Group counseling strategies and skills 8th edition

Jeanette Penton

week 7

COLLAPSE

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Jacobs, Schimmel, Masson, and Harvil (2016) listed 13 common problems that may cause conflict within groups ranging from the chronic talker, to the negative member, dealing with silence, etc. just to name a few. The chronic talker is one problem that I think may be one of the more common occurring problems that effects the entire group. Jacobs et al. explain that it is not hard to figure out who is a chronic talker. What can happen is that other members may have concerns or issues that they wish to discuss but due to the chronic talker, they are prevented from the opportunity to do so (Jacobs, et al., 2016). As a result, the members end up tuning out this person or they end up losing interest and get frustrated and mad at the chronic talker and possibly even the group leader as well (Jacobs, et al., 2016). This is problematic as, “when people express their anger, it redefines the situation, changing it from a cooperative one into one of conflict” and anger can become a contagious emotion in a group (Forsyth, 2019, p. 429).

Forsyth (2019) points out that many times, conflicts are built off of misunderstandings. This may be the case with other group members and the over talker as far as misunderstanding why they are over talking to begin with. Jacobs et al. explains that the chronic talker can fall into three categories: the rambler, the nervous member, or the show off. The nervous member many times is the first to answer the leader’s questions, and the first person to volunteer for tasks (Jacobs, et al., 2016). They further explain that this is done as a means to alleviate anxiety. The rambling person tends to dominate the conversations and is not aware of how their rambling is effecting other group members (Jacobs, et al., 2016). This member often repeats himself or herself and tells stories that are long and drawn-out and they are many times not meaningful to the group (Jacobs, et al., 2016). The show-off member wants to impress the group, which is a result of their insecurities (Jacobs, et al., 2016). They will answer every question and give unwanted advice to group members, which translates to other group members disliking him or her (Jacobs, et al., 2016). The show-off member can quickly move the group from the group’s intended purpose (Jacobs, et al., 2016). The show off person could very well translate into a competition versus cooperation scenario as presented in Forsyth’s text.

References

Forsyth, D. R. (2019). Group dynamics (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.

Jacobs, E. E., Schimmel, C. J., Masson, R. L., & Harvill, R. L. (2016). Group counseling: Strategies and skills (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage. ISBN: 9781305087309.

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