Thesis on "Group System Exam Questions: Rationales and Materials"

Thesis 4 pages (1176 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Group System

Exam Questions: Rationales and Materials

How does a group influence individual perception and behavior?

This question is highly pertinent to an understanding of group behavior regardless of the setting, be it a given society (or the global society) at large or a specific subset of people or group scenario within that society, be it a corporate organization, religion, or family unit. The study of psychology has done a great deal in expanding human understanding of individual behavior, and to some degree of explaining group behavior, but rather than exploring the two dynamics as separate phenomena in human behavior they must be seen as intimately linked and mutually affecting circumstances (Omran & Van Etten 2007). This understanding of group and individual behavior as twinned elements within single social systems and networks is a surprisingly new field of study given the relative age of other sociological and psychological inquiries, but is receiving increasing attention

This is one of the primary reasons that asking this question is so relevant in sociological inquiry. It implies that an understanding of both group and individual behavior is needed to understand one or the other completely, and though this might seem evident once the question has been posed it has received little scholarly scrutiny framed as such. Studies involving other primates have begun to be conducted along the same lines of inquiry, and the results of these studies seem to suggest that old models of behavior and methods of understanding group dynamics -- as well as the importance of individual behavior in shaping these dynamics -- are simply inadequate (Meunier, Leca, Deneuborg & Petit 2006). It is for this reason that the question forms an essential aspect of sociological inquiry.

Materials and Objective:

The objective in asking (and attempting to answer) this question is to better understand the dynamics of group behavior. Though the way the question is posed places the emphasis of the investigation on understanding individual behavior, it is only in a group context that individual behavior is being examined according to the parameters of the research question. It is impossible to distinguish individual from group behaviors in any sort of social network, a fact which is both implied in the question itself and borne out by empirical research (Robbins 2009). The objective of the research must, then, be to understand the way that individual behaviors are altered by group interactions, and the effects that these changes have on the individual behaviors. The alteration of behaviors in group dynamics is often shifting due to these cyclical variations, and different circumstances must also be explored in order to understand individual effects on group decision making and overall behavior (Meunier et al. 2006; Robbins 2009).

The material that could be utilized in this inquiry falls into two main categories. Direct research, as mentioned above, is scanty and still in its early stages (Omran & Van Etten 2007). There is an abundance of information on individual and group behaviors as studied separately, however, and a careful analysis of wide swath of such studies could also be utilized to come to preliminary conclusions. More importantly, such a review would point to new areas of research and inquiry and the likelihood of achieving meaningful results along certain lines of scholarly pursuit. This makes past research invaluable in advancing understanding.

2)

What is the best approach of organizing a social system?

Rationale:

The importance of asking and answering this question is fairly self-evident; the use of the qualitative assessment of "best" implies that there is a specific… READ MORE

How to Reference "Group System Exam Questions: Rationales and Materials" Thesis in a Bibliography

Related Thesis Papers:

Group Protocol for Adolescents Term Paper

Group Protocol for adolescents - addressing the occupational needs of the adolescent population

Occupational needs assessment

During the occupational assessment, a group of 12 adolescents are observed attempting to solve… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1719 words) Sources: 2 Style: APA Topic: Leadership / Mentoring

---

Meagans Law Meagan's Law Questions and Answers Essay

Meagans Law

Meagan's law

Questions and Answers: Meagan's law

Questions and Answers: Meagan's law

Interviewing children requires a unique set of skills to accurately assess but at the same time,… read more

Essay 14 pages (5402 words) Sources: 28 Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Workings of Forest Fire Management Systems and Urban Fire Departments Term Paper

Forest Fire Management Systems and Urban Fire Departments

Forest Fire Management Systems

New Technologies

Urban Fire Department

New Technologies

Descriptive Statistics

Suppression Costs for Federal Agencies. Source: National Interagency Fire… read more

Term Paper 63 pages (17324 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Management / Organizations

---

Philosophy Exam Mosca: We Hear Term Paper

Philosophy Exam

Mosca: We hear so much about equal opportunity, but what, truly, is it? I believe that equal opportunity exists in a system wherein the ruling minority must answer,… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1333 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Government / Politics

---

Standardized Coding Systems Essay

Standardized Coding Systems and Nursing Informatics

As the pace of technological progression increases at a seemingly exponential rate, with the introduction of computer mainframes in the 1980's having paved the… read more

Essay 2 pages (666 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>