Groups

Question 1

What is a group?

Answer 1

A group consists of two or more people who identify as belonging to the group and share a common purpose or goal and can be identified by others (outside of the group) as belonging to that group.

Question 2

What is group work (3)?

Answer 2

• A deliberate intervention used by workers to meet a range of client needs.
• Group work can provide a forum for participants to learn new skills and different ways of coping.
• It also can provide participants with a chance to meet new people and develop social and support networks.

Question 3

Purpose of different groups (8):

Answer 3

• Individual support/maintenance.
• Individual change.
• Mutual aid.
• Educational.
• Leisure groups.
• Mediation groups.
• Environmental change.
• Social change.

Question 4

Disadvantages of groups (5):

Answer 4

• Personality clashes.
• Confidentiality risks.
• Quieter members not heard.
• Dependence on others.
• No individual consideration.

Question 5

Strengths perspective:

Answer 5

Underlying philosophy that individuals have capacities, knowledge and resources that they draw on to deal with worries, concerns and problems.

Question 6

Task and Maintenance Functions in a Group (2):

Answer 6

• Task functions involve actions that move the group in the direction towards achieving the group goal.
• Maintenance functions refers to actions that meet the social, emotional and intellectual needs of members and enable the group to pursue its task and goal.

Question 7

Task function examples (7):

Answer 7

• Initiating.
• Clarifying.
• Opinion seeking.
• Diagnosing.
• Information giving.
• Summarising.
• Evaluating.

Question 8

Maintenance function examples (6):

Answer 8

• Encouraging.
• Gate-keeping.
• Expressing feelings.
• Following.
• Relieving.
• Compromising.