Group Dynamics
P_BGRDYNA
Minor: Social and Organisational Psychology
FGB, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2025 - 2026
J.Y.M
, Table of Contents
Introduction to Group Dynamics 3
Studying Groups, Inclusion and Identity 8
Cohesion 17
Structure and Performance 26
Decision Making & Intergroup Relations 34
Crowds and Collectives 43
,GD HC1 Introduction to Group Dynamics 07/01/2026
Goals Chapter 1 - Introduction to Groups
- You will be able to define a group
- You will be able to describe a group
- You will reflect on the importance of studying groups
- You will know what group dynamics is
Groups
According to Forsyth → group: two or more individuals who are connected by and within
social relationships.
- Couple/ Dyade = group
- Mobs, crowds, aggregation, congregation = group
- Examples: romantic, task related, kinship
- Different in nature, strength and direction.
While social networks are "group-like" in many ways, Forsyth argues that they lack a key
characteristic of a group: clear boundaries. A network is a collection of interpersonally
connected individuals, but it lacks the boundaries that define who specifically belongs to the
group and who doesn't. Networks are much more fluid in membership than groups with
clearly defined boundaries.
Members are socially connected → Not always a clear-cut distinction!
E.g.: people waiting for a train → no relationship.
E.g.: People waiting for the train and looking for a solution together → Relation.
Being in the same grouping or collection (e.g., men, ethnic, groups → categories) does not
make them a group, there should be a psychological connection.
→ Category should be psychologically meaningful.
Members are connected, linked together, these relationships are → memberships
Unlike networks, groups usually have boundaries that define who is in the group and who is
not.
- Online videogamers:
Yes, they form online groups (e-groups). These are defined as collectives of two or more
individuals who interact primarily through information technologies. They work together
towards a common goal.
- Facebook connections:
Generally, these form a social network rather than a single group. While they are
"group-like," they lack clear boundaries to define who is specifically in or out of the collective.
Membership in these networks is more fluid than in traditional groups. However, specific
subsets of people on Facebook who interact for a common purpose and have some kind of
boundary can still form an online group.
, Key Group characteristics
Despite differences, groups possess similar properties and dynamics.
1. Size: The number of people in the group, ranging from small dyads to large crowds,
which significantly influences the complexity of social ties and interaction patterns.
2. Composition: The specific qualities, skills, and personality traits of the individuals who
constitute the group, which define the nature of the whole.
3. interaction: Group members engage in an infinite variety of interpersonal actions,
which are divided into:
- Task oriented interaction: Focused on work, projects, and goals.
- Relationship oriented interaction: Socioemotional actions that sustain or
undermine emotional bonds between members.
4. Goals: Groups typically exist for a specific purpose and strive to achieve collective
results, which may include generating ideas, making decisions, or performing specific
tasks.
5. Interdependence: Members are linked by mutual dependence, meaning that the
outcomes, actions, thoughts, and feelings of one member are influenced to some
degree by the other people in the group.
- Hierarchical
- Sequential: A influences B, B influences C, B & C do not influence A
→ assembly line.
- Symmetric
6. Boundaries: The social and psychological lines that define who is a member and who
is an outsider. Groups differ in permeability: they can be open (fluid, with high
permeability) or closed (fixed, with low permeability).
7. Origin: How the group began, categorized as either:
- Planned groups (deliberately founded by members or authorities)
- Emergent groups (forming spontaneously over time).
8. Entitativity: The extent to which a group is perceived by observers as a single,
unified, and real entity rather than a loose collection of individuals.
9. Structure: The stable patterns of roles (expected behaviors), norms (implicit
standards), and intermember relations that organize the group.
10.Unity/ Cohesion: The degree of solidarity and "groupiness" of the collective,
representing the forces that bind members together into an integrated whole.
Structure - roles
Functional role theories (chap 6, p.168): Benne and Sheats (1948) identified three types of
roles: task, relationship, and individual (when concerned with personal goals).
- Task Roles, e.g.:
- Recorder: Takes notes and maintains records
- Procedural technician: Cares for operational details, such as arranging the
room, providing materials, and attending to technology
- Coordinator: Organizes the various contributions of others, showing their
relevance and relationship to the overall problem
- Relationship Roles, e.g.:
- Harmonizer: Reconciles disagreements and conflicts among group members
(often through humor)
- Group observer and commentator: Tracks the group’s processes and
provides data during the review of group’s procedures
P_BGRDYNA
Minor: Social and Organisational Psychology
FGB, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2025 - 2026
J.Y.M
, Table of Contents
Introduction to Group Dynamics 3
Studying Groups, Inclusion and Identity 8
Cohesion 17
Structure and Performance 26
Decision Making & Intergroup Relations 34
Crowds and Collectives 43
,GD HC1 Introduction to Group Dynamics 07/01/2026
Goals Chapter 1 - Introduction to Groups
- You will be able to define a group
- You will be able to describe a group
- You will reflect on the importance of studying groups
- You will know what group dynamics is
Groups
According to Forsyth → group: two or more individuals who are connected by and within
social relationships.
- Couple/ Dyade = group
- Mobs, crowds, aggregation, congregation = group
- Examples: romantic, task related, kinship
- Different in nature, strength and direction.
While social networks are "group-like" in many ways, Forsyth argues that they lack a key
characteristic of a group: clear boundaries. A network is a collection of interpersonally
connected individuals, but it lacks the boundaries that define who specifically belongs to the
group and who doesn't. Networks are much more fluid in membership than groups with
clearly defined boundaries.
Members are socially connected → Not always a clear-cut distinction!
E.g.: people waiting for a train → no relationship.
E.g.: People waiting for the train and looking for a solution together → Relation.
Being in the same grouping or collection (e.g., men, ethnic, groups → categories) does not
make them a group, there should be a psychological connection.
→ Category should be psychologically meaningful.
Members are connected, linked together, these relationships are → memberships
Unlike networks, groups usually have boundaries that define who is in the group and who is
not.
- Online videogamers:
Yes, they form online groups (e-groups). These are defined as collectives of two or more
individuals who interact primarily through information technologies. They work together
towards a common goal.
- Facebook connections:
Generally, these form a social network rather than a single group. While they are
"group-like," they lack clear boundaries to define who is specifically in or out of the collective.
Membership in these networks is more fluid than in traditional groups. However, specific
subsets of people on Facebook who interact for a common purpose and have some kind of
boundary can still form an online group.
, Key Group characteristics
Despite differences, groups possess similar properties and dynamics.
1. Size: The number of people in the group, ranging from small dyads to large crowds,
which significantly influences the complexity of social ties and interaction patterns.
2. Composition: The specific qualities, skills, and personality traits of the individuals who
constitute the group, which define the nature of the whole.
3. interaction: Group members engage in an infinite variety of interpersonal actions,
which are divided into:
- Task oriented interaction: Focused on work, projects, and goals.
- Relationship oriented interaction: Socioemotional actions that sustain or
undermine emotional bonds between members.
4. Goals: Groups typically exist for a specific purpose and strive to achieve collective
results, which may include generating ideas, making decisions, or performing specific
tasks.
5. Interdependence: Members are linked by mutual dependence, meaning that the
outcomes, actions, thoughts, and feelings of one member are influenced to some
degree by the other people in the group.
- Hierarchical
- Sequential: A influences B, B influences C, B & C do not influence A
→ assembly line.
- Symmetric
6. Boundaries: The social and psychological lines that define who is a member and who
is an outsider. Groups differ in permeability: they can be open (fluid, with high
permeability) or closed (fixed, with low permeability).
7. Origin: How the group began, categorized as either:
- Planned groups (deliberately founded by members or authorities)
- Emergent groups (forming spontaneously over time).
8. Entitativity: The extent to which a group is perceived by observers as a single,
unified, and real entity rather than a loose collection of individuals.
9. Structure: The stable patterns of roles (expected behaviors), norms (implicit
standards), and intermember relations that organize the group.
10.Unity/ Cohesion: The degree of solidarity and "groupiness" of the collective,
representing the forces that bind members together into an integrated whole.
Structure - roles
Functional role theories (chap 6, p.168): Benne and Sheats (1948) identified three types of
roles: task, relationship, and individual (when concerned with personal goals).
- Task Roles, e.g.:
- Recorder: Takes notes and maintains records
- Procedural technician: Cares for operational details, such as arranging the
room, providing materials, and attending to technology
- Coordinator: Organizes the various contributions of others, showing their
relevance and relationship to the overall problem
- Relationship Roles, e.g.:
- Harmonizer: Reconciles disagreements and conflicts among group members
(often through humor)
- Group observer and commentator: Tracks the group’s processes and
provides data during the review of group’s procedures
