Intergroup Relations- a Communication and Psychological Studies Perspective
The society that we live in today is comprised of many groups, and many units in the society are characterized as groups, such as the family, political, economic, and other important institutions that functions in the society. Within a group exists relationships that can be constructive or destructive to the functions of the group. Group relations can be explained using the communicative and psychological perspectives. This paper will discuss the dynamics of group relations in relation to these two perspectives, and analyze how relations are established within a group, and how similarities and differences within a group can cause conflict or cooperation within its members, contributing to the development or disintegration of a group.
In the psychological perspective, group relations are focused in the study of social psychology. In social psychology, individuals are studied according to their relationship in the society. One important concept studies in the psychology of group relations is the concept of group influence. Group influence includes the primary motivations and behaviors of individuals when it comes to accomplishing group performance. A psychological study conducted by Norman Triplett theorized that individuals belonging in competitive groups perform better than individuals who do not belong to any group or affiliation (Santrock 2001 365). When the term 'group' is mentioned, this means that a group is any group of reference that an individual may treat as influential to him or her. Triplett's study on social psychology led to the formulation of other theories from psychologists that characterize the relational dynamics in a group. Three (3) important concepts were introduced in social psychology, the concepts of: self-facilitation, social loafing,...
Psychological and Socio-Cultural Theories of Risk Definition of Risk The term "risk" is often defined differently depending on the particular paradigm. For example, risk is economics is typically defined in terms of differences in possible monetary outcomes and individuals/corporations involved in risk -- seeking behavior are typically seeking higher monetary payoffs (Markowitz 1952). When clinical psychologists, sociologists, law enforcement officials, and lay individuals identify "risky behaviors" they are referring to a broader
Although interpersonal and group level communications reside at a lower level than organizational communication, they are major forms of communication in organizations and are prominently addressed in the organizational communication literature. Recently, as organizations became more communication-based, greater attention was directed at improving the interpersonal communication skills of all organizational members. Historically, informal communication was primarily seen as a potential block to effective organizational performance. This is no longer
The important aspect to consider is the way that people perceive and accept these differing power distributions. The barrier and problem that Sally experiences in this particular case is that she comes from a society that favors a low power distance model of behavior as the accepted norm; whereas in the society in which she is now staying the cultural norms and accepted context is one of high power distance. In
In this respect, that the former were stereotyped is evidenced by the fact that common perceptions excluded them as equal in societies. Moreover, because they were expected to be subordinated to the white society, it is understood that African-Americans were continued to be perceived as subservient. Since many had been slaves even before being sold to Americans, we can assume that white people misjudged African-Americans as second race, obedient
History Of Social Psychology: Past and Future Directions The fields of psychology and social psychology owe their existence to the earlier philosophical thinkers including Aristotle, Plato, Descartes, Locke, Hume and Kant. However, the recognized founder of the field (by most historians) is the German scientist Wilhelm Wundt (Farr, 2003). In 1862 Wundt proposed that there psychology should consist of two branches: a social branch and a physiological branch of psychology (Farr,
Goad (1997) notes the use of stereotypes helps reduce uncertainties one may have with their own status or relationships in society. He goes on to suggest people use the term "redneck" to reduce their anxiety and insecurities they may have about their own ability or socio-economic status, or their concerns about the welfare of their own ethnicity in an environment where they may feel outnumbered (Goad, 1997). To resolve
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