PROBLEM BEHAVIORS IN GROUPS

PROBLEM BEHAVIORS IN GROUPS Reference: Cole, Ch.2

What We Already Know Individual roles: • Use group to serve individual needs • Interfere with group productivity and cohesiveness

Individual Roles • Aggressor – Disapproves of others, attacks group or group task • Blocker – Negative, resistant, side-tracks group with irrelevant issues • Recognition seeker – Looks for constant attention • Self-confessor – Uses group as audience • Playboy – Jokes, displays lack of caring

Individual Roles, cont. • Dominator – Monopolizes, interrupts, sees every discussion in terms of self • Help-seeker – Looks for sympathy, unreasonably insecure, help-rejecting complainer • Special interest pleader – Uses group to sell his/her ideology (political, religious, or social agenda)

When problem is occurring, Ask yourself: • When is it a problem? • To whom is it a problem? • Why is the problem occurring?

Why Individual Behaviors Occur • Members have inadequate group skills • Members don’t understand how groups should work in therapy • Members have low morale • Leader does not set therapeutic norms • Group has low level of maturity • Group task is inappropriate • Members have personality disorders

Strategies for the Group Therapist • Develop an understanding of the member with the problem behavior • Ask yourself, “What does this person really need?” • Ask yourself, “What does the group need?” • Take measures to preserve the group integrity

Problem Behaviors • The silent member • The dominating member • The angry or distressed member • Disruptive or bizarre behavior • The silent group • The apathetic group • A group in conflict

Example: Monopolist • Harry came into the group angry. He refused to listen to the purpose of the group or to participate in the activity. “I’m not going to draw like I’m in kindergarten. Excuse me, but you girls don’t know anything about alcohol abuse. When I was in county hospital, they had me doing paintings & sculptures and what-all. It never did anything for me…” Five other members listened to this outburst in silence. They had heard Harry’s routine before

Monopolist: What to Do? • What does Harry need? • Control the group • Maintain leader/group attention • Avoid his own hurtful issues • Gain respect • What does the group need? • Get Harry to be quiet • Let Harry continue, so that they won’t have to reveal or discuss their own hurtful issues • How can leader intervene to avoid establishing a non-therapeutic norm?

Monopolist, What to Do, cont. • Harry is playing the role of an aggressor, devaluing the group and its leaders • Best strategy: Ask group “Why are you allowing Harry to monopolize your group?” • Ask specific members, “Why are you silent? What are you thinking?” • Encourage members to give Harry feedback by completing the sentence, “When you speak like that it makes me feel ____________” • If the group can be helped to express its frustration with Harry, then Harry might learn to control the behaviors that elicit negative feelings from others

Problem Behaviors • Monopolist • The silent member • The boring member • Help-Rejecting Complainer • The Self Righteous Moralist (SRM) • Psychotic member • Characterologically difficult members • Schizoid • Narcissistic • Borderline From Cole, M. Group dynamics in occupational therapy instructor's manual. Online document, http://www.efacultylounge.com, based on Cole, M. (2004). Group dynamics in occupational therapy, Third edition. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated.

Monopolist, characteristics • Anxious with silence • Responds to everyone’s comments • Decreased ability to empathize with others • Unaware of impact on others • Discusses tangential issues in irrelevant detail • May assume the role of interrogator • May tearfully describe his or her own crisis

The Silent Member • Dreads self-disclosure • Perfectionistic • Fears failure • Dreads being center of attention • May be conflicted about aggression • Maintains control thru silence • May be avoiding display of feelings • May feel incapable of expressing self in ways other group members have done • What are your reasons for being silent?

Silent Member: Therapeutic Interventions • Comment on non-verbal behaviors • Ask process questions like: “What is the ideal question that I could ask you today to get you involved in therapy?” • Help member learn about self thru his or her behaviors • Get member to explain why it is so hard for him or her to speak in group

The Boring Member • Massively inhibited • Lacks spontaneity • “Safe” – Does not take risks • Agrees with majority • Could be dependent, silent (not aware of feelings) • May have a core dependent self and dread rejection/abandonment

Therapeutic Interventions • If you as leader are bored by this person, so is the group • Group tolerates this behavior better than other problem behaviors, because it seldom disrupts the group • Use self as data to give member feedback • Replace boredom with curiosity • Ask “How can I find the real, dynamic person behind this boring shell?” • Inquire gradually over several sessions, encourage other members to do the same

Help-Rejecting Complainer • Variant of the monopolist • Seeks therapist attention • Implicitly or explicitly asks for help, then rejects it • Problems sound impossible to solve and takes pride in this • May belittle problems of others • Usually blames others for own problems • Highly conflicted about dependency • Mistrusts authority

HRC: Vicious Cycle

HRC: Therapeutic Interventions • Do not express your anger and frustration. Why? • Use empathy and self disclosure about hopelessness of situation • Do not continue to offer help • Give support for HRC to choose to accept or reject help • Use feedback only when trust is established

Self Righteous Moralist (SRM) • Invokes guilt and blame • Blames and judges other members • Doesn’t care about being liked • Usually appears self assured and calm • Will not admit to being wrong • Feels shame on deeper level • Creates maladaptive cycle, similar to HRC

SRM: Therapeutic Interventions • Get group to give SRM feedback on how behavior makes them feel • Discuss consequences of behavior on relationships with others • Use empathy to develop trust • Look at pattern of behavior outside group and consequences for SRM • Don’t tell him he’s right. Why?

Psychotic Member • Persons who are psychotic should not be included in a group • If member becomes psychotic, he or she is unable to benefit from group treatment, according to Yalom • Irrational and illogical members take up vast amounts of group energy, and may bring group process to a stop • Such members should be removed from the group until their psychosis comes under control

Summary • Use interpersonal learning as guide • Therapist judgment as to how much feedback members are ready to accept • Use group feedback to facilitate self understanding • Always protect integrity of group first

PROBLEM BEHAVIORS IN GROUPS