Group Interactions and Dynamics: Research Paper

Group Interactions and Dynamics
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Group Interactions and Dynamics
Groups have become a significant component of learning and interactions in the fields of education and psychology. The shift towards more collective approaches against individualistic approaches has been cemented in empirical studies and experiences that have showcased the implications of groups in coping and learning behaviors among individuals. Poor management of workload, dissatisfaction among group members, poor communication, and interpersonal conflicts have consistently been cited as challenges in group applications. Importantly, every group differs in structure and philosophies, aspects that can influence their overall performances. This paper will explore group behaviors in the Blue Group (BG), whose transformation from the beginning of the unit to the end can be assessed through various empirical indicators. The analysis grounds its inputs in the contact theory with group interactions and dynamics assessed through various stages of group development in a culturally heterogeneous group. The contact hypothesis is applicable in an intergroup contact study where the focus is on African-American students and their automatically activated racial attitudes toward white students. Thus, increased interaction with members of different groups should allow individuals to gain information about other groups and reduce hostility and prejudice. An insightful understanding of group dynamics and interactions should encompass transition from lack of trust and poor communication at the onset of the groups to mild and ethnically-charged cohesiveness in the last stages of group development, bearing BG experiences through specific developmental stages.
Group Members
BG consists of five members, with each member having a distinctive role to play in the development of the group. The group is racially heterogeneous, with three Caucasian and two African American members. The first member is JK, who is the leader and the facilitator in the group. The second member of the group is FY. FY is the creative director. The group also consists of CT as the coach. The last members of the group are KG and LK. KG and LK are members of the group. KG and LK manifest no defined roles, and they can be used in any role if the need arises. All the members of the group must work individually while also fostering the overall group objectives. BG manifested challenges in group interactions at the initial stages. The development was much positive, with members showing interdependence in a demonstration of the inputs of contact theory. However, the integration of the whole group was not optimized.
Contact Theory
Interracial relationships have been used as indicative of the social factors in multiracial engagements. The functionality of groups depends on the social distance between the members. That is, factors such as dissimilarity and rejection or the feelings of similarity and closeness normally define the interactions within interracial groups. While there are increased race relations in various social platforms such as marriage, questions are still raised on how race still remains a factor in determining the closeness among individuals fr...