A symbolic-interpretive perspective as applied to the study of groups is concerned with understanding how group members use symbols and the effects of symbol usage on individual, relational, and collective processes and outcomes, as well as the manner in which groups and group dynamics themselves are products of such symbolic activity. After reviewing philosophical, theoretical, and methodological foundations of a symbolic-interpretive perspective, we offer a conceptual model and review some representative research that illuminates the nature of symbolic predispositions, practices, processes, and products in groups. We conclude by discussing some of the strengths and challenges of studying group dynamics from a symbolic-interpretive perspective.
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