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.
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