Social Group Analysis

Encountering group work is part of everyone’s life, family, employment, and social settings. As social work students, we are trained in human behavior. Taflinger (1996) describes self-preservation in humans as essential and multifaceted. Groups are reciprocal; when group members work together it promotes group survival which is essentially personal survival. This paper aspires to address the group process and identify several types of groups. This paper will explain the dynamics of being a group facilitator as well as members of a group, along with an interpersonal reflection of the group experience.
Our family of origin (FoO) is recognized as our first social group we belonged to. FoO and the order of birth influences our values, behaviors and beliefs. The family group teaches us how to communicate, for good or bad. FoO helps to develop a sense of identity and sense of self. The family shapes how we deal with emotions and feelings as we try to get our need met (Taylor, 2008). Ultimately, the birth order and our first social group influences who we
The loss of my dad sparked an overwhelming feeling to be with others who have experienced loss. The grief group was co-facilitated by Wendy who is a nurse facilitator and Barb who is a social worker. The groups are bi-weekly and are 1½ hour in length with about 10-12 actively attending members. Attending this support group was tremendously challenging and sometimes still is. Wendy and Barb were extremely welcoming to new members. At every meeting, each member takes a turn introducing themselves shares who they have lost. Next, we watch a video series called Understanding Grief, by Bill Webster. The video series discusses a particular topic such as anger, loneliness, guilt and adjustment. which are used to generate group conversation for the remainder of the time. This is the format for each meeting, which is comforting to know the