What is Group Dynamics?

Group dynamics is the field of study within the social sciences that focuses on the nature of groups. Urges to belong or to identify may make for distinctly different attitudes (recognized or unrecognized) than in one-on-one interaction, and the influence of a group may rapidly become strong, influencing or overwhelming individual proclivities and actions. The group dynamics may also include changes in behaviour of a person when he is represented before a group, the behavioural pattern of a person vis-a-vis group. Interaction may differ depending on individuals' current or prospective connections to a sociological group.

Group dynamics form a basis for group therapy. Politicians and salesmen may make practical exploitations of principles of group dynamics for their own ends. Increasingly, group dynamics are becoming of particular interest because of online, social interaction made possible by the internet.

Kurt Lewin (1943, 1948, 1951) is commonly identified as the founder of the movement to study groups scientifically. He coined the term group dynamics to describe the way groups and individuals act and react to changing circumstances.

William Schutz (1958, 1966) looked at interpersonal relations from the perspective of three dimensions: Inclusion, control, and affection. This became the basis for a theory of group behavior that see groups as resolving issues in each of these stages in order to be able to develop to the next stage. Conversely, a group may also devolve to an earlier stage if unable to resolve outstanding issues in a particular stage.

Wilfred Bion (1961) studied group dynamics from a psychoanalytic perspective. Many of his findings were reported in his published books, especially Experiences in Groups. The Tavistock Institute has further developed and applied the theory and practices developed by Bion.

Bruce Tuckman (1965) proposed the 4-stage model called Tuckman's Stages for a group. Tuckman's model states that the ideal group decision making process should occur in four stages:

Forming (pretending to get on or get along with others);
Storming (letting down the politeness barrier and trying to get down to the issues even if tempers flare up );
Norming (getting used to each other and developing trust and productivity);
Performing (working in a group to a common goal on a highly efficient and cooperative basis).
It should be noted that this model refers to the overall pattern of the group, but of course individuals within a group work in different ways. If distrust persists, a group may never even get to the norming stage.

Looked at for larger-scale groups, Tuckman's stages of group development are similar to those developed by M. Scott Peck and set out in his (1987) book, The Different Drum: Community-Making and Peace. Peck describes the stages of a community as:

Pseudo-community
Chaos
Emptiness
True Community
Communities may be distinguished from other types of groups, in Peck's view, by the need for members to eliminate barriers to communication in order to be able to form true community. Examples of common barriers are: expectations and preconceptions; prejudices; ideology, theology and solutions; the need to heal, convert, fix or solve and the need to control. A community is born when its members reach a stage of "emptiness" or peace