The Importance Of Group Interaction

701 Words2 Pages

Interactions among human beings can be complex. From a simple nod of the head to an elaborate and sophisticated written document, information is sent and received. In most instances, there is an outward appearance that the communication was sent and received as intended and the parties involved leave the exchange with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. But is this accurate?
There is a huge gap between the thoughts and expressions of one individual and the interpretation of another. Many factors are involved. Did the receiver effectively communicate what was intended? Were the words used precise? Did the facial expressions, tone of voice and body language accurately support the intended message? Did the receiver interpret …show more content…

The needs of each individual in a group are different. For example, one individual may be satisfied simply by accomplishing a task with no particular need for personal validation while another may need to be the focal point of the validation. In each group interaction people take on various roles; there’s a leader, a person of power, a person who’s the most knowledgeable, someone who has a more amenable disposition and those in the group who are more assertive than the other members. How each person views there role and the role of others is filtered through a personal lens that is developed from a history of experiences and habitual thinking. The combination of personal views and the meeting of personal needs mixed with varying factors involved in communication styles create a multitude of …show more content…

Primary groups are defined as groups that are more personal and tend to meet emotional needs such as family and intimate friends. Secondary groups are those that are focused on particular goals such as teammates and coworkers and, reference groups are those that we associate with a particular ideology or interest such a membership in clubs or organizations. In any type of group, if taken at face value, the interaction is simplistic; co-workers focus on accomplishing tasks, family members focus on meeting emotional needs and membership in a group satisfies ideological needs.
In reality, emotional, ideological and accomplishment needs don’t have defined boundaries. Religious and political views can put distance between family members and lead to the break-up of romantic relationships. Emotional needs may supersede the accomplishment of tasks at work and create confused dynamics between coworkers and employers thus hindering

Open Document