Group Cohesiveness



Group Cohesiveness

Group Cohesiveness

It is defined as the resultant of forces that act on the members to stay in the group. It is to provide bonding that holds the whole group together. The group cohesion has many benefits such as the level of communication between the members of a group is very extensive, the members of the group develop positive interactions with each other which cause the group to act as one. Higher level of group cohesiveness also results in better achievement of the goals of the group and it also increases the level of satisfaction in the group which results in the willingness of the members to stay in the group for longer period (www.pitt.edu).

Therapeutic Significance of Group Cohesiveness

It has been observed that the members of a group obtain more from one another than from the therapy provider. The skills of the therapy provider create an atmosphere that is conducive for benefitting exchange among the members of the group. However, the interaction between the members of the group results in maximizing the opportunities to change. The mechanism that causes change in the group therapy is referred as curative factors or therapeutic factors (Erdman, 2009). The various therapeutic factors are as:

Universality

It is the realization that the problems and concerns of a person are neither rare nor unique. The others also experience the same problems and concerns. This realization causes cognitive modifications and affective results. The discovery that a person is not alone and different can result in a great sense of relief and also minimizes the catastrophize of illness or disability (Erdman, 2009).

Instillation of Hope

Before the group meetings, the clinician delivers the belief that group cohesiveness will reduce the adjustment difficulties and communication problems. Hope plays a very important role in encouraging the members and engaging them in ...