. Six dimensions that characterize interaction-coding schemes are presented in a hierarchical order ranging from abstract conceptual issues to specific methodological ones. These dimensions are: philosophical perspective, conceptual and operational focus, observer inference,…

Explores use of metaphoric and symbolic imagery to clarify and work through group dynamics. With an eye toward tying imagery interventions to a therapeutic rationale, various levels of group intervention (individual, interpersonal, and group-as-a-whole) are discussed and therapeutic goals at each level specified. Clinical vignettes explicate how…

Sociologists and other scholars have long noted that the relationship of friendship contributes to mental health. Consequently, they have developed various interventions to promote friendship, from describing and quantifying it to designing programs to help the friendless. The background upon which groups were designed to promote the development…