The Gathering By Isobelle Carmody - Literature review Example

Group Processes Paper Summary of The Gathering By Isobelle Carmody The Gathering is a ical 1993 novel by renowned fantasy writer, Isobelle Carmody. Puffin Books Australia published the gathering in Australia. The novel recorded high sales in Australia and New Zealand upon its release and received the Childrens Peace Literature Award as well as being christened the Book of the Year by the Childrens Book Council of Australia in 1994. The novel covers several themes including the conflict between good and evil, conformity, human nature, individuality, cooperation and friendship. The gathering was published several years ago, but the gathering remains on e of the best novels for young adults because it covers issues that affect the contemporary society. The story revolves around a teenage boy, Nathaniel, who moves into a new neighborhood, Cheshunt. Nathaniel and his mother have been moving houses frequently since the divorce of his parents. He hates his new home because of the strong winds and the abattoir stench that is common in the area. At fifteen, Nathaniel attends Three North School. It is at the school that Nathaniel encounters major challenges, which shape up the rest of his life. The school and the entire neighborhood are overcome by evil perpetrated through conformity with the status quo. Nathaniel vows to fight evil with the aim of making the society a better place. While at the school, Nathaniel befriends Nissa, who becomes his collaborator in the teenage team, The Chain, alongside other members Lallie, Danny, Seth, and Indian. In the wider Cheshunt area, streets are run by violent gangs and feral dogs. Nathaniel and his new friends embark on a mission to uncover the dark past of Cheshunt as they confront the prevailing evil and growth of other gangs such as the gathering. Five Key Terms On Group Processes The themes of cooperation and teamwork are very prevalent in the novel. The main protagonist in the story, Mr. Karle and other characters like Buddha represent the dark side of human nature, whose focus is to inflict pain in other people. On the other hand, the main character Nathaniel and his friends represent light and peace and aim at defeating the evil propagated by the protagonists. The conflict between these two sides calls for a collaborative effort on either side in order to ensure one of them emerges as the winner in the battle. Nathaniel and his friends form a powerful team called The Chain, which fights to restore peace in Cheshunt. Nathaniel, together with other members of “The Chain” work together to overcome different challenges as they fight to defeat evil in their community. Their cooperation and teamwork portrays five different elements of group processes namely group cohesiveness, de-individuation, groupthink, social loafing, and leadership. Group cohesiveness refers to the harmonious relationship among group members. It refers to the unity, understanding and common purpose of a group. De-individuation refers to the process of one losing his or her identity and adopting the identity of the group. Groupthink refers to a process of collective decision making within a group, which puts more emphasis on the group objectives at the expense of individual responsibility. Social loafing, in relation to groups, refers to the act of people exerting less individual influence in order to achieve general goals of the group. Leadership, on the other hand, is the process of guiding, directing and influencing others within a group to adopt a certain viewpoint. Group processes in relation to Nathaniel’s group All the five group processes have been exhibited in the novel through Nathaniel’s group, The Chain. The first element, group cohesiveness is very evident in the relationship that the group members have amongst themselves. The group works in unity and harmony to achieve their objectives. Members of the group are best friends who believe that they have been brought close together by the forces of light with the main objective of fighting evil propagated by Mr. Karle and other criminal gangs in the neighborhood. Each individual in the group is aware of the role he or she ought to play and executes it efficiently. The Chain’s cohesiveness is the main factor why the group achieved success. De-individuation is very clear in the relationship among the members of The Chain. Each person within the group considers the interests of the group before taking on their own subjective goals. The five friends are able to form a strong union, which promotes group ideals at the expense of individual goals. Lallie, the group’s prophetic voice lets everybody know that the group plays divine role instructed to them by the forces of light. This requires that every group member take up responsibility for the group’s action by giving up their personal ambitions. Social loafing is also manifested in Nathaniel’s group because all the group members have given up their goals for the sake of the group objectives. Lallie, for instance, gives up his own ambitions to take up a group role by being the group’s prophetic voice. Each of the group members puts the interests of the group before their own interests. Social loafing has enabled group to have unique identity, with which every member can relate with. Social loafing is also important n helping individuals in a group to overcome some of the personal challenges by accepting the identity of the group. Nathaniel, who was very withdrawn initially, overcomes his fears and becomes a very important member of the group by taking up the group identity which requires one to be courageous. Groupthink is also one of the factors that help The Chain to achieve its objectives. The group has managed to come together as a single unit, with everybody acting on behalf of the group. The group makes its decisions collectively. Despite every person in the group playing a specific role, they all work for the benefit of the group. Lallie, for instance, facilitates the group to make a decision on accommodating Nathaniel when he first joins the group. The group continues to make collective decisions that help it to move towards achieving its objectives. Leadership is another element that is relevant for any group to achieve its objectives. Every group must have a leader who guides the group towards its goals. In the Chain, everybody is charged with their own roles and responsibilities. These roles help each individual to show their leadership in the group by influencing the other members to accept specific viewpoints. Lallie shows great leadership skills when he convinces other group members to accept Nathaniel as the final member of their group. Other sources about the group processes Leadership is very vital in any group. According to Hogg and Van Knippernberg (2012, pp. 232), leadership is not only important for a group to achieve its objectives, but also in facilitating relationships between two or more groups. Inter-group leadership presents enormous challenges in ensuring there is collaborative performance among the groups. Hogg and Van Knippernberg (2012, pp. 233) assert that most leadership theories only focus on analyzing leadership with the context of one group, but do not address the unique challenges of leadership beyond the boundaries of a group. The authors present a theory of inter-group leadership, which addresses the challenges of managing intergroup performances. The inter-group leadership theory originates from the principle that improved performance of more than two groups depends on the leader’s ability to create an inter-relational identity that all members can relate with. This identity will be fundamental in promoting intergroup ideals. Schippers (2014, pp. 73) looks at the element of social loafing and its impact on group performance. Most theorists focus on the negative impact of social loafing, but schippers takes the other direction by examining the positive effect of social loafing. According to schippers, social loafing facilitates the agreeableness and consciousness of a group. The author borrows from ideas expressed in other theories such as social compensation theory and trait activation theory to develop this conclusion. References Hogg, Michael A., Daan Van Knippenberg, And Iii, David E. Rast. "Intergroup Leadership In Organizations: Leading Across Group And Organizational Boundaries." Academy Of Management Review 37.2 (2012): 232-255. Schippers, M. C. Social Loafing Tendencies and Team Performance: The Compensating Effect of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 13(1) (2014), 62-81. Carmody, Isobelle. The Gathering. New York: Dial, 1993. Print. Read More