Storming Process Analysis

Norming
During the storming phase, the way in which group members should behave and relate towards one another are not always clearly defined. However, the storming process helps group members to extract the necessary norms that will allow for the group to get to a point where they can work together to reach common goals. It is in this stage where more positive emotions are exhibited (Gladding, 2017). For example, in 12 Angry Men (Lumet & Rose, 1956) the men finally began to listen to one another as they discussed their understanding of the case and the evidence that was presented. Group members began to respect one another’s opinion and even give assent to thoughts that were beneficial in reaching a verdict. Part of this was due to the process of identification, where group members began to feel a connectedness with one

another based on aspects of themselves revealed in the group.
Here-and-now experiences were visible as some members were basing their decisions based on past experiences with family members and life experiences.

For example, group some of the members exposed their biases like when one of the men made the comment “kids these day” and shares about his strained relationship with his son that he has not talked to in years. Another group member shares about his experience in poverty as a young man and gets upset about the way another group member talks about the young man who was accused and was described as coming from a poverty stricken home. Another example is when the older man in the group seemed to understand why the older man who gave testimony during the court case may have just wanted attention. However, these biases were exposed and the members were confronted with the opportunity to face make their decision of whether the accused was guilty or not guilty based on the here-and-now. Hope, cooperation, collaboration, and cohesion were also experienced among the jurors, which I believe lead them to finally come to a point where they were able to reach a consensus in a relatively short period of

time.
Some of the norms that were established among the jurors in 12 Angry Men (Lumet & Rose, 1956), were that elderly people would be respected, people would be able to express their thoughts and opinions without fear, and no one had the right to intimidate others to try to manipulate their vote. As these norms were established, they were promoted by the leader as well as the members. With the majority of the group having “buy-in” by demonstrating empathy, exhibiting trust through self-disclosure, and supporting one another through encouraging new thoughts (Gladding, 2017), lead the jurors to finally enter the performing stage.
The Performing Stage
In the performing stage, group members become more unified and are able to truly work towards achieving the goals of the group, as well as individual goals (Gladding, 2017). In this stage, group members are more comfortable with one another and understand the best way to behave, communicate, and work with one another. Although self-disclosure begins in the norming stage, it becomes more commonplace in the performing stage, which also allows for the group to form an even better cohesiveness. Because the jurors in 12 Angry Men (Lumet & Rose, 1956) did not have the opportunity to spend more than a day together, I do not believe that they were able to experience much of the performance stage. To my recollection, only about 25% of the time the men spent together allowed for them to be in the performing stage.
It is interesting to note that using the devil’s advocate procedure, was effective in helping individual members not to automatically give in the group think when deciding on a verdict. Well into the performing stage, the leader that emerged was able to facilitate an environment where conformity and close-mindedness was not an issue. To my surprise, there were members of the group the experienced catharsis, or bottled up emotions that were finally released (Gladding, 2017), as we saw in one of the last scenes of the movie with one of the characters.
The Closing Stage
Interestingly, at the formation stage of the group in 12 Angry Men (Lumet & Rose, 1956), it appeared that everyone was looking forward to the end of their time together. No matter how long or short the duration of a group, members may leave with new thoughts, feelings, or experiences that will shape them after the group ends. According to Hackney & Cormier (2012), the close of a group is just the beginning of a new experience. As much as I believe this to be true, I also believe that the men in the movie would have benefitted greatly from having a time of processing the events with an objective outsider. Especially for those men who had past experiences that surfaced while with serving on the jury, a professional counselor would have been a great help. The group of men in the movie did not have an opportunity to have a true closing stage; however, there was a sense of closing of the group through expressing farewells as described by Gladding (2017). Even some of the men in the movie who did not initially care for one another were cordial, shook hands, or expressed appreciation for one another by the end of their time together.
Conclusions
In the 12 Angry Men (Lumet & Rose, 1956) movie, I was struck by how the group was made up of all white men. However, I quickly remembered the setting of the movie and realized that I could not have expected to see people of color or even women to have been a part of that particular jury. Although there was a lack of racial diversity, there was definitely a wide range of socio-economic statuses among the group, with some coming from very poor backgrounds and others being prominent businessmen in the community. Even with that layer of diversity, it was fairly simple to see how differences among group members bring about the storming and norming seen in the transition phase.
I do not believe that the group of men serving as jurors were able to experience all of the stages of group development. The short amount of time that the men had together did not allow for the traditional flow of stages. If I were to give each stage a percentage of time allotted for the group, I would say the forming stage was about 15% of the time, while the transition phase was about 50%. The performing stage was about 30%, while the closing was about 10% of their time together. As a counselor, I would have liked to see the members spend a little more time in the forming and transition phase to maximize their performing and closing stages.
At the close of 12 Angry Men (Lumet & Rose, 1956), one of the characters was alone and dealing with some of the memories and present feelings as a result of his interpersonal relationships within the group. To be honest, I did not expect to see the type of reaction his character displayed at the end of the movie, but it helped me to better understand why he was anxious and overbearing at times. Being able to sit and watch the movie with a counselor’s perspective gave me a better understanding of group dynamics and what types of situations could arise. I am grateful for the experience to be able to reflect upon our course readings in light of the movie.