CHAPTER 2:

GROUP DYNAMICS, COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL INTERACTION

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
➢ Recognize Erving Goffman’s contribution to our understanding of social interaction;
➢ Understand what constitutes a group;
➢ Understand the basics of communication and the communication process;
➢ Discuss the significance of verbal and nonverbal communication in the criminal justice
system;
➢ Identify the potential outcomes of minority vs. non-minority interactions.

CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Erving Goffman and the Nature of Social Interaction - In trying to explain the nature of
social interaction, Erving Goffman, in his classic book The Presentation of Self In
Everyday Life, tried to shed light on the nature of social interaction, particularly in a
group setting. In order to maintain a stable self-image, people perform for their social
audiences. As a result of this interest in performance, Goffman focused on dramaturgy,
or a view of social life as a series of dramatic performances like those performed on
stage.
a. Impression Management – In general, impression management is oriented
to guarding against a series of unexpected actions, such as unintended
gestures, inopportune intrusions, as well as intended actions such as
making a scene.

II. Social Interaction and the Criminal Justice System – The criminal justice system operates
on the expectation of understandable and interpretable social interaction. The daily
exchanges between those working within the system and those entering and being
processed through the system are based on expectations and assumptions made by
individuals from various backgrounds.

III. The Criminal Justice “System?” – The compilation of practices that involve identifying
and responding to crime and delinquency is often termed a “system.” Some argue that our
criminal justice system is indeed a true system in its current form, although it may not be
a fine-tuned system. In other words, our system does something… maybe not the most
effective thing, but something. Others would suggest it is a finely-tuned system. Some
suggest it is not a system at all.

IV. Groups - We all belong to groups. Whether it’s your family, your close network of
friends, a church group, an athletic group, etc., we all associate with other individuals in
varying contexts. Participants in the criminal justice system are not different. We
categorize into groups those who engage in criminal justice, whether it is police officers,
prosecutors, prison wardens, and the like.
 a. What Constitutes a Group? -–Prominent among the varied definitions of
groups include references to group size, whether or not there exists
interdependence of members, group identity, the group goals, and group
structure.
b. Groups in the Criminal Justice System – There are many groups existing
at various levels working toward different goals within the criminal justice
system. For instance, we could loosely identify the millions of individuals
working in our nation’s justice system as a group, which has the ultimate
goal of ensuring justice. We could also recognize each component of the
criminal justice system as a group (i.e., police, courts, and corrections),
and further identify groups as we observe different levels of justice (e.g.,
local, state, and federal). We could take it further to group individuals
working particular beats, in particular courtrooms, or in specific
cellblocks.

V. Communication - Communication is at the core of human interaction. It guides, conveys,

directs, suggests, and so on. Effective communication is vital to the effective functioning
of any group, and has saved more than one police and correctional officer’s life.
Communication is perhaps the most important, yet often overlooked, aspect of the
criminal justice system.
a. The Communication Process – To understand the impact of
communication in the criminal justice system one could de-construct the
communication process. Deconstructing verbal communication provides a
starting point for understanding nonverbal communication.
b. Nonverbal Communication – Nonverbal cues such as clothing, body
posture, eye contact, and physical aggression are significant forms of
communication that generate and dictate much action within the criminal
justice system. Nonverbal communication begins with the nonverbal
message transmitted by a sender, which can be in the form of body
movements, facial expressions, and gestures. The message is then received
and interpreted by the receiver, who evaluates the message and sender and
reacts. Similar to verbal communication, the message being sent isn’t
always the message received.
c. Obstacles Affecting Communication – Many obstacles or hurdles exist in
the communication process, as effective communication involves an
expectation that all parties clearly understand each other. One must bear in
mind that we often use words, which are human creations, to convey a
message and rely on the perception of others to correctly interpret the
message. The meanings of words exist in people, not in the actual spoken
words.
d. Differential Treatment and Symbolism –The criminal justice literature is
filled with studies examining differential treatment of groups based on
symbolic cues. Symbols are evident throughout the criminal justice
system. For instance, the police officer’s badge, the judge’s gown, and the
scales of justice are but a few of the many symbols used by criminal
justice personnel to represent something else. The use of symbols, of
 course, requires that all who encounter the symbol understand what it is
being symbolized.

VI. Social Interaction and Multiculturalism - A primary challenge of a multicultural society

involves group members’ ability to effectively co-exist. To understand social interaction
in a multicultural society requires recognition of what constitutes culture. Social
interaction is regulated by norms that are primarily determined by our culture. However,
people act out norms in various means.
a. Status and Roles – Understanding social interaction requires recognition
of both status and role. Status involves the social position maintained by
an individual. Role refers to the behavior that is expected of an individual
who maintains a particular status.
b. Socially Constructing Reality – Some researchers argue that individuals
don’t understand society in a truly objective manner. Instead, it is argued
that people mentally construct ideas about phenomena and thus create a
reality, in what is recognized as the social construction of reality. Through
interacting with one another we creatively mold a reality that could vary
according to the interpretations of participants.

KEY TERMS

Dramaturgy
Setting
Personal front
Appearance
Manner
Concealing secret pleasures
Concealing Errors
Showing only the end product
Explicit bias
Implicit bias
Dramaturgical discipline
Dramaturgical circumspection
Discredited stigma
Ethnocentrism
Social groups
Group goals
Group structure
Courtroom workgroup
Going rate
Continuum of force
Kinesics
Vocalics
Proxemics
Perception
Symbols
Symbolic assailant
Racial profiling
Social interaction
Culture
Material culture
Non-material culture
Status
Role
Social construction of reality

In-Class Discussion Questions

1. Is the criminal justice system truly a system?

2. Describe a time when you were exposed to the “backstage” of an

interaction/performance.

3. What types of interference hamper effective communications?

4. Do you believe material- or non-material culture is more symbolic of a culture?

Links to Additional Resources

Top 10 Communication Skills for Workplace Success
https://www.thebalance.com/communication-skills-list-2063779

Racial Profiling – ACLU

https://www.aclu.org/issues/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/racial-profiling

Steps of the Communication Process

https://thebusinesscommunication.com/what-is-communication-process/