Group Dynamics Paper

Group Dynamics PaperPatricia LettPsych/ 570January 10, 2011Robert LitchmanRunning head: GROUP DYNAMICS PAPER 1

GROUP DYNAMICS PAPER 8

Group Dynamics PaperA group can be defined as several individuals who come together to accomplish a particular task or goal. Group dynamics refers to the attitudinal and behavioral characteristics of a group. (Blair, 2010) This paper will include a description of a specific named group, including the purpose of the group, the groups goals, and the demographic factors of the group, including gender, family, education level, and other factors. The stages of development that the group has experienced will be described. The structure of the selected group and the effect that this structure has on the effectiveness of the group will be analyzed. The dynamics of the group behavior within the group will be explained. Last, I will analyze the effect the group has had on me concerning the following concepts: group polarization, conformity, and groupthink. Purpose, Goals, and Demographics of the ChurchThe group that I have selected to describe is my Church. I belong to a Baptist church that has 75 to 150 members. Women and children attend the church most faithfully. There are about 20 men. The group includes adults who are single, married, divorced, separated, remarried, and widowed. The ages of the group range from six months to 80 years. The adult group members have a variety of levels of education, from high school dropouts to people with graduate degrees. The purpose of our local congregation is to preach Christ, share the Gospel, teach children about the Lord, and lead adults into living the Christian faith. Our group also is designed to give us a sense of belonging, and of being involved with other believers. It can give us a spiritual anchor, so that we are not blown around by strange ideas. (Eph. 4:13-15) The congregation also is set up to nurture one another, to befriend one another, and to support each other during tough times by dividing our sorrow, and during good times by doubling our joy. The church group can teach us things we would never learn on our own. The congregation can help train our children, help us work together for more effective ministry, and give us opportunities to serve others in Christ's name, which helps us grow in ways we did not expect. In general, the value that you get out of a local congregation is in proportion to the amount of involvement we give it. Three major purposes of the church as a whole are worship, teaching, and ministry. Stages of DevelopmentThere are five stages of development are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Forming is the stage when the group first comes together. Everybody is very polite and careful. Conflict is seldom voiced directly. Since the grouping is new, the individuals are more guarded in his or her opinions and generally reserved. This is particularly true for the members who are generally more shy, more anxious or feel as if they are somehow not wholly members; they fear a response from which they will never recover emotionally.Storming is the next stage, when everything breaks loose and the leaders are attacked. Factions form, personalities clash, no one concedes a single point without first fighting tooth and nail. Most importantly, very little communication occurs since no one is listening and some are still unwilling to talk openly. True, this battleground may seem extreme for the church-- but if you look beneath the veil of civility there is often a level of seething sarcasm, invective poison and catty gossiping innuendo. Norming is the next stage. At this stage the sub-groups begin to recognize the merits of working together and the in-fighting subsides. Since a new spirit of cooperation is evident, each member begins to feel secure in expressing his or her point of view and these are discussed openly with the entire group. The most significant improvement is people start to listen to each other. Work methods become established and recognized by the church as a whole. (Jex & Britt, 2008)The next stage is performing. This is the culmination, when the group has settled on a system which allows free and frank exchange of views and a high degree of support by the group for each other and its own decisions. In terms of performance, the group starts at a level slightly below the sum of the individuals' abilities and then drops abruptly to its low-mark until it climbs during Norming to a new level of Performing which is (hopefully) well above the start. It is this elevated level of performance which is the main justification for using the group process rather than a simple group or staff. The last stage, adjourning, is when the group members reflect on their experiences in the group. (Jex & Britt, 2008) Unfortunately, my church is so poor at communication that it has not completed any of these stages. The church is still in stage one, forming. Structure and Its Effect on the Church GroupThe church that I am discussing has a structure, but it is not followed all the time. There have been many problems in the church in the past and a new preacher just started in 2008. He is trying to do things the way the Bible teaches, not just following Baptist church codes. The church is part of a Baptist Association and the structure is supposed to be congregational. In a congregational structure, each church is self-governing and self-supporting, made up of members, each with a role to play. The Baptist churches encourage those attending to become church members through baptism. This entitles them to vote at the church meeting where all decisions are made. Final authority rests not with the minister or deacons, but with church members at the meetings. Members appoint ministers, elders, deacons, and others who take leadership roles, agree on financial policy and determine mission strategy. (Religions, 2009) This structure has caused many problems in my church, because there are so many people who take advantage of the power they have and use it to promote their own personal agenda rather than looking out for the good of others, or of the entire church. Our new preacher is following teachings of the Bible in establishing roles and responsibilities within the church, which is enabling our group to coalesce better and is allowing communication to begin.Dynamics of Group BehaviorSome of the most recognizable group behavior in my church is the appeal to emotions, belonging and identification. One of the most powerful group dynamics is the appeal to the emotions. If a person can be enticed to participate in an experience in which the emotions are involved, he can easily move from one belief system to another. For example, someone is invited to attend a meeting in which emotional experiences are promoted and practiced. He or she has great doubts, but goes because a friend has invited him or her. During the meeting he or she hears emotional appeals and sees others participating in various activities. In the midst of all the hype, he or she ends up becoming emotionally and experientially involved. As soon as he or she crosses the line from hesitation to participation, he or she becomes ensnared in the emotions and experiences. No more doubts, no more hesitation. He or she usually becomes both a participant and a promoter. If the initial meeting is followed by more meetings, the new belief will become even more established, especially ifemotions and emotionalism are predominant. This happened in my church with some newcomers. The deacons were trying to get more people and they used a meeting as a time to gain those people. They put on a nice show by showing how the help people that is not always true and the people feel for it. Personal invitations with personal testimonies of spiritual growth, healing, and a greater sense of Gods presence and power are primary means of drawing Christians into particular groups. These are ordinarily means of encouraging participation in any group activity, including church and other organizations. Therefore, this common method can be used for good as well as for evil. The desire to belong is often encouraged through spectacular testimonies. Many of the church members struggle with trying to fit in with the group. My church demonstrates acceptance and love which makes a person feel welcome. This is common to all groups that desire to expand their membership, from churches to secular organizations. However, when groups practice transparency they share certain secrets about themselves. This draws the new participants into feeling acceptedlike close friends. A measure of trust is established as different members of the group open up. Thus, potential and new members of a group are not only made to feel welcome; they are given acceptance at this point of intimate connection. Transparency leads to feelings of intimacy, especially when the sharing majors on personal struggles with temptations and behaviors the Bible would label sin. (PsychoHeresy Awareness Ministries, 2011) Such exposure can be very enticing with its focus on self. It is like a big story-telling session about me, myself, and I and everyone else involved with me. Experiencing and sharing biased stories becomes a basis for emotional involvement in our church. In some groups, include the church personal sin becomes a badge of membership.Group Polarization, Conformity, and GroupthinkGroup polarization is when people are placed into a group and then have to deal with some situation; the group as a whole typically has some overriding attitude toward the situation. Over time and with group discussion, the group's attitude toward that situation may change. When it changes in such a way that the group attitude is enhanced and strengthened, then group polarization has occurred. (Psychology Glossary, 2010) Conformity is a type of social influence involving a change in belief or behavior in order to fit in with a group. (Crutchfield, 1955) Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist Irving Janis (1972), occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment (p. 9). Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making. Since joining my church, I have had to rethink how I relate to others and how their reactions affect me and my family. Because many of the church have been members for decades, there is a sense of stagnation in their thinking and way of doing things. There is a common reaction that says, But we've never done it that way before.Group polarization rarely happens but many experience groupthink and conformity. Because our church is in a small rural community where many families have lived for generations, we are very susceptible to groupthink: insulation, similarity, unclear rules. These unhealthy dynamics are very powerful in my church and have caused me to re-evaluate what church is about. I have had to refocus my thoughts on my faith and prayer life, focus on the pastor's teachings, ignore gossip and unkindness, and remember my responsibility to raising my children in the way they should go. (Proverbs 22:6)ConclusionThis paper focused on group dynamics by examining the key group of which I am a member: my church. The group dynamics of my church was described and analyzed. The Church has many different purposes and has many goals to achieve. True unity can be found only as we draw closer to Christ, preach his gospel, and live as he teaches and enables us to through the power of his spirit. Our goal is to promote him, not ourselves. The existence of different denominations has a side benefit, however: Through diverse approaches, more people are reached with the message of Christ in a way they understand. This paper has included the purpose of the group, goals, and demographic nature of the group. The stages of development were described. The structure and the effect it has on the effectiveness of the group were analyzed. The dynamics of group behavior were explained. Lastly, I analyzed the effect that the Church has on me concerning group polarization, conformity, and groupthink.

References:

Blair, G. (2010). Groups that Work. Retrieved from, http://managementhelp.org/grp_skll/theory/theory.htmCrutchfield, R. (1955). Conformity Experiments. Retrieved from, http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/crutchfield-conformity.htmlJanis, Irving L. (1972). Victims of Groupthink. New York: Houghton Mifflin.Jex, S. & Britt, T. (2008). Organizational Psychology: A Scientific- Practitioner Approach. (2nd Ed). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & SonsMorrison, M. (2010). What is the Church? Retrieved from, http://www.gci.org/disc/22-churchPsychology Glossary. (2010). Group Polarization. Retrieved from, http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.cfm?term=group%20polarizationPsychoHeresy Awareness Ministries. (2011). Manipulating Christians through Group Dynamics. Retrieved from, http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/manipulating1_145.htmlReligions. (2009 June 25). Baptist Church. Retrieved from, http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/baptist_1.shtml