Using the media to foster self-help groups.

Describes a project that consisted of putting ongoing self-help groups on the radio for 1 hr a week. The 1st half hour each week involved an actual session of a self-help group; during the 2nd half hour, calls from the audience were taken and answered by members of the group. The groups were directed at helping women cope wth motherhood, at men who abused their wives or children, and at parents of children with behavior problems. Increases in referral calls to each group were found after the self-help groups went on the air. Process recordings of the shows were useful in documenting the communication patterns employed during the shows. A panel of 12 mental health professionals judged that the programs did not provide unethical, harmful, or inaccurate information. The present project provided a demonstration of how researchers can work collaboratively with media and self-help groups in monitoring change in community-level types of interventions. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social behavior of chronic schizophrenics in supervised and unsupervised work groups.

Small groups of chronic schizophrenics worked at policing a dormitory under 1 of 2 conditions of staff supervision: Maximal (active leadership) and Minimal (once the tasks were set patients were left to their own devices). Each group was composed of 5 patients. 3 groups worked under each supervisory condition. The groups were matched for age, length of hospitalization, education, and general verbal behavior of the patients. Measurements of performance and social behavior were daily over a 7-week period. The less supervised group showed signs of cohesiveness and lessened dependency on the staff member for decisions, with some indication of increased job performance. All groups showed decreased verbal interaction over time. Although the use of verbal communication was avoided whenever possible during the experimental period, the Ss showed signs of the formation of group structures and task-related roles were observed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and self-help groups: Predictions on a partnership.

Continued growth and increased legitimacy are anticipated for the American self-help group (SHG) phenomenon. Currently estimated at six and a quarter million participants annually, self-help groups will assume a central role in the nation's mental health delivery system over the next two decades. The first part of this article illuminates the self-help group phenomenon itself. Its scope, characteristics, supporting social climate, and associated research issues are reviewed. The second part is a futuristic examination of its interface with the newly industrializing world of health care. Massive increases in mental health services are predicted, especially via the SHG format. Theory development, research sophistication, changing SHG formats, a place in public policy, and acceptance into graduate curricula are also expected, as are collaborative relationships with a variety of professional disciplines. Psychologists are urged to enhance the relevance of the profession by taking an early leadership role in these developments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Make today count: A collaborative model for professionals and self-help groups.

Presents a narrative report of a field study in which members of a self-help research team provided services of significant, positive impact to one chapter of Make Today Count, a self-help group composed of cancer patients, their spouses, and health care professionals. A collaborative model is formulated. Important elements of this model include adequate knowledge of self-help processes, enhancement of rapport through acceptance of the group, and adoption of a consultive approach. Nonproductive modes on interaction observed between other professionals and chapter members are discussed. The present results are contrasted with negative results reported previously by professionals who attempted to collaborate with a similar self-help population, but who applied a different model. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social networks and psychological disability among housed and homeless users of self-help agencies

We look at the effects of psychological disability on social networks and support of homeless and non-homeless individuals. We analyze a survey of 310 long-term users of client-run mental health agencies. Psychological disability is negatively associated with network characteristics for housed individuals, but not for the homeless. There is a positive relationship between psychological distress and network size for the homeless who receive SSI while homeless individuals who do not receive SSI show a negative, non-significant association. We suggest the financial resources of SSI enable network members to become expressively involved with homeless individuals with relatively more psychological disturbance.     

Functions and dynamics of work groups.

Describes the work group as a purposeful collective effort deriving from the psychological attributes and behavioral actions of individual employees. Reasons for joining work groups include the security of shared responsibility for decisions and the opportunity to derive direct social and sensory stimulation. Although the leader may act as a catalyst who initiates movement and supervises the accomplishment of goals, the most important condition for group action is consensus. It is concluded that the effective work group is one in which (a) group size is small, (b) work activity is regarded as valuable and job satisfaction is high, (c) opportunities for creative participation and delegation of leadership are frequent, and (d) individual diversity and experimental innovation are appreciated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a measure for the study of peer self-help integrity groups.

The Social Integration Measure (SIM) was developed and tests on student integrity groups (73 Ss) at the University of Illinois. This new measure has group members rate each other and themselves on items describing behaviors that lead to satisfying interpersonal relationships and a secure sense of self-worth. Special care was taken to increase the relevance of the testing to group goals. The SIM peer ratings showed very satisfactory levels of generalizability, and SIM did not seem to produce any reactivity-of-testing effects. (1 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting voice behavior in work groups.

This field study of 441 full-time employees in 95 work groups examined voice behavior (constructive challenge to the status quo with the intent of improving the situation rather than merely criticizing) as a function of person-centered (satisfaction with the work group, global self-esteem) and situational factors (group size, self-managed vs. traditional style of management). Using a measure of voice with demonstrated construct validity, the study showed that these person and situation factors explained 10% of the variance in peer-rated voice assessed 6 mo later. Significant Person?×?Situation interactions suggested that individuals with low global self-esteem or high satisfaction with their group were more responsive to the situational factors than individuals with high global self-esteem or low satisfaction. The authors discuss the importance of including person-centered characteristics, situational factors, and their interactions as predictors of voice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer evaluation in self-managing work groups.

A series of 3 experiments with business students examined how a rater's relative performance affects peer ratings. In Study 1, with 36 groups consisting of 178 Ss, outstanding contributors were the most discriminating evaluators. In Study 2, with 39 groups consisting of 186 Ss, individuals rated their own performance as well as that of their peers. Once again, outstanding contributors were the most discriminating evaluators, and self-evaluations were higher than the respective ratings received from peers. In Study 3, with 12 groups consisting of 61 Ss, below-average and average contributors may have discounted their individual performance outcomes by making allowances for external factors that affected their contributions. Together, these studies indicate that self–other comparisons in a work group influence peer-performance evaluations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance and interactional dimensions of organizational work groups.

Perceptions of group adequacy and interaction processes by 91 members of 12 work groups in a research and development organization were factor analyzed. 6 reliable dimensions evolved which cut across several previously defined constructs and differentiated the 12 work groups from each other beyond the .01 level by analyses of variance. Of the total group phenomena variance, 33% was accounted for by a single dimension of group effectiveness in problem solving. This dimension correlated negatively with: (1) the occupational and educational level of the group, (2) the educational heterogeneity of the group, (3) group size, and (4) the level of the group in the organizational hierarchy. These findings suggest that different principles may govern traditionally organized work groups vs. ad hoc groups formed specifically for the purpose of an experiment. (21 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence of mood linkage in work groups.

Two studies investigated whether people's moods are influenced by the collective mood of their work teammates over time. In the first study, 65 community nurses in 13 teams recorded their moods and hassles daily for 3 weeks. A pooled time-series analysis showed a significant association between the nurses' moods and the collective mood of their teammates, which did not depend on shared hassles. The association was greater for nurses who were older, were more committed to their team, perceived a better team climate, or experienced fewer hassles with teammates. In Study 2, a team of 9 accountants rated their own moods and the moods of their teammates 3 times a day for 4 weeks using pocket computers. The accountants' moods and their judgments of their teammates' moods were significantly associated with the collective mood of their teammates. The findings suggest that people's mood at work can become linked to the mood of their teammates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A controlled comparison of cognitive therapy and self-help support groups in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

Thirty-four patients with irritable bowel syndrome were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: individualized cognitive treatment (CT), self-help support group (SG), or symptom monitoring waiting-list control (WL). Each of the 3 conditions lasted approximately 8 weeks. Pre- to posttreatment analyses revealed significantly greater reductions in both individual gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and in a composite index for GI symptom change for the CT condition than for the SG or WL conditions. When compared with the SG and WL conditions, the CT condition also showed significant improvement on psychological measures of depression and anxiety. At 3-month follow-up, the results for the CT condition were maintained and revealed further numerical improvements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of work groups with stable and unstable membership.

Compared 151 employees in work groups with unstable membership to 582 employees in similar groups with stable membership. Contrary predictions concerning the effects of unstable membership were derived from the R. Likert and the W. G. Bennis conceptions of organization structure. Employees in unstable work groups reported less within-group peer leadership, but more favorable organizational context. Contrary to the prediction derived from Likert's theory, there were no differences on measures of group-referrent intervening variables and end-result variables, suggesting the viability of organic-adaptive structure described by Bennis. Increased lateral linkage among work groups of unstable membership is suggested as the mechanism that appears to compensate for the decreased peer leadership evident in unstable work groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of white authoritarianism in biracial work groups.

This study attempted to determine the effect on Negro Ss of interaction with high and low authoritarian white Ss under varying degrees of forced or voluntary cooperation. Though apparently more prejudiced against low status culture groups, the authoritarian (high F scale) white was more compliant to a biracial situation than nonauthoritarian whites. Among several other findings, the authors conclude: "These results indicate that even when Negroes are given objective evidence of equal mental ability in a relatively brief interracial contact they tend to feel inadequate and to orient compliantly toward whites." From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2GD48K. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transactive memory and performance in work groups: Specificity, communication, ability differences, and work allocation.

The present study examined the effects of specificity, communication, ability differences, and work allocation, on the utilization of transactive memory in work groups. Clerical staff members (N = 36) worked individually and then with a coworker to complete a quiz covering six domains of work-related knowledge and to allocate domains of knowledge or specific quiz items in a manner that maximized group performance. Allocations were made first individually and then collaboratively. Results indicated that transactive memory facilitated group performance. Specificity (item allocations vs. domain allocations) led to more effective utilization of member knowledge, but communication did not. Group performance was higher when members differed in ability and when they allocated more work to the more proficient member. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social climate comparison of mutual help and psychotherapy groups.

Mutual help groups for the mentally ill (n?=?33) were significantly different from psychotherapy groups (n?=?25) on 9 of 10 perceived social climate dimensions from the 90-item Group Environment Scale. The mutual help members perceived that their groups had more active leaders, greater group cohesion, more structure and task-orientation, and fostered more independence. The members of psychotherapy groups perceived that their groups encouraged more expression of negative and other feelings and showed more flexibility in changing the group's activities. The present findings could be used to improve cooperation and referrals between mutual help groups and the mental health community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Importance of work versus nonwork among socially and occupationally stratified groups.

The importance of work-related versus nonwork-related factors as opportunities for satisfaction was compared among low-, medium-, and high-status groups, and between white-collar and blue-collar occupational groups by analysis of questionnaire responses from 1,468 Civil Service resident employees of a Government community. The value hierarchy, in terms of increasing importance, was recreation, education, church, work-context, and work-content factors Significant differences were found between the value systems of white-collar and blue-collar groups However, no significant differences were found between low-, medium-, and high-status groups unless the occupational group of the employee was simultaneously considered. Then, differences between white-collar and blue-collar values were marked in the high-status level. Results are discussed in terms of the opportunities that various environmental stimuli present to contrasting occupational and status groups for effective and competent interaction with their environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)