Module 3 Social Groups: Factors affecting Group Formation

Module 3 Social Groups: Factors affecting Group Formation Component 1A Role Name Affiliation Principal Investigator Dr. Geeta Balakrishnan College of Social Work, Paper Coordinator Mr. Elvis Thomas College of Social Work, Content Writer Dr. Renu A Shah College of Social Work, Content Reviewer Dr. Geeta Balakrishnan College of Social Work, Language Editor Mr. Elvis Thomas College of Social Work, Component 1B Subject Name Paper Name Module Name Description of Module Social Work Education Social Work with Groups Social Groups: Factors affecting Group Formation Module ID SWE/WG/SGFGF/Module- 3 Pre Requisites Objectives Key words Not applicable To understand the factors influencing the group formation in group work and also learn about Pre-group planning phase Attraction, Interpersonal, Proximity, affiliation, Pre-group, orientation. SWE/WG/SGFGF/M3 by Dr. Renu A Shah Page 1

Quadrant 1 1.Factors Influencing Group Formation We can identify four major factors that influence our decision to join and remain in a wide variety of groups: i. Attraction to members of the group ii. Activities, goals, or the task of the group; iii. Affiliating with the people in the group; and iv. Meeting needs or goals lying outside the group. Attraction to members of the group grows out of proximity and frequency of interaction. (Consider your own experience of friendship groups that are largely determined by who is available for interaction: your neighbours, classmates, roommates, and so on.) However, we must remember that proximity creates only the potential for, attraction; other factors usually come into play when actually establishing a relationship. The power of similarity, especially attitudinal similarity, appears to be as strong in group formation as in interpersonal attraction. When we consider attraction to a group, we must also consider the characteristics of the group itself. Several attributes of groups generally make them more attractive to prospective members and thus contribute to group formation. The more prestige a group can offer a member, the more attractive the group. Members who have positions of higher authority and prestige are usually most attracted to remain in the group. Co-operative relationships and joint rewards heighten the attractiveness of a group, whereas individual striving and competition detract from it. The degree of positive interaction among members directly affects attractiveness since it increases the range of personal and social needs being met. The size of the group affects its attraction. Smaller groups generally offer more possibility for interaction, for sharing similarities, and for meeting individual needs, and therefore tend to be more attractive. Positive relations with other groups may add to the prestige of the group and make it more attractive. Nothing succeeds like success. Groups that are perceived as meeting their goals effectively usually appear to be more attractive. The task of a group, as experienced in its activities and goals is often an important reason for joining. You join a photography club because you enjoy taking pictures and discussing that activity with others. You join a protest group against higher tuition fees because you cannot afford to pay more. In these examples, you are gaining rewards directly through group membership. The application of social exchange theory to group formation predicts that we join and remain in groups when the rewards for doing so outweigh the costs, thus yielding profits. SWE/WG/SGFGF/M3 by Dr. Renu A Shah Page 2

The third general factor of group formation is our desire to affiliate with the people in that group. We satisfy our need for affiliation through interacting with people, just as we meet our need for achievement through the activities and goals of the group. Whether we affiliate for social comparison, or to reduce anxiety, or to satisfy an innate craving, it is clear that the group is a powerful forum for meeting our basic social needs and a strong influence on our behaviour. Group membership may help us meet needs that lie outside the group thus, group membership may be a stepping stone to achieve an external goal, rather than a source of direct satisfaction. A college professor may regularly attend meetings of a professional association to enhance the probability of promotion. A candidate for political office may join a host of community organizations to enhance his or her chances for election. From the various factors influencing group formation the following hypothesis can be confidently stated: People join groups in order to satisfy some individual need. Proximity, contact and interaction provide an opportunity for individuals to discover the need satisfactions that can be attained through affiliation with others. Interpersonal attraction is a positive function of physical attractiveness, attitude similarity, personality similarity, economic similarity, racial similarity, perceived ability of the other person (his or her success or failure) and need compatibility. An individual will join a group if he or she finds the activities of the group attractive or rewarding. An individual will join a group if he or she values the goals of the group. There exists a need for affiliation which renders group membership rewarding. An individual will join a group if he or she perceives it to be instrumental in satisfying needs outside the group. Group development follows a consistent pattern, which may be characterized as orientationevaluation-control. Personal skills and attitudes of you, the mobilizer, in forming a group are also crucial to success. The following are a few pointers. As a mobilizer, you need: Patience (People tend to change slowly; do not try to hurry the process up too much); Empathy (You need understanding of community members and their problems; the ability to see things as they do) Business Knowledge (You need a thorough understanding of the business side of the group's future activity, and an ability to explain it in simple terms); Commitment (You must be thoroughly convinced of the value of what you are doing, and willingness to do it well); Realism (You must be able to give practical help in a realistic way); Respect (People may be poor but they are not stupid and resent the "big master" approach and may be suspicious of any tendency to a "know-it-all;" approach); and Honesty and Integrity (Your reputation is your most important asset as a mobilizer). SWE/WG/SGFGF/M3 by Dr. Renu A Shah Page 3

2. Pre- group Planning stage Several authors have studied the process of working with a group. There is no agreement on the stages of the process, as different authors use different terminologies to describe these. The number of stages also differ among the authors. Some begin from a pre group formation stage to the termination or the final stage whereas others may start with the beginning stage or the first phase and go on to the ending stage. However, there is a kind of uniformity in conceptualizing that the process should commence from planning and it should have a termination stage or phase, where the worker withdraws from an active involvement. Planning activities as Toseland and Rivas (2001) term it, are generally discussed by all. Planning about forming the group includes making a decision about the target population, the broad objectives to be pursue, the resource availability and other factors relevant in India. The planning stage is followed by the orientation stage by some, whereas others simply term it as the beginning stage. The next stage is the middle stage or working stage where the group has started functioning and is trying to accomplish some goals. At this stage it is generally found essential by different authors to undertake an assessment of what is happening in the group. As part of the process of working with a group, the pregroup planning phase is outlined below for a clear understanding of the beginning of the process. Pre- group Planning- The workers have to work hard to form a group in India. In many cases they are not sure of the objectives. They have no idea where to begin and what they are supposed to do. The Pre-group planning stage refers to contacting potential members individually or in small groups to share with them the idea of forming a group. The process significantly differs from that followed by workers in the western countries. Groups in India are initially conceived by an organization or a welfare agency, as people themselves generally do not take such initiatives. Both the voluntary organizations and the government organizations have found working with groups a useful strategy for accomplishing a number of objectives. The worker in India, therefore, has to carry the idea of forming a group for an already identified objective to the people. She/he has to educate the potential members about the needs or issues that the group will address and how it is likely to benefit them. The worker generally meets the potential members for the first time and many members have little or no experience of working in such groups. The formation stage thus will require careful planning. There are two sets of plan that a worker must prepare. The first part of the planning concerns how the formation of the group will be accomplished and second, what issues will arise once the group gets going and how these will be dealt with. Many a time the general assumption is that the members need is well known, for example the economic need or the recreation need of children and youth. Yet, when the idea of forming a group is shared, not many members show interest. The answer lies in the fact that children do not feel the need for an organized group to play. Things in their day-to-day life have never been organized and the very idea of any form of organization is very unknown phenomenon to many. It therefore, takes a long time to make them accept the idea. It is very important for the formation of a group that a worker presents the idea of forming a group to potential members in a very clear and unambiguous manner. Secondly, workers must clearly indicate how the group activities will meet a specific felt need of the members. The importance of following a participatory approach cannot be overemphasized. The worker should carefully analyze the need of the clients as her own perceptions may not be the same as those of the clients themselves. If there is a wide gap between the members perception of what the group can deliver and that of the worker, the group development will be slow or the group will not take off. The worker should contact the members individually and in groups to discuss the idea and purpose of group formation. At this stage the worker SWE/WG/SGFGF/M3 by Dr. Renu A Shah Page 4

should also be on guard about forcing the idea on members. It is possible that the clients may, in order to please the worker, readily agree to join the group but do not turn up later. The worker should be patent and undertake activities/decisions to show results in the first few sessions of group formation, to arouse the interest of members. In treatment or support groups meant for adults facing a problem, the pre group planning would address the importance of sharing the problems with persons facing similar problems and how it would lead to greater clarity on the part of members to deal with the problem. The worker should aim at, as Yalon (1995) suggested, as in preparing the members for creating an alliance. Provide members some idea how a group therapy session works, and how inter-personal relationship can be enhanced through the use of group therapy. The worker can also help them to understand some basic rules of participation in group therapy sessions. The members can also be briefed about the duration of the group, its size, nature, meeting place etc. The planning for forming a group in particular should focus on the following details: 3. Composition of the Group The nature of membership depends on the purpose of the group and its goals. Client or target population is an important factor in determining the composition of the group. Corey and Corey (2006) recommend a homogenous membership in treatment oriented groups. In task oriented groups, some element of diversity is helpful in getting better expertise level to address the task. Collect details about the members on the following points: The socio-economic background of members Geographical location-urban, rural, tribal Client group-children, women etc. Earlier experience of the group participation Reasons for joining the group Individual need assessment Take a decision about the composition of the group after analyzing the details. Collecting information about these issues will help the worker to get organized in carrying out the work. It will give her some idea about the background of the potential members. Take a careful look at the group goals and make sure they are in conformity with the needs of the members. Size of the Group A decision about the size of the group should be make keeping the purpose of the group and the needs of members in mind. In Indian situations at times the worker faces the dilemma of how to say no to persons eager to join the group since/he is not in a position to accommodate them due to shortage of resources. Large groups however, offer more ideas, skills and resources (Douglas, 1979). Treatment groups are kept small to enable the worker to focus on each member, while self-help groups are allowed to have more members to make them financially viable. The decision about the size depends on several factors including the experience of worker and the age group of the clients. SWE/WG/SGFGF/M3 by Dr. Renu A Shah Page 5

Nature of Group Membership The issue of membership, whether to keep it closed or open, is decided in accordance with the purpose and duration of the group. In growth oriented groups it is better to allow new members to join if there are vacancies, in order to enrich the experience of the group and to extend an opportunity to a larger number of people. Treatment groups find it difficult to admit new members as this can change the existing environment of the group. Duration of the Group The decision about the duration is taken considering the purpose, experience and capacity of the members to achieve the goal in a given time frame. Many group workers try to form groups with a long term perspective. The general idea is to make the group self-sustaining, so that it can function independently. A good example is self-help groups of all types in India. Treatment oriented groups are short term groups with a specific time fame to achieve specific objectives. Support groups like women s group or street children s group, are also generally long-term groups. The duration of the group can be changed depending upon the progress made by the group such as a certain level of cohesion and the decision of the members to continue on their own. Frequency of Group Meetings The frequency of group meetings are to be fixed depending upon the purpose, convenience of members, the workers own work load etc. As such there is no fixed formula to decide the issue. For example, recreation groups of children meet more frequently, support groups once a week or once in 15 days, and self-help groups or saving groups weekly or once a month and so on. Frequency of treatment groups is decided more in accordance with the needs of the members. Place of Meeting A place of group meeting has also to be decided in accordance with the convenience of the members and the facilities in terms of space and other resources needed for group activities. Frequent changes of venue of meeting is known to cause difficulties and should be avoided. Members consent about the place of meeting is helpful as at times the place of meeting could severely affect the participation. References: Douglas, Tom (1979), Group Process in Social Work, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Konopka, Gisela. 1963. Social Group Work: A Helping Process. Englewood Ciffs, N.J. Prentice- Hall. Siddiqui, H.Y. 2008. Group Work: Theories and Practices. Rawat Publications, Jaipur. Toseland, R.W. & Rivas R F. 2001. An Introduction to Group Work Practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. SWE/WG/SGFGF/M3 by Dr. Renu A Shah Page 6