Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Group Process - Essay Example

Reflective Report on Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Group Process Name Institution Course Date Reflective Report on Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Group Process Introduction Various group discussion sessions were held by the classroom in the course of the semester. Our group had nine members who included Anela Avdic, Rachael Campion, Amanda Hill, Su Hanfling, Sarah Kallon, Linda Lesing, Tamara Muzicants, Martin Roberts and Jane Tadrist. Over the first six session of discussion, various group dynamics were noted. The dynamics can be used to discover personality types based on what individuals feel about themselves and based on what the group feels about them. This paper shall present a reflective report on the first six sessions of the group discussions held. The behaviour of the group shall be analyzed together with the impact of the group on me. The report shall also include a reflection of my profile in the group as well as showing whether there are any resemblances between my behaviour in the group and how a client would behave during a counseling session. Over the first six sessions, I noted progressive changes in the group dynamics and behaviour. The first session mainly involved introduction of people and there was a general feeling of insecurity among all members of the group. I expected this to happen to most people since we were having a group discussion for the first time. However, I did not expect us to have a feedback session on how we behaved during the meeting. The session provided an opportunity for members to feel secure and also provided a challenge for us to be more open in the next meeting. This session was very important for our subsequent meetings since members of the group became freer to express their views in the next meetings. Personally I knew members would be free with each other over time. However, I thought it would take some more time or more sessions before members could be very open to exchange their different views in an argumentative manner. The session that witnessed a serious argument between Sarah Kallon and Jane Tadrist surprised not only me but also other members of the group because there was a lot of caution after the argument. The long silence showed some awkwardness of the situation. Deep inside, I felt the argument was welcome in the group set up because it showed the differences in opinion. What was more disturbing, and what turned out to be the reality was that the group did not expect such a situation to occur at such an early stage of our group meetings. Members still felt insecure and they could not even interrupt anyone who was speaking. In fact, it took so long for the group to open up on the issue of interrupting a conversation. From what I had seen in some group members, like Sarah and Jane, I thought not everyone would hold back their views when they felt the need to interrupt a speaker. My view on Sarah’s outgoing nature turned out to be right because she was the one who asked for clarification on whether there was a rule limiting one from expressing their views whenever there was an issue. The development of the group was progressive in the course of our meetings and as we held more and more sessions. During meetings, the group felt more comfortable after learning about each other. For instance, whenever someone expressed their feelings or their emotions, the group would be touched based on what the emotions brought to people. I was not surprised by this from the group members because I was personally touched whenever someone spoke about what they are going through. I felt the need to help and expected that as a group, we had to help each other. My feelings were shared by other group members because after such sessions, we felt a greater bond than what existed before. The emotions we shared as a group really brought us together and we showed various ways of care to each other. I was particularly moved by Rachel’s story and really wished there was more that I could do to help her. I have always known that in a group set up, there are people with different feelings and not everyone can be moved by an emotional story. Rachael’s case proved me wrong on this one; or perhaps it was a coincidence that every member of our group was so moved by her story. In fact, one of the times when the group felt less comfortable was when there was a lack of togetherness in the group. This was evident when the facilitator wanted us to discuss about Rachael’s situation in her absence. This raised many questions and created an unusual silence in the team. It was one of the times when the whole group would go silent with everyone probably still reflecting on her story. By the sixth session, the group had demonstrated various dynamics and one thing was clear to me: the group was relatively energetic. We had individuals who would let out their feelings with no fear while we had some who would hold back their feelings. Personally, I could not imagine a situation where I let out my feelings to the group. But I felt good listening to others’ feelings. Before we began our first session, I knew that in every group, there were different people and this meant different opinions and different group dynamics. I expected that the group would help me in understanding group dynamics and group interactions. I also expected to be feeling freer with fellow group members. My expectations were fulfilled in part. One, I was able to understand and to confirm that groups had various dynamics because of the various group members. On a personal level, I felt closer to the group whenever other people were talking and expressing their views and emotions. I also felt closer when someone came to me and asked a question. This was the time when I would be at the time of my involvement because I would feel good answering their questions. Most times, I would feel good to sit back and watch as others ran the show. This constituted the times when I felt most distant from the group. Whenever someone insisted that I must say something, I felt most uncomfortable and did not enjoy the session. This did not surprise me since I have always been the quiet type. The group session only confirmed to me that I still had the quiet personality. Another thing that I confirmed from the group sessions is that groups have various dynamics. What I dint know was that despite the differences among group members, there are times when we can all have similar feelings and be together in one voice. Such times were witnessed whenever a group member expressed moving emotions. Overall, I had a low profile in the group, just as I expected and have always liked to keep a low profile. The group members also felt I liked to stay quiet and keep it low because at one point, a group member, Martins, raised concerns on the minimal participation shown by some members of the group, including myself. What the group did not realize about me is that I am the helper type two (Riso and Hudson, 2003). I have always been moved by emotions and like to connect with people in a heartfelt way. Whenever I am quiet, I like to take interest in other people and given the chance, I would like to help them out in case my help is needed. Thinking of it deeply, I also realize that I could be having some feeling of rejection. When I look back at my behaviour in the group, I see some resemblance between my behaviour and how a client would behave during counseling. One such resemblance is in the way some clients would not be free to express their views unless they were asked leading questions (Schedin, 2005: pp. 59). This would be the only time they open up. Additionally, the group behaviour also shows the ways in which clients may behave. While some clients will be willing to express their feelings and emotions, some would hold back and not share. I have always known that whenever a client goes for counseling, it is their responsibility to speak out their issues because they went there for help. This unit has made it clear to me that it is not always the case. There are instances when one has to dig deep into the client before they can understand what they are going through. Conclusion The discussion was a nice interactive session between members. It provided a fair session for all to express their views. However, this was not exploited by all members since there are some members who are not free to share their views with others. By and large, the relationship between members always gets better the more they know about each other and the more they get together. In essence, I have learnt that more and more counseling sessions can be used by counselors and their clients so as to understand them better and to be free to open up before they can be guided through the counseling session. List of References Riso, R. and Hudson, R., 2003, Discovering Your Personality Type: The Essential Introduction to the Enneagram, Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Schedin, G., 2005, ‘Interpersonal Behaviour in Counseling: Client and Counselor Expectations and Experiences related to Their Evaluation of Session,’ International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 57-69. Read More

The long silence showed some awkwardness of the situation. Deep inside, I felt the argument was welcome in the group set up because it showed the differences in opinion. What was more disturbing, and what turned out to be the reality was that the group did not expect such a situation to occur at such an early stage of our group meetings. Members still felt insecure and they could not even interrupt anyone who was speaking. In fact, it took so long for the group to open up on the issue of interrupting a conversation.

From what I had seen in some group members, like Sarah and Jane, I thought not everyone would hold back their views when they felt the need to interrupt a speaker. My view on Sarah’s outgoing nature turned out to be right because she was the one who asked for clarification on whether there was a rule limiting one from expressing their views whenever there was an issue. The development of the group was progressive in the course of our meetings and as we held more and more sessions. During meetings, the group felt more comfortable after learning about each other.

For instance, whenever someone expressed their feelings or their emotions, the group would be touched based on what the emotions brought to people. I was not surprised by this from the group members because I was personally touched whenever someone spoke about what they are going through. I felt the need to help and expected that as a group, we had to help each other. My feelings were shared by other group members because after such sessions, we felt a greater bond than what existed before. The emotions we shared as a group really brought us together and we showed various ways of care to each other.

I was particularly moved by Rachel’s story and really wished there was more that I could do to help her. I have always known that in a group set up, there are people with different feelings and not everyone can be moved by an emotional story. Rachael’s case proved me wrong on this one; or perhaps it was a coincidence that every member of our group was so moved by her story. In fact, one of the times when the group felt less comfortable was when there was a lack of togetherness in the group.

This was evident when the facilitator wanted us to discuss about Rachael’s situation in her absence. This raised many questions and created an unusual silence in the team. It was one of the times when the whole group would go silent with everyone probably still reflecting on her story. By the sixth session, the group had demonstrated various dynamics and one thing was clear to me: the group was relatively energetic. We had individuals who would let out their feelings with no fear while we had some who would hold back their feelings.

Personally, I could not imagine a situation where I let out my feelings to the group. But I felt good listening to others’ feelings. Before we began our first session, I knew that in every group, there were different people and this meant different opinions and different group dynamics. I expected that the group would help me in understanding group dynamics and group interactions. I also expected to be feeling freer with fellow group members. My expectations were fulfilled in part. One, I was able to understand and to confirm that groups had various dynamics because of the various group members.

On a personal level, I felt closer to the group whenever other people were talking and expressing their views and emotions. I also felt closer when someone came to me and asked a question. This was the time when I would be at the time of my involvement because I would feel good answering their questions. Most times, I would feel good to sit back and watch as others ran the show. This constituted the times when I felt most distant from the group. Whenever someone insisted that I must say something, I felt most uncomfortable and did not enjoy the session.

This did not surprise me since I have always been the quiet type. The group session only confirmed to me that I still had the quiet personality.

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