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Stages of group development – a PCP approach.

Frances, M.

Keywords:
groups, group development, facilitation

Abstract:
Groups and their members can be seen as experiencing a ‘life cycle’, characterised by a sequence of developmental stages. Life cycle models typically present these stages as phenomena of group experience. This paper experiments with the application of Personal Construct Psychology to phases of group development, describing these as processes of construing and elaboration made more vivid by the intense ‘laboratory’ of the group. The group context serves to highlight the experimental nature of our actions, and the analysis of group interaction reveals some recognisable patterns of behaviour as groups develop. A potential 4-stage model using personal construct theory is described, and implications for group facilitators are explored at each stage.