Previous critiques of social psychological theory and research on group processes have not had much discernible impact. Several alternative theoretical traditions from outside social psychology are offered for the enrichment of the social psychological study of groups. Problems with laboratory groups and contrasting approaches to Janis's groupthink phenomena are discussed from each of four alternative traditions as examples of the value of broadening our theoretical approaches to group life.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alderfer, C. P. , Brown, L. D., Kaplan, R. E., & Smith, K. K.Group relations and organizational diagnosis. New York: Wiley, in press.
2.
Alderfer, C. P. , & Smith, K. K.Studying intergroup relations embedded in organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1982, 27, 35-65.
3.
Aronson, E. , & Carismith, J. M.Experimentation in social psychology. In G. Lindzey and E. Aronson (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (Vol. 2). Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley, 1968.
4.
Bateson, G.Steps to an ecology of mind. New York: Ballantine, 1972.
5.
Bion, W. R.Experiences in groups. New York: Basic Books, 1959.
6.
Boszormenyi-Nagy, I. , & Ulrich, D. N.Contextual family therapy. In A. S. Gurman and D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1981.
7.
Coser, L.The functions of social conflict. New York: Free Press, 1956.
8.
Davis, J. H. , Laughlin, P. R., & Komorita, S. S.The social psychology of small groups: Cooperative and mixed-motive interactions. Annual Review of Psychology, 1976, 27, 501-541.
9.
Gibbard, G. S. , Hartman, J. J., & Mann, R. D. (Eds.). Analysis ofgroups. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1974.
10.
Haley, J.Leaving home: The therapy of disturbed young people. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1980.
11.
Hartman, J. J. , & Gibbard, G. S.A note on fantasy themes in the evolution of group culture. In G. S. Gibbard, J. J. Hartman, & R. D. Mann (Eds.), Analysis of groups. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1974.
12.
Janis, I. L.Victims of groupthink. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1972.
13.
Jaques, E.Social systems as a defense against persecutory and depressive anxiety. In M. Klein, P. Heimann, & R. E. Money-Kyrle (Eds.), New directions in psychoanalysis. New York: Basic Books, 1955.
14.
Katz, D.Social psychology in relation to the social sciences . American Behavioral Scientist, 1978, 21, 779-792.
15.
Katz, D. , & Kahn, R. L.The social psychology of organizations (2nd ed.) New York: Wiley, 1978.
16.
Laing, R. D.The politics of the family. New York: Vintage, 1969.
17.
McGrath, J. E. , & Kravitz, D. A.Group research. Annual Review of Psychology, 1982, 33, 195-230.
18.
Menzies, I. E. P.A case study in the functioning of social systems as a defense against anxiety. In A. D. Colman & W. H. Bexton (Eds.), Group relations reader. Sausalito, CA: GREX, 1975.
19.
Miller, J. C. , Rourke, P. G., Davis, G. H., Howenstine, R. A., Morrison, T. L., & Reed, H. D.Reparation and change: Psychological aspects of social innovation. Washington, DC: CEGO Publications, 1978.
20.
Mills, T. M.The sociology of small groups. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1967.
21.
Minuchin, S.Families and family therapy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1974.
22.
Moscovici, S.Society and theory in social psychology. In J. Israel and H. Tajfel (Eds.), The context of social psychology. London: Academic Press, 1972.
23.
Newcomb, T.Individual and group . American Behavioral Scientist, 1978, 21, 631-650.
24.
Paulus, P. D. (Ed.). Psychology of group influence. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1980.
25.
Pepitone, A.Lessons from the history of social psychology . American Psychologist, 1981, 36, 972-985.
26.
Rice, A. K.Individual, group and intergroup processes . Human Relations, 1969, 22, 565-585.
27.
Schutz, A.On phenomenology and social relations, (H. R. Wagner, Ed.). Chicago, Il: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
28.
Sherif, M.Crisis in social psychology: Some remarks toward breaking through the crisis . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1977, 3, 368-382.
29.
Simmel, G.Conflict and the web of group-affiliations. New York: Free Press, 1955.
30.
Slater, P. E.Microcosm. New York: Wiley, 1966.
31.
Smith, K. K.An intergroup perspective on individual behavior. In J. R. Hackman, E. E. Lawler, & L. W. Porter (Eds.), Perspectives on behavior in organizations. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1977.
32.
Smith, K. K.Philosophical problems in thinking about organizational change. In P. Goodman (Ed.), Change in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1982a.
33.
Smith, K. K.Groups in Conflict: Prisons in disguise. Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt, 1982b.
34.
Smith, K. K.Social comparison processes and dynamic conservatism in intergroup relations. In L. L. Cummings & B. M. Staw (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 5). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1983.
35.
Steiner, I.Whatever happened to the group in social psychology ? Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 1974, 10, 93-108.
36.
Taylor, D. M. , & Brown, R. J.Towards a more social psychology? British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 1979, 18, 173-180.
37.
Watzlawick, P. , Weakland, J., & Fisch, R.Change: Principles of problem formation and problem resolution. New York: W. W. Norton, 1974.
38.
Wells, L., Jr.The group-as-a-whole: A systemic socioanalytic perspective on interpersonal and group relations. In C. P. Alderfer & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Advances in experiential social process (Vol. 2). New York: Wiley, 1980.
39.
White, G. L.The concept of social defense. Unpublished paper, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, 1982.
40.
Whyte, W. F.Street corner society. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1943.
41.
Zander, A. F.The psychology of group processes . Annual Review of Psychology, 1979, 30, 417-451.
