Reflection on group work project – Anger management skills
[Institution’s Name]
Reflection on group work project – Anger management skills
Introduction
Group project exercise was an activity that every class member had to perform being a part of some group based on a particular cause or topic. It was aimed at enabling students to work as a team, experience certain roles as a member and learn how to plan, develop and engage a group including its dynamics. A part from being a group participant, every student also got a chance to learn something from all the other groups as the member of the class. Group topics included weight loss, single motherhood, relaxation and kids.
The basic idea behind our group was to teach anger management skills to the class particularly those who aspire to be social workers. It is very important to have a control on one’s negative feelings among which anger is the most challenging one. This stage involved vision, goals, objectives and actions. In this process, every member was assigned a particular aspect of anger management on which he had to work and come up with data/findings. The plan addressed most common causes of anger, behavioural and cognitive changes, impacts of anger on performance, and most effective ways of managing it. The targets according to the timeline were also set and determined for every participant. Objective was communicated clearly and the mechanisms to report and maintain a follow up were also elaborated. Moreover, every member was advised to keep a journal in which he could note down observations, personal reflection and effective methods for anger management.
Group beginning
We began the project by distributing the subtopics among the members and instructing them about their roles. This stage was also focused on the stimuli triggering anger in order to explore the major and potential factors of frustration, depression, aggressiveness and anger. The group was one entity as it began to act because this is the main idea of team work. Every member was supporting the other member and contributing in order to stick with the objectives and come up with successful results in time.
One way in which a group becomes cohesive is through the development of group norms. These values tend to bind every member as one entity because they all conform to them. Some norms were strictly observed, whilst others were comparatively flexible but equally important. They included,
Meet at the class time.
Begin and end in time.
Pay attention to the current speaker.
Relevancy when speaking
Avoiding inappropriate language including body language.
Showing respect and tolerance for the ideas and opinions of the other group members
Work on the goals and objectives of the group.
Not talking to a particular member separately when the rest are having a group conversation
Turning off mobile phone during group activities.
Helping others to improve by providing constructive criticism
Our group has a strong cohesion and mutual aid because we all have been studying together since years. We knew each other and were familiar with potentials of almost every member.
Group roles
The group comprised of the class mates acting together in one team. Two members played the basic roles of social worker i.e. facilitator and co-worker respectively. One of them had to perform the duty of time keeper as well for the other members to understand the concepts and ideas properly and stick to the allotted timeframes. Every member was given a chance to speak, give opinions and ideas and participate in the exercises.
Some members of the group were innovators because of their creative ability to come up with new and interesting ideas. Some were assigned the duty of implementing those ideas and finding the results. Everyone was asked to contribute and provide healthy criticism to the results because it helps to improve and refine it. A part from that, there were harmonizer as well, who strived to create a harmonious and positive team atmosphere.
Patterns of group communication
Most of the times we had open communication in which every member was allowed to contribute and chip in his share of ideas or opinions freely. Rest would listen to it carefully, comprehend, analyse the pros and cons and then come up with the alternative ideas if needed. However, during these open discussion, we maintained the group integrity and dignity by following the norms and values. Hence, the communication was smooth and was being easily acknowledged.
Ethical and value issues
In our group based on anger management skills, we did not come across any conflict concerning ethics or values of a certain member. We all were working as team, trying to understand and respect each other and help where needed. Moreover, the group norms were conformed and followed by everyone without a conflict.
However, it is important at times to be able to anticipate issues. Anticipating issues within a group, helps us to prepare for conflict resolutions. For example, it might be tempting for group members to be dishonest about their contributions or there may arise a time when a group member does not do his or her part in a timely manner. In other groups, members were given the opportunity to explore group work through such issues as single motherhood. It is important to continuously be making connections across all groups so that we get a complete awareness of the diversity of stumbling blocks that can arise within this topic. What would be some solutions to these issues? It is always better to anticipate and be prepared than to be caught by surprise.
Group power dynamics and leadership
Success in a group can never be achieved without a committed leadership. Every one of us was assigned a particular category of anger management and we were leading it for others. The power hence was shared in order to avoid conflicts and arguments. This made the overall group dynamics positive because it was based on the feeling of trust for every member. They held each other accountable for mistakes and helped in fixing them. The whole group was engaged and the power dynamics were kept stable.
Stages of group development
The stages included forming, storming, norming and performing. In the forming and storming stage, the vision and objective of the group was determined. Furthermore, in this stage group members are getting a feel for what their role will be in the group and how they will interact with each other. This is a foundational stage because if this stage is not met successfully, then the following stages will be difficult to complete. It is important that this socialization take place. Although challenges and disagreements may take place during these two stages, it is hoped that the socialization process will serve as a guide to smooth and work out any differences. In the stage of norming, the group norms and values were set for every member and members have formed a bond and know how to get along. In the performing stage, the action and execution of plan was included. Every member was advised to stick to the assigned time periods and come up with results in time.
Self-reflection
This group activity enabled me to cooperate with my class fellows and know them better in terms of their potentials and skills. The interaction brought us closer. We all had a chance to be a leader and a member at the same time to experience the dynamics of both statuses which was a great exercise. We were able to discover and learn how a teamwork can help a group achieve its goals especially when it is for a social cause. The mutual bond of trust is extensively important between all members. The project also helped us analyse how we could perform a group activity in a more effective way. However, I found that I need practice to manage the time during group sessions. This is my weak point and this exercise helped me to improve it.
I feel that by our presentation and class activities, we helped our classmates understand the terms about anger and ways to manage it effectively but we are still on our way to become good counsellors.
Working as a member of this group, I did not only learn about anger management but also were acquainted with the methods of group work. I learned about group dynamic and how to fit in with different personalities. This group exercise was a successful start of my academic life as a social worker.
