Interpersonal Processes in Groups and Organizations

Table of Contents

Acknowledgment

Foreword

1. A Social Psychological Approach to Interpersonal Behavior

• Why Interpersonal Processes are Important: The Case of Police Corruption
• Applying Knowledge of Interpersonal Processes
• Assumptions About People
  • Views of Reality
  • Motives
  • Values
  • Summary

2. The Human Environment

• The Presence of Others
  • Attributions and Emotions
  • Attribution Theory
  • Attributions and Self-Confidence
  • Some Attributional Traps
• Social Comparison
• The Group
  • Impact of the Group: Membership and Reference Groups
• Friends, Allies, and Enemies
• The Group Image
• Functions of Groups
  • The Informational Function
  • The Interpersonal Function
  • The Material Function
• The Group as Motivator
  • Individual Motives
  • Group Goals: Rationales and Objectives
    • Interpersonal Bargaining
    • Group Experiences
    • Group Resources
• Effectiveness of Group Goals
  • Group Activity
  • Individual Behavior
• Summary
• A Note on the Organization as a Group

3. Interpersonal Communication

• Values and Communication
• The Communication Process
• Information Exchange: From Fact to Fiction
• The Rewards of Poor Communication
• Communication in the Service of Interpersonal Concerns
  • Assessing Others
  • Persuasion
  • Power
  • Self (and Other) Presentation
  • Teamwork
• Communication as Cause and Effect
  • The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
  • Spirals
  • Paradox
• Summary

4. Norms and Roles

• Why Norms Emerge in Groups
• The Content of Norms
  • Norms Concerning What Is "Real" or True: Private Beliefs
  • Norms Concerning What One Should Say: Interpersonal Communication
  • Norms Concerning What One Should Do: Action
• Roles
  • Role Strain
  • Role Conflict
• Social Pressure
• Deviating from Norms
• Changing Norms
• Summary

5. Theories of Interpersonal Processes

• Social Exchange Theory
  • Assumptions of Social Exchange theory
  • Power of Interactions
  • Usable Power
    • The Distribution of Relative Outcomes
    • Information
    • Sequence
    • The Comparison Level for Alternatives
  • Applications and Limitations of Social Exchange Theory
    • Are People Rational?
    • What Is a Positive Outcome?
    • Do People Make Decisions?
• Equity Theory
  • Assumptions of Equity Theory
  • Recognizing, Maintaining, and Restoring Equity
  • Applications and Limitations of Equity Theory
    • Exploitive Relationships
    • Benevolent Relationships
    • Who Feels Inequity?
• Dissonance Theory
  • Assumptions and Propositions of Dissonance Theory
  • Applications and Limitations of Dissonance Theory
    • Lower Incentive, Higher Dissonance
    • Lower Threat, Higher Dissonance
    • Greater Personal Responsibility, Higher Dissonance
    • Higher Negative Consequences, Higher Dissonance
• Commitment Theory
  • Assumptions of Commitment Theory
  • Application and Limitations of Commitment Theory
    • Dealing with the Implications of Behavior
• Summary

6. Social Influence

• The Mechanisms of Social Influence
• What is Changed?
• Obtaining Compliance
  • Compliance due to Explicit Social Pressure
  • Compliance due to External Threat to the Group
  • Compliance To Be Liked
  • Compliance due to Work Interdependence
  • Compliance to Reduce Uncertainty
  • Importance of the Issues Involved
  • Clarity of Expectations
• Compliance as a Commitment
  • The Foot-in-the Door Technique
  • Interpersonal Interaction
• Obtaining Private Attitude Change
  • Attitude Change To Be like Respected Others
  • Attitude Change To Be like Liked Others
  • Attitude Change To Reduce Uncertainty
• From Attitude Change to Behavior Change
• Attitude Change, Behavior Change, and Freedom
• Summary

7. Interpersonal Attraction

• Causes of Interpersonal Attraction
  • Characteristics of Others and the Decision to Interact
  • Exposure and Propinquity in the Development of Interpersonal Attraction
  • The "Nice Guy" and Development of the Relationship
• Effort, Sacrifice, and Commitment to the Relationship
  • Fulfilling Personal Needs
• Consequences of Attraction in Groups
  • Membership in the Group
  • Participation
  • Social Influence
  • Self-Esteem
• Summary

8. Aggression and Conflict

• Aggression
  • Instinct Theories
  • Situational theories
  • Cognitive Theories
    • Attitudes and Emotions
    • Aggression To Restore Equity
    • Disinhibition and Justification
    • Coercion
• Conflict
  • Mixed Motives
  • Strategies
    • Strategy 1: Know Thine Enemy
    • Strategy 2: Talking It Out
    • Strategy 3: Threats and Coercion
    • Strategy 4: Gaining Relative Power
  • Solutions
    • Cooperation and Competition
    • Standoffs, Capitulation, and Escalation
    • Compromise and Creative Solutions
• Summary

9. Group Problem Solving

• The Nature of the Problem
  • Simple Tasks
  • Multiple Part Tasks
  • Multiple Stage Tasks
  • Decisions
  • Real, Complex Problems
• Interpersonal Processes in Group Problem Solving
  • Conformity
  • Commitment to the Group and to Group Goals
  • Attraction
  • The Easy Way Out
  • Situational Factors
• The Value of Problem Solving in Groups
• Improving the Productivity of Groups
  • Establishing a Role as Leader
  • Defining a Solvable Problem
  • Making Progress
  • Helping a Group Deal with Conflict
• Summary

References

Author Index

Subject Index