Pithily-Put Presumptuous Pronouncements* about Group

WorkRobert K. Conyne, Ph.D.

Division 49 Presidential AddressAPA Convention, Toronto

August 8, 2009

*=Aphorisms

APHORISM

“A terse formulation of a truth or sentiment; an adage.

(Webster’s Dictionary)

OR

A Pithily-Put Presumptuous Pronouncement!.

32 GROUP APHORISMS

• Expanded from 27 to 30, from: JSGW, 1997, 22, 149-156, adapted fromASGW Presidential Address, April 21, 1996,

Pittsburgh, PA)• Take a look at YOURS

• *=Added to original list (themes: ecology, prevention)

IN MEMORIAM: CHUCKLES THE CLOWN

• “A LITTLE SONG, A LITTLE DANCE, A LITTLE SELZER DOWN YOUR PANTS…”

(MTM episode).

*APHORISM 1

• CONTEXT IS CENTRAL

(e.g., Capra, 1996;

Conyne & Cook, 2004;

Conyne, Crowell &

Newmeyer, 2008)

*APHORISM 2

• B=(f)PxE

(Lewin, 1936)

*APHORISM 3

• EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED TO EVERYTHING ELSE

(e.g., Capra, 1996;

Kelly, 1987)

APHORISM 4

GROUP WORK WORKS!

(e.g., Barlow, Furhiman & Burlingame, 2004; Horne & Rosenthal, 1997)

APHORISM 5

GROUP WORK IS A MAJOR COUNSELING INTERVENTION(Morrill, Oetting & Hurst, 1974)

COUNSELING INTERVENTION CUBE (MORRILL, OETTING &

HURST, 1974)• IDENTIFIED GROUP METHOD FOR

REMEDIATION, DEVELOPMENT AND PREVENTION.

APHORISM 6

GROUP WORK RAINBOW(ASGW Training Standards)

*APHORISM 7

TRY TO PREVENT WHENEVER POSSIBLE. Imagine a warm, sunny afternoon.You are in a local park, lounging

indolently on a blanket, with a bottle of wine/juice and a good book on the grassy banks of a river below a swimming area. Suddenly you hear thrashing sounds, and a cry for help from the river. Startled, you look over to see a person struggling unsuccessfully as the water sweeps him away. You courageously dive in, rescue him, and return to the serious business of soaking up the sun. There is no respite for you, however, for you find yourself repeating this performance with several other drowning people throughout the afternoon. As you are ministering to the final victim, an observer asks a question that is startlingly powerful in its logic and simplicity: “Would it ultimately be much easier and less dangerous to go to the swimming area and teach those people collectively how to swim, than to rescue each individually?” -From Rappaport

*APHORISM 8 Prevention: Lower Incidence

(Albee, 1982; Conyne, in press) Adapted Incidence Reduction Formula

Decrease: DEFICITS [Individual-Global]):

Environmental Stressors & Risk Factors: (Physical) x ( Social) x (Culture)

________________________________________

Increase: STRENGTHS [Individual-Global]:

Protective Factors:

(Personal) x (Interpersonal) x (Group) x System)

OR IN SHORT-HAND…

• REDUCE DEFICITS AND RISKS

&

• INCREASE STRENGTHS AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS

*APHORISM 9

“You’ve got to accentuate the positiveEliminate the negativeAnd latch on to the affirmativeDon’t mess with Mr. In-Between.” (Mercer & Arlen, 1944)

Positive Psychology: Strengths-Based

• Accentuate the Positive: Flourish (10-20%)• Eliminate the Negative: Mental disorder (20+%)• Latch on to the affirmative: Positivity (Moderately healthy: 50%)Don’t mess with Mr. In-Between: Languish (10%) (Keyes, 2007, adult figures).

APHORISM 10

• APPLY WHAT WORKS

IN EVERYDAY LIFE:

The “Ruby & Oren

Principle”

APHORISM 11

• PERSONHOOD IS THE GROUP LEADER’S PRIMARY ASSET

(e.g., Corey & Corey, 2006; Trotzer, 2006)

APHORISM 12

• A GROUP PLAN HELPS, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN

(e.g., ASGW Best Practice Guidelines)

APHORISM 13

• COGNITIVE MAPS HELP PREDICT, BUT ALWAYS HEDGE YOUR BET

(e.g., Hill Interaction Matrix, Learning thru Discussion)

LEARNING THRU DISCUSSION

Eight-Step LTD Group Process PlanStep 1: Checking in 2-4 minutesStep 2: Vocabulary 3-4 minutes

Step 3: General statement of author's message 5-6 minutesStep 4: Identification and discussion of

major themes or subtopics 10-12 minutesStep 5: Application of material to other works 15-16 minutesStep 6: Application of material to self 10-12 minutesStep 7: Evaluation of author's presentation 3-4 minutes

Step 8: Evaluation of group and individual performance 7-8 minutes

Total Time 60 minutes

APHORISM 14

• GROUP WORK CAN HELP YOU GET THERE (BUT IT’S NOT “THERE”)

(Houts & Serber, After the Turn On, What?)

APHORISM 15 • GROUP WORK HELPS US REACH

MORE PEOPLE

(e.g., 43 million adults with mental disturbance in U.S., 1 million school dropouts a year, etc., etc., etc….)

APHORISM 16• GROUP MEMBERS ARE OUR MOST

VALUABLE RESOURCE

(e.g., Corey & Corey; Trotzer)

APHORISM 17• GROUP WORK IS PROBLEM SOLVING

WITH OTHERS.

(Interpersonal problem-solving, Trotzer)

APHORISM 18• GROUP WORK NEEDS

INTERPERSONAL-MULTICULTURAL THEORIES

(e.g., DeLucia-Waack,

1996; Bemak & Conyne,

2004)

APHORISM 19

• GROUP LEADERS

ARE CULTURE

BUILDERS

(e.g., Kivlighan

& Tarrant,

2001; Yalom, 1995)

APHORISM 20

• GROUP LEADERS ALSO

ARE ACTION SCIENTISTS

(e.g., Argyris, Dewey,

Lewin)

APHORISM 21

• GROUP LEADERSHIP INVOLVES CONTINUAL CHOICE MAKING

(e.g., Cohen & Smith, 1976; Conyne,

Crowell & Newmeyer, 2008; Robert Frost)

Cohen & Smith “Cube”

Purposeful Group Technique Model (Conyne, Crowell & Newmeyer, 2008)

EcologicalConcepts

Best Practice Best Practice GuidelinesGuidelines

Group Group DevelopmentDevelopment

Group TypeGroup Type

Group Group LevelLevel

Group FocusGroup Focus

Therapeutic Factors

APHORISM 22

• CO-LEADERSHIP CAN BE HIGHLY DESIRABLE

(e.g., Many)

APHORISM 23

• HERE-AND-NOW BEATS THERE-AND- THEN EVERY TIME

(Bradford, Gibb & Benne,1964;Yalom, 1995)

APHORISM 24

• TRUST THE PROCESS

(Dossey, Recovering the Soul, 1989)

APHORISM 25

• PROCESSING POWERS.

(Dye, 2008—”Tsunami;”

Yalom with

Leszcz, 2005)

APHORISM 26

• MEANING IS

CENTRAL TO

GROUP WORK

(e.g., Lieberman,

Yalom & Miles, 1973;

Conyne, et al., 2008)

DEEP PROCESSING(Conyne, 1999)

• Step 1: TRANSPOSE

• Step 2: REFLECT

• Step 3: DISCOVER

• Step 4: APPLY

• Step 5: EVOLVE

APHORISM 27

SELF-DISCLOSURE

& FEEDBACK ARE

TWIN ALLIES

(Luft, 1984; Stockton

& Morran, 1991)

APHORISM 28

• YOU CAN’T GO WRONG WITH

THERAPEUTIC CONDITIONS

(Yalom; and others)

APHORISM 29

• LESS IS MORE

(Tao te ching)

APHORISM 30

• HEY! WE CAN TEACH THIS STUFF!

(Conyne, Wilson & Ward, 1997)

APHORISM 31

• LET’S GIVE IT AWAY!

(Miller, 1969)

APHORISM 32

• LET’S GET TOGETHER, AND WE’LL BE ALL RIGHT!

(ASGW; BOB MARLEY)

YOUR APHORISMS

• LIST 3 IDEAS THAT STRONGLY MOTIVATE YOUR WORK WITH GROUPS—PERHAPS YOUR “APHORISMS…”

• _____________________

• _____________________

• _____________________.SHARE WITH THE GROUP.

Roam On

WHY FAINTEST THOU!

I WANDER’D TILL I DIED.

ROAM ON!

THE LIGHT WE SOUGHT

IS SHINING STILL.

(M. Arnold, Thyrsis)