In this article, the author presents the dangers in group work. He states that one common dilemma is when groups tend to come to agreement too quickly. Another dilemma is when the team is getting bogged down and becoming defensive or adversarial when members express new ideas or introduce new data. Finally, a very common danger is group members'…

The church board movement began to take shape in the U.S. Roman Catholic Church in the early 1970s. This booklet offers board members many suggestions for continual spiritual growth or formation within the context of their governance role, ensuring that the institution is living out its mission, and that their decisions reflect specifically that…

Discusses how psychological methods can be applied to study cultural syndromes and presents examples of these approaches. It is argued that tight-simple cultures are most collectivist, and loose-complex cultures are most individualistic. Further, it suggests homogeneous cultures can have clear norms and impose them tightly, whereas heterogeneous…

This paper discusses the importance of environmental factors--namely, classroom seating--to classroom management. A specific incident is discussed, whereby disruptive behavior developed in students because of the spatial separation of their desks from the teacher's desk. Solutions to the seating problem are offered in the text and in figures drawn…

Describes group psychotherapy at an inpatient, psychiatric hospital serving priests, nuns, and religious brothers. Discusses formation of and differences among four groups: a low-level group for sisters; an interactional group for sisters; a high-level, Gestalt-oriented group for sisters; and an interactional group for priests and brothers. (ABL)

Describes how teachers can help children feel included, connected, and valued, explaining that the family is the child's first and most important group, and children learn the rules of social interaction from primary relationships with adults. As children play, they learn and formulate their own social rules. Teachers can provide structured,…

Whenever group work takes place, rules and norms are established by group members. Rules are typically written and formally stated by group members, whereas norms are more informal and are implicitly stated. But regardless of how rules and norms are established, they enable group members to develop procedures from which the group can function.…

In September 1830 the U.S. government negotiated the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek with some leaders of the Choctaw Nation. The treaty reinforced the congressional Indian Removal Act of 1830, which paved the way for the large-scale physical removal of tens of thousands of tribal people of the southeast, including many of the Choctaw. It provided…

The examination of the conventionality of discourse at speech communication conventions reveals the ideological commitments of these conventions. The symposium, conference, and congress differ from the convention in that at such meetings the participants are interested in generating concrete experience, while at conventions, participants are…

Describes a learning activity that allows participants to role play both dysfunctional and constructive roles during a group task, illustrating how group success depends on the attitudes and actions of its members. Includes instructions for the learning activity, questions for debriefing, and follow-up activities. (LP)

This paper explores affirmative action as a social movement with two goals in mind: (a) to challenge dominant notions of higher education reform, while advancing a social movement perspective; and (b) to advance understanding of the role of collective action in supporting affirmative action in college admissions. The authors highlight ways in…

This book describes a program that deals with group dynamics and applies encounter group techniques to the training of teachers. The program consists of two weeks of encounter during the summer; a 3-day workshop just prior to the start of school; and monthly curriculum workshops, monthly encounter groups, and periodic visitations throughout the…

Four profoundly mentally retarded middle-aged female residents in a state institution Behavior Problems Program were trained through the use of an interdependent group-oriented contingency procedure to sit and later to work on prevocational tasks. (Author)

Describes and analyzes a run of the roughest and most basic version of the ABZ GAMES, a family of games for teaching about social group interaction in situations where oppression is a key element. Adaptations for a migrant farm version and a women's rights version are noted. (Author/CMV)

This article explores the dynamics of a creative problem solving meeting which frequently reaches impasse. Excerpts from the meeting transcript are presented to determine where and why the group gets off track in developing a method to evaluate sales training. Suggestions are offered for steering the group away from win/lose arguments and into…