Four dimensions that must be present for a group to function effectively are elaborated in this guide: (1) commitment of members to a common purpose; (2) leadership that facilitates organization and structuring to accomplish these purposes; (3) open communication among members; and (4) a climate of acceptance and trust. Defining a group as any…

The unprecedented development of self-help groups confirms their importance, but few studies have focused on prevention and self-help groups. Two methods for investigating preventive potential are outcome studies and process analysis. To assess the presence of helping processes in self-help group meetings, a process analysis was developed to…

The increase in the 1970's state aid to independent colleges and the doubling of interest groups representing independent colleges in the states (39 state associations by 1978) are examined, and a demonstrable relationship is found between these facts. It is argued that the chief factor motivating states to act on behalf of independent colleges is…

Macrocosmic and microcosmic perspectives are employed in this ethnographic study of a La Leche League mothering/breastfeeding group in Buffalo, New York, in order to place the group in its historical perspective and cultural context and to describe its structure as a small cultural system. The first section provides an historical overview of…

The objectives of this volume are to provide a general structure for students, scholars, and practitioners to obtain comprehensive information on recently published and unpublished literature in and related to the field of organizational communication; to continue to develop a classification system for the literature of interest to that field; and…

The objectives of this book are to provide a general structure for students, scholars, and practitioners to obtain comprehensive information on recently published and unpublished literature in and related to the field of organizational communication; to continue to develop a classification system for the literature of interest to that field; and…

The interaction of teacher, learner, content, and instruction is the process of teaching and learning, a single activity. The theoretical and the practical elements of this process are examined in the context of a model that explains the key elements of the process: identification, prescription, application and evaluation. These elements are…

The notion of symmetrical communication and its application in course teams at Deakin University, Australia, are considered. Symmetry in communications is evident in groups characterized by mutual recognition by members of one another as persons accepted and appreciated in their common striving for mutual understanding and consensus. The technique…

The persistence of the nuclear family as the primary social unit in the United States and most all other societies, especially complex ones, is a fact. Values shape the definition of family, especially the "good family," and the "great debate" of this period on family failure, family corruption and the family's near demise originates in…

This paper describes a model for an adolescent girls group used as an adjunctive therapy to focus on the issue of maturity. Background information about the group members is provided and the group is described as an ego-supportive group which functions to maintain areas of positive functioning and to aid in the development of personal resources.…

This paper describes the family-theme group, a group approach to working with schizophrenics based on the assumptions that: (1) family dynamics are important variables in the development and maintenance of schizophrenia; (2) schizophrenic families have numerous maladaptive qualities not present in normal families; and (3) hospitalization of…

Alternatives to traditional views about leadership suggest a dramatically different approach, including focusing on problems rather than individuals, examining leadership positions at critical organizational junctures, and emphasizing environmental and organizational forces that constrain leader behavior. Human resource professionals responding to…

This paper reviews research on international nongovernmental organizations dealing with human rights (INGOs), and interprets this research in light of the overlap of the fields of organizational theory (including group theory) and human rights. The purpose is to contribute toward a useful exchange between social scientists who seek to explain…

A correlation is sought between a teacher's stages of professional growth and levels of invitational teaching. It is posited that stages of teacher professional growth are sequential, with each stage involving specific types of classroom behavior. Stage one is characterized by self concern, or a teacher-centered period. In the second stage,…

One hundred sixty-three experienced, knowledgeable, elementary and secondary teachers were asked to identify classroom management strategies they believed to be most crucial to their teaching effectiveness. In rank order, the eight most frequently selected managerial strategies were: (1) using positive reinforcement; (2) applying logical…