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Chapter-23 Psychology of the Group

BOOK TITLE: Psychology for Nurses

Author
1. Basavanthappa BT
ISBN
9789350250075
DOI
10.5005/jp/books/11437_23
Edition
1/e
Publishing Year
2010
Pages
18
Author Affiliations
1. Government College of Nursing, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Rajarajeshwari College of Nursing, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India; Government College of Nursing, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India; Faculty of Nursing, RGUHS, Karnataka, India, Academic Council, RGUHS, Karnataka, India; IGNOU, BSc Nursing Course, Karnataka and Goa, India; Nursing Research Society of India, New Delhi, India; Trained Nurses , ssociation of India, New Delhi, India; RGUHS Nursing Teachers Association, Karnataka, India
Chapter keywords

Abstract

Group refers to any collection of human beings who are brought into social relationship with one another. There is reciprocal communication. Man lives in groups. Groups are universal aspects of human life. The basic social environment is the group. Each individual is a member of many groups like the family group, the school group, the work group, the social club group, etc. within each group the individual assumes a “position” such as the child, the parent, the student, the teacher, etc. each of these positions in the group has an associated set of behaviors, attitudes and beliefs expected of an individual who occupies the position. Such a set of expectations is called a role. An individual, as a member of a group, behaves quite differently than what he would otherwise do. As a member of the group he exhibits group behavior. Group behavior is not a mere sum total of the behavior of the individuals who constitute that group. Under the influence of group behavior, even the most disciplined and obedient students have been found indulging in the most coward, unsocial or irresponsible ones are found contribution significantly when observed to work in a group. Therefore it should be clearly understood that in a group; the behavior of the individuals rests on a different psychic level and thus psychology of the group should be considerably different from the psychology of the individuals. For understanding the psychology of the group or group behavior let us first try to understand the meaning of the term group. A group is a collection or individuals who are in a cooperative interdependent relationship with one another. The term interdependent not only implies that there is “interaction” between the individuals, but also that the members share some common norms with regard to certain behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs and that there must be a system of interlocking ‘roles’ such that each member has certain expectations regarding how others behave towards him and how he ought to behave towards others in the group. Moreover a sort of belongingness or we-feeling is essential for the formation of a psychological group. When the people say, we are teachers, we are nurse, we are laborers, etc. it means that they are the members of a psychological group. Under such feelings they can feel, act and think together and, therefore, can be called the members of psychological group. Hence the essential characteristics of a psychological group may be summarized in this chapter.

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