It is essential to appreciate the fact that the video gives a clear insight of how conflict and relationships within a group are expressed. One must be cognizant of the fact that the processes revolve around a series of incidences (Short & Strodtbeck, 2014). First, the individuals in the group have a face to face meetings characterized by each person sharing his/her struggles to the trained therapists. This has proven to be a very fruitful exercise because the power of this process group has been influenced by the vast number of opportunities offered. In this case, it is evident that there are some perspectives, encouragement, support and feedback from all individuals present in the video. In addition to that, the environment has been coined in a manner that feedback from all stakeholders involved is handled in a safe and confidential environment.
From the discussions present in the group, it is evident that the group is in the forming stage. Most of the team members are seen to be relatively positive and polite. On the other hand, as the discussion continues, it becomes easy to note that there are concerned members who are yet to understand what is happening in the team. There are a few who seem to be excited about the task ahead. The leader, in this case, is seen to be taking a dominant role as a means of making the team members understand what the discussion is all about including the various roles and responsibilities. Participants in the group start to understand each other as the discussions within the group intensifies hence demonstrating the manner in which there is a lot of effort that has been put in towards having a successful group discussion and therapy.
It is important to appreciate that some curative factors managed to come in during the interactions within the group. The first and most important one is the instillation of hope. Hope has been used throughout the discussion to create a feeling of optimism. Secondly, altruism is another healing factor in use. In this case, clients are likely to gain some sense and benefits that come with helping others. Socializing techniques is another curative factor that came into play. Aspects of tolerance, social development, interpersonal skills and empathy are taken to an entirely new level. All the participants also seemed to be enjoying the benefits that came with group cohesiveness (Short & Strodtbeck, 2014). Working as a group ensures that every member of the group has a sense of belonging, security, value and acceptance. In addition to that, success is likely to be realized in a relatively quicker fashion when all minds are brought together in the form of a team and embrace all aspects related to group work.
The main intragroup conflict witnessed, in this case, are that of personal values and emotional attributes. Most of the characters are entitled to their own opinions making it normal to have such differences. On the other hand, they have to be handled in a very amicable manner to come to accommodate everyone’s opinion and come to a consensus at the end of the discussion. To manage the conflict, it is important to first be open and accommodative to divergent opinions. Emotions are likely to escalate out of hand if not handled properly. The first step towards solving such a conflict is by making all participants understand the beauty of having divergent opinions. Secondly, conflict in the middle of a conversation can be solved through mutual understanding of the parties involved (Anderson, 2008).
- Anderson, J. (2008). Counseling through group process. New York: Springer.
- Psychotherapy.net (Producer). (2011a). Group therapy: A live demonstration. [Video file]. Mill Valley, CA: Author.
- Short, J., & Strodtbeck, F. (2014). Group process. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.