Understanding Group Dynamics: Structure, Types, and Functions
Group Dynamics
1. Definition of Group
When we say that interaction is interdependent, we mean that it takes place when a person’s posts are dependent on other previously issued messages. Depending on the interaction established between the sender and the receiver, different messages are sent (not the same to an unknown coworker, etc.). Only when there is mutual influence, where the response of each person depends on what was previously said, does interaction take place.
A group is defined as two or more persons who are interacting with each other, so that each person influences and is influenced by the other members.
Analysis shows how group dynamics evolve as people continue to interact over long periods. Their behavior is modeled, and the probability that a message is followed by another increases. In this process, messages become automated rituals: normal ways to express anger, to greet, to say goodbye, etc.
“A group is a set of people whose behavior becomes interstructured, communicative, and repeated in a predictable pattern.”
3. The Structural Dimension
When interactions between group members are frequent and patterned, that pattern establishes the group’s structure. Over time, the positions held by group members are defined as “normal” then as “correct and expected,” thus consolidating the group’s structure.
When a group shares expectations and evaluations over time, standards emerge, and each member assumes a role within the group. The rules and roles interact; when a person assumes a role within the group, they are expected to behave according to certain rules.
The structural perspective emphasizes two types of structures:
- Formed by rules, which are shared expectations and assessments developed by the group over time.
- The structure of roles: each member has a role that is intertwined with the roles of others, being complementary to each other.
By adopting a particular role, each member carries out this role in accordance with certain standards. For example, someone who takes a leadership role will behave according to a set of rules for that leadership role. Thus, roles and standards work together in group dynamics.
“What distinguishes a group is that its members share norms, including, necessarily, the rules regarding the roles of group members, roles that are interrelated and defined in reciprocal terms.”
The Functional Dimension
This perspective starts with an analysis of the goals towards which every group directs its actions. Theories grouped under this perspective seek to determine why, once a goal is set in a group, one kind of process emerges and not others.
Since the group is conceptualized as a social system, to achieve its objectives it must develop characteristics that enable it to carry out its basic functions.
“A social group is an organized system of two or more individuals who are interrelated so that the system performs a certain function. The group also has established role relationships and a system of rules that regulate the function of the group and each of its members.”
The Dimension of Motivation
Behavior within the group is explained in terms of the motivation that leads its members to act in certain ways.
People form groups when they can provide some degree of gratification (e.g., forming a group for riding on weekends, which provides an advantage to perform an activity that offers considerable pleasure) or help them avoid pain or some kind of prejudice (e.g., joining a group of people who have lost a relative in a car accident). From this perspective, we can define a group as “a set of people whose very existence is rewarding to members.”
The reasons for joining a group are significant because they respond to basic needs, such as the need for achievement, affiliation, and power. Depending on their intensity, these needs can explain the behavior of group members. But the reasons may be significant without being tied to any need; they may just serve a temporary purpose that, once satisfied, ends. In this sense, we can define a group as “units consisting of two or more people who come into contact with a purpose.”
Cognitive-Perceptual Dimension
Groups can be analyzed to the extent that they characterize and create in their members a common way of perceiving, a certain cognitive structure that leads them to analyze their own identity and the world around them.
A concentration of people may be defined as a group from the moment they perceive themselves as such.
The group is a unit consisting of a “large number of individuals who have a collective perception of unity.”
The difference between small and large groups would be defined by the existence of specific common views between members of these groups, from which there is a personal or impersonal perspective.
“A small group is any number of people engaged in interaction with each other in a unique way in which each member can provide feedback to each other as individuals, based on the memory of the other person being present.”
Types of Groups
Sociability is an important factor explaining the survival of our species, which has come to dominate the environment and survive successfully thanks to its social nature. Intelligence, sociability, and language are the basis of our own identity.
In the process by which the interaction between different people generates a group, we can observe three characteristics:
- Interdependence: It’s what makes a group of people become a group, namely that they are dependent on each other to achieve certain objectives. This process involves two aspects: the motivation for group membership and the objectives it pursues. A good predictor of the group’s success will be the match between individual and group goals.
- Interaction: It is the engine of the group. Through it, the group structure will emerge, leading to the differentiation of roles and status. It promotes the creation of group norms and increases the degree of cohesion. Depending on how the interaction occurs, member satisfaction and the appropriate level of performance will vary.
- Identity: This is what we call “collective consciousness.” By sharing characteristics considered relevant at any given time (even if people don’t know each other), we develop a common identity and are perceived and defined as a group.
These features do not always occur simultaneously or to the same degree. Although the types and classifications of groups are numerous, they include:
Primary and Secondary Groups
A primary group is an interactive unit that is seen as such by the people around it. It is characterized by face-to-face, intimate, and personal interaction, with continuous communication. The roles and status established within the group are informal and durable. The rules within these groups are learned, respected, and strengthened, as is the case with the family. Primary groups influence each person in the formation and development of their social nature, which is composed of feelings and primary social attitudes (awareness of self in relation to others, the desire for approval, fear of rejection and censorship, etc.).
Secondary groups are based on a functional relationship tied to a specific interest, and when that interest is lost or the purpose ends, the group dissolves. Membership and participation in primary groups are valued and rewarded in themselves and therefore tend to persist over time. The members interact as whole persons, rather than depending on their assigned role within the group. They are a vital source of support and provide social and emotional satisfaction. Participation in these groups is essential to the psychological and emotional well-being of the individual.