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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine andpredict individual workand nonwork behavior in groups, based on the personality of the individual. Personality was defined in terms of Bales 's SYMLOG character types. Work and nonwork behavior were conceptualized in terms of the Bion work group and basic assumption groups. Intelligence and gender were used as control variables. It was expected that group members observed to be task oriented and emotionally controlled, in SYMLOG terms, would be in a work group mode. The subjects in the study were participants in four academic self-study groups. Factor analysis was used to create scales describing work and nonwork activity. Scores on these scales were correlated with scores generated from SYMLOG Observations, SYMLOG Retrospective Ratings, the Culture Fair Intelligence Test, and the gender of the participants. The results of this study strongly supported the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between work activity as defined by Bion and the SYMLOG character type of task orientation/emotional control. There were also a number of significant relationships between the various basic assumption groups modes and other SYMLOG dimensions. These results suggest that it is possible to systematically code and predict work and nonwork activity in groups based on the personality of the individuals involved. Implications forfurther research are explored.

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The Behavior and Personality of Work Group and Basic Assumption Group Members

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