Writing this essay brought me knowledge on the topic of group dynamics. It discusses that many people join many groups for numerous reasons. It identified a few of the reasons for peoples need for groups as well as addressed the importance or unimportance of knowing why a person joined a group.
Group Dynamics Essay
Introduction
We all join groups for various reasons. This essay will identify what those reasons are. Also being discussed, why knowing if the reasons for joining a group matter? This essay will Explain and give examples to demonstrate the data.
Group Dynamics
Why do people join groups? Why do people want to be around other people? Is it because they can’t find anything better to do? Perhaps they require assistance with a project and seek likeminded people to help them. Many people join many groups for many reasons. Some may be seeking companionship, others may be seeking a group of likeminded people to reach a common need/goal, and others may be forced into a group whether they want to be or not. For example, a man or woman may not wish to fulfill their civic duty and become a member of a jury. According to Lekarev (2010),
There are many reasons why people want to form groups and for a healthy lifestyle it’s good to join a group, researches have said, ‘Human interaction especially in a group format with a few members is mentally good for the human brain.’ Groups form because four people may have a certain hobby in common or have something in common in general, groups many times form in the work field because the manager needs to assign a project to a group and not let employees run solo.
Theories influence the way we think, interpret our world, and the actions we take. We develop theories about our environment to help organize and interpret our experiences. For example, if our theory of communication is that communication is the transmission of information, then we'll study senders who present clear, concise, well-organized messages. (Mc-Graw Hill, 2000)
There are two main theories that provide separate definitions of what drives a person to one group or another. The two theories are Maslow’s Theory and Schutz’s Theory. Maslow’s Theory is formed of five components: Physiological Needs, Safety Needs, Belongingness Needs, Esteem Needs, and Self-Actualization Needs. (Lekarev, 2010) Schutz’s theory consists of: Inclusion Need, Control Need, and Affection Need, Interpersonal Needs deals with interpersonal behavior. (Lekarev, 2010.)
Knowing these theories and the needs of the people is important in that the more one knows about the people they associate with, the more they can learn about themselves. For example, a person might have a need for attention, so they join a community theatre group. Another person may need to have a group light their life path for them, this person may find comfort in the military, as their every move is governed by the need of the military. After they’ve ended their service, the military tends to look after their people by making sure they have health benefits, or if they choose, get a college education. (Lekarev, 2010) Knowing these theories and the needs of the people is important in that the more one knows about the people they associate with, the more they can learn about themselves.
Conclusion
This essay has discussed that we all join groups for various reasons. This essay identified what some of those reasons are as well as if it was important to know why a person joins a specific group. There is no definitive reason why a person joins a group. (Rothwell, 2010) Though, typically, a person would want to join the smallest group that is capable of fulfilling their goal. The more people existing in a group, the easier it is to A) have said person lose their voice in the crowd, or B) have too many people trying to determine the correct course of action, so much so that nothing is ever accomplished.
References
Lekarev, S. (2010) Health Depot. People Press.
The McGraw-Hill Companies (2000) THEORIES OF SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/comm/group/students/theory.htm
Rothwell, J. D. (2010) In Mixed Company – Communicating in Small Groups and Teams Wadsworth
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