GROUP DYNAMICS: OVERVIEW
Donelson R. Forsyth, University of Richmond, USA
Groups are and always will be essential to human life. Our
primal ancestors protected themselves from dangerous animals,
human enemies, and natural disasters by joining together
in groups. Teams of workers in ancient civilizations combined
their efforts to build dams, irrigation systems, and colossal
monuments. Merchants and craftspeople formed guilds to organize
business practices as early as 300 B.C. The Romans used
groups extensively, organizing their complex society by
means of military tribunes, legislative bodies, and trade
associations. Religious rites, too, have traditionally been
group activities (Zander, 1985; full citations can be found
at www.richmond.edu/~dforsyth).
BUT WHY STUDY GROUPS? WHY DO GROUPS MATTER?
Why would you want to study groups? The answer is not
complicated:
Because groups are important, and important in many ways—
scientifically, psychologically, sociologically, practically,
personally.
1. Groups are also important scientifically. Scientists
study so many aspects of the world, and it is ironic that
they only began to turn their attention to themselves
after they studied things like rocks, mountains, distant
planets, and germs. Groups are more interesting than these
natural phenomena--and more complicated. Groups are also
more interesting than individuals: more powerful, more
dynamic, more puzzling, more challenging to study (e.g.,
mobs, crowds, teams, juries, famous groups such as Bay
of Pigs, Andes survivors). Groups are intrinsically interesting.
2. Groups are important, psychologically, for individuals'
actions, thoughts, and emotions can't be understood without
taking into consideration the groups they belong to and
the groups that surround them. Human behavior is more
often than not group behavior, so people can't be understood
when cut apart from their
groups (including their families, friendship cliques,
work groups). Groups also have a profound impact on individuals;
groups shape actions, thoughts, and feelings.
continua >>>>
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