Guidelines Related to the Group Process
1. You may more easily change the person`s attitudes by changing the group`s emotional climate than by trying to directly change the person.
2. Groups demand a certain degree of conformity from members. The more cohesive (closeness, sense of belonging to) the group, the more power it has over the member`s behavior. Cohesiveness depends on how the group is meeting the member`s needs.
3. Opinions and behaviors that deviate from the rest of the group are likely to be ignored, rejected, or punished by the members.
4. Efforts from people outside the group to cause the member to deviate from group norms will encounter strong resistance from the member.
5. Decisions made by a group obtain greater commitment from the member than arbitrarily imposed decisions from outside the group. The member will not lose face by not following through with his verbal decision made in front of the group.
6. People tend to be more effective learners when they are acting as group members than when they are acting as individuals.
7. The greater the member`s prestige in the eyes of the other members, the greater the influence he can exert.
8. The more closely a person`s attitudes, values, or behavior fit the group`s purpose, the more influence the group will exert on him.
9. Group climate or style of group life has an important impact on the personalities of members. The behavior of members may differ greatly from one group to another.
References :
Cartwright, D., Achieving Change in People : Some Applications of Group Dynamics Theory”, Human Relations, 4: 1951.
Trow, W., S. Zander, W. Morse, and D. Jenkins, “Psychology of Group Behavior : The Class as a Group”, Journal of Educational Psychology, 41 : 1950.
