How people in a group tend to fall into their natural states
John Mayle
In one of the earlier chapters in Group Dynamics, Forsyth (2019) discussed how people in a group tend to fall into their natural states, or how they might take on roles that they are comfortable with. One of those roles that might cause difficulty in a group setting is that of the dominator. Jacobs, et al (2016) describe this person as one who wants to rule and have control over the group. I would think that in some scenarios this may not be the worst thing, as when the group leader may need someone to “take ownership” and help lead some members, but overall I can see where it would be disruptive. It may lead to other group members looking to this person for approval, or feeling very insecure about being open and honest. I have seen this in some self-help type groups, where one person has a very strong personality and is very dogmatic in how they believe things should be done. He would directly call people out if he felt they were sharing outside of the set parameters of the group. There were elements of both task and process conflict (Forsyth, 2019) in this scenario. It did help a little in keeping people focused on the goals of the group, but it also hurt the group in that many people felt insecure about what and when to share. In this way the man was both a little proself and prosocial (Forsyth, 2019) – his ostensible goal was to keep the group focused on what was important (its stated goals), but his personality and delivery were so strong that it seemed like there was no way to change him. There may have also been an element of egocentrism at work (Forsyth, 2019). The whole dynamic led to the dominating member seeming to hold a higher position than others, and the group was designed to be totally egalitarian. The description of the competitor put forth by Forsyth (2019) applies well here, specifically the part about forcing their own ideas onto others.
In a few of our discussion boards and papers I have mentioned my own insecurities and lack of positive experience in dealing with conflict or difficult people in a group setting. Part of this is because of my desire to avoid conflict, but also that I may overreact when dealing with difficult situation or person. The verse in this week’s announcement was applicable for what I am describing and was somewhat convicting, namely, the idea of being slow to anger (King James Version, 1769/1983, Proverbs 15:18). Jacobs et al (2016) suggest talking to this person privately and giving him or her some kind of special role within the group, maybe as a way to help them scratch their itch, so to speak. Other good ideas for me to apply would be those of giving soft answers (KJV, Proverbs 15:1) and ruling my own spirit (KJV, Proverbs 16:32).
References
Forsyth, D. R. (2019). Group dynamics (7th ed.). Cengage.
Jacobs, E. E., Schimmel, C. J., Masson, R. L., & Harvill, R. L. (2016). Group counseling: Strategies and skills (8th ed.). Cengage.
King James Version. (1983). Zondervan Publishing House. (Original work published 1769)
Answer preview to how people in a group tend to fall into their natural states
APA
302 words