Numerous theories of group development point to the importance of intimacy to the facilitation of group awareness, yet none articulates the behavioral dimension of this process. Using Bennis and Shepard's theory of group development as an illustration of this omission, it is argued that the analysis of intimate relations in small groups must move beyond the exclusive reliance on personality variables to articulate this process. The aim of this study is to develop a method for detecting the behavioral occurrence of intimate (primary) relations, apply this to a study of self-analytic groups, and test the hypothesis that such relations constitute a necessary condition for enhanced group awareness.A comparison of two self-analytic groups that differed in their respective abilities to analyze their ongoing processes revealed a significantly greater prevalence of overt primary relations in the relatively more effective group.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bennis, W. G. , & Shepard, H. A. (1956). A theory of group development. Human Relations, 9, 415-437.
2.
Berscheid, E. , & Walster, E. H. (1978). Interpersonal attraction (2nd ed.). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
3.
Bion, W. R. (1961). Experiences in groups: And other papers. New York: Basic Books.
4.
Burchler, G. R. , Weiss, R. L., & Vincent, J. P. (1975). Multidimensional analyses of social reinforcement exchanged between maritally distressed and nondistressed spouse and stranger dyads. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31, 348-360.
5.
Chelune, G. J. , Robison, J. T., & Kommor, M. J. (1984). A cognitive interactional model of intimate relationships. In V. J. Derlega (Ed.), Communication, intimacy, and close relationships (pp. 11-40). New York: Academic Press.
6.
Clark, M. S. , & Reiss, H. T. (1988). Interpersonal processes in close relationships. In M. R. Rosenzweig & L. W. Porter (Eds.), Annual Review of Psychology, 39, 609-672.
7.
Cooley, C. H. (1909). Social organization: A study of the larger mind. New York: Scribner's.
8.
Cuber, J. F. , & Harroff, P. B. (1965). The significant Americans: A study of sexual behavior among the affluent. Baltimore, MD: Penguin.
9.
Davis, K. (1948). Human society. New York: Macmillan.
10.
Dunphy, D. C. (1964). Social change in self-analytic groups. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
11.
Dunphy, D. C. (1972). The primary group: A handbook for analysis and field research. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
12.
Farrell, M. P. (1976). Patterns in the development of self-analytic groups. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 12, 523-542.
13.
Gelles, R. J. , & Straus, M. A. (1979). Determinants of violence in the family: Toward a theoretical integration. In W. R. Burr, R. Hill, F. I. Nye, & I. L. Reiss (Eds.), Contemporary theories, about the family: Research based theories (Vol. 1, pp. 549-581). New York: Free Press.
14.
Ginsburg, G. P. (1986). The structural analysis of primary relationships. In R. Gilmour & S. Duck (Eds.), The emerging field of personal relationships (pp. 41-62). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
15.
Hare, A. P. (1976). Handbook of small group research (2nd ed.). New York: Free Press.
16.
Hare, A. P. , Kritzer, H. M., & Blumberg, H. (1979). Functional analysis of persuasive interaction in a role-playing experiment. Journal of Social Psychology, 107, 77-88.
17.
Kuypers, B. C. , Davies, D., & Glaser, K. H. (1986). Developmental arrestations in self-analytic groups. Small Group Behavior, 17, 269-302.
18.
Levine, B. (1979). Group psychotherapy: Practice and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
19.
Levinger, G. , & Snoek, J. D. (1972). Attraction in relationship: A new look at interpersonal attraction. Morristown, NJ: General Learning Press.
20.
Mills, T. M. (1964). Group transformation: An analysis of a learning group. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
21.
Mills, T. M. (1978). Seven steps in developing group awareness. Journal of Personality and Social Systems, 4, 15-29.
22.
Morton, T. L. , & Douglas, M. A. (1981). Growth of relationships. In S. Duck & R. Gilmore (Eds.), Personal relationships: Vol. 2. Developingpersonal relationships (pp. 3-26). New York: Academic Press.
23.
Myers, D. G. (1987). Social psychology (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
24.
Nixon, H. L. (1979). The small group. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
25.
Parsons, T. , Bales, R. F., & Shils, E. A. (1953). Working papers in theory of action. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
26.
Parsons, T. , & Shils, E. A. (1951). Toward a general theory of action. New York: Harper & Row.
27.
Perlmutter, M. S. , & Hatfield, E. (1980). Intimacy, intentional metacommunication and second order change. American Journal of Family Therapy, 8, 17-23.
28.
Scanzoni, L. D. , & Scanzoni, J. (1988). Men, women, and change: A sociology of marriage and the family (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
29.
Schultz, W. C. (1958). The interpersonal underworld. Harvard Business Review, 36, 123-135.
30.
Slater, P. E. (1966). Microcosm: Structural, psychological, and religious evolution in groups. New York: Wiley.
31.
Turner, J. H. (1986). The structure of sociological theory (4th ed.). Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press.
32.
Walster, E. , Walster, G. W., & Berscheid, E. (1978). Equity: Theory and researchBoston: Allyn & Bacon.
