Developing a Multidisciplinary Diploma on Art Therapy in Health Education

Project #: 610134-EPP-1-2019-1-JO-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP

4. Group Psychology Cluster Number

social psychology & organization theory 4.2

Cluster Leader: Prof. Mohammad Nazzal

Cluster Committee members: INU,IU, US, UNIBS.
 Responsible partner(s):
4.1: Majd Jarrar, Mohammad Nazzal, Rasmieh, Nashaat Hassouneh
4.2 : Dr. Wassim Jomaa- Pr. Giovanni Mirabella
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only
of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
 Developing a Multidisciplinary Diploma on Art Therapy in Health Education
Project #: 610134-EPP-1-2019-1-JO-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP

Composition and structure of the

groups

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only
of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
Group Structure

• ✤ Groups are not

unorganized, haphazard
collections of individuals,
but organized systems of
interactions and
relationships regulated
by group structure.
Group Structure

• ✤ Three important
elements of group
structure: norms roles
and networks of
connections among the
members.
Norms
1. ✤ Norms develop gradually overtime
as members align their actions with
those displayed by others Sherif’s
autokinetic effect indicates that group
members do not merely imitate
others; rather, they often internalize
consensual standards
Norms
2. ✤ Since norms are transmitted to
other group members, they tend to be
consensual, implicit, self-generating,
and stable.
Norms
3. ✤ In some cases, individuals may engage in unhealthy
behavior as a result of normative pressures Crandall’s
study of eating disorders in groups pluralistic ignorance
Norms

• ✤ Norms are implicit, self-

generating, and stable standards
for group behavior Prescriptive
norms set the standards for
expected group behavior
Proscriptive norms identify
behaviors that should not be
performed Desscriptive norms
define what most people do, feel,
or think in the group. Injuctive
norms differentiate between
desirable and undesirable actions
Roles

• ✤ Roles specify the types

of behaviors expected of
individuals who occupy
particular positions
within the group.
 Roles
• ✤ As members interact
withvone another, their
role related activities
become patterned (role
differentiation) with Task
roles pertaining to the
work of the group,
Relationship roles
pertaining to maintaining
relations among members
Roles

• ✤ The same person

rarely holds both the
task role and the
relationship role in
the group.
 Roles

• ✤ Moreland and Levine’s

theory of group socialization
describes the ways roles are
allocated to individuals and
the ways in which members
transition through the roles
of prospective member, new
member, full member,
marginal member, and
former member.
 Roles
•✤ The role differentiation and
socialization processes often create stress
and tension for groups and group
members. Group ambiguity occurs when
the behaviors associated with a role are
poorly defined. Role conflict occurs when
group members occupy two or more roles
that call for incompatible behaviors
(interrole conflict) or when the demands
of a single role are contradictory (intrarole
conflict) When role fit is low, members do
not feel that they match the demands of
their roles.
How can the social structure of a
group be measured?
✤ Paxton and Moody’s study of
a southern sorority suggested
that those members with high
centrality indexes for a clique
within the overall group were
less committed to the sorority
as a whole
✤ Paxton and Moody’s study of
a southern sorority suggested
that those members with high
centrality indexes for a clique
within the overall group were
less committed to the sorority
as a whole
Status Networks ✤ Most groups develop a stable pattern of
variations in authority and power (e.g. status
networks, chains of command) through a status
differential process.
Status Networks ✤ In some instances, people compete with one
another for status in groups; the resulting pecking
order determines who is dominant and who is
submissive.
Status Networks ✤ Group member’s perception of one another
also determine status. Berger’s expectation-
states theory argues that group members
allocate status by considering specific status
characteristics and diffuse status characteristics.
 ✤ When status generalization occurs, group members unfairly
allow irrelevant characteristics such as: age, race, or ethnic
background to influence the allocation of prestige. status
Status Networks allocations are particularly unfair when individuals who are
members of stereotyped minority societal groups are also
under represented in the group itself, with the most extreme
case being solo status (being the only individual of that
category in the group)
 ✤ In many online groups the effects of status on
Status Networks participation are muted,resulting in a
participation equalization effect.
Attraction Networks
✤ Sociometric structure - a group’s
attraction network develops
through a sociometric
differentiation process that orders
group members from least liked to
most liked.
Attraction Networks
✤ Attraction relations tend to be
reciprocal and transitive, and
clusters or coalitions often exist
within the group that are higher in
homophily than the group as a
whole.
Attraction Networks
✤ Sociometric differentiation
generally favors individuals who
possess socially attractive qualities,
such as cooperativeness or
physical degree to which the
individual’s attributes match the
qualities valued by the group
(person-group fit)
Communication
Networks
✤ A group’s communication
networks may parallel formally
established paths, but most groups
also have informal network that
defines who speaks to whom most
frequently.
Communication
Networks
✤ Centalized networks are most
efficient Shaw’s concept of
information saturation suggests
not if tasks are too complex and
require high levels of information
exchange
 Communication
Networks
✤ A group’s network, in addition to
structuring communication, influences a
variety in group and individual outcomes,
including performance, effectiveness, and
members level of satisfaction. Individuals
who occupy more central positions in
communication networks are often more
influential than those located at the
periphery. Since centralized networks
have lower levels of closeness, the overall
level ofmember satisfaction in such
groups tend to be lower.
Communication
Networks
✤ More information generally
flows downward in hierarchical
networks than flows upward, and
the information that is sent
upward is often unrealistically
positive.
Communication
Networks
✤ Bale’s Systematic Multiple Level
Observation of Groups (SYMLOG) -
model of interaction and structure
assumes that structure is based on
three dimensions:
dominance/submissiveness
(Up/Down)
friendliness/unfriendliness
(Positive/Negative) acceptance of
task-orientation of authority/non-
acceptance of task-orientation of
authority/(Forward/Backward)