Group Development At Camp David Summit,1978

Abstract

The events at the summit conference at Camp David in 1978 that led to a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel and a framework for peace in the Middle East are summarized in a day-by-day account based on published records and interviews with participants. The phases ofgroup development during the 13-day period are analyzed from a functional perspective. The group progressed through the phases in the expected order, dealing in turn with problems of pattern maintenance, adaptation, integration, and goal attainment. However, three different subgroups met before acceptable drafts of the agreements could be devised (the adaptive phase). Even then, conflicts during the integrative phase almost led to a breakup of the meetings.