Social Interdependence Theory
(Johnson, D. & Johnson, R.. (2002). Cooperative learning and social
interdependence theory. Theory and Research on Small Groups. Social
Psychological Applications to Social Issues. (4) pp. 9-35)
• “Social interdependence exists when individuals share
common goals and each individual’s outcomes are
affected by the actions of others
(Deutsch, 1949, 1962; Johnson & Johnson, 1989 in
Johnson & Johnson, 2002. p. 4)
Table 1. Social Interdependence Theory (Johnson & Johnson, 2011. p5.)
Process
Cooperative
Competitive
Individualistic
Interdependence
Positive
Negative
None
Interaction Pattern
Promotive
Oppositional
None
Outcome 1
High effort to
achieve
Low effort to
achieve
Low effort to
achieve
Outcome 2
Positive
relationships
Negative
relationships
No relationships
Outcome 3
Psychological
health
Psychological illness Psychological
pathology
Group members promote each other’s success by (Johnson & Johnson, 1989):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Giving & receiving help
Exchanging resources & information
Giving & receiving feedback
Challenging each other’s reasoning
Advocating increased efforts to achieve
Mutually influencing each other’s reasoning & behavior
Engaging in the interpersonal & small-group skills for
effective teamwork
• Processing group members effectiveness for the whole
group’s improvement
What is Sustainability?
• One – common approach:
Brundtlund Commission Report, Our Common
Future (1987)
“Sustainable Development is development
that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.”
Hart, 2000
The Menominee Nation:
Fig. 1 (below) Six dimensions of sustainable development
in the College of Menominee Nation Sustainable
Development Institute’s Model.
Menominee Autochthony (their profound sense of place
and tie to the land) would occupy the center of the model
and represent the Menominee cultural value that has
allowed them to balance the tensions among the six
model dimensions. Other communities using the model
can identify their own cultural values that would allow
them to balance the tensions among model elements
(CMN c. 1999)
(Dockry, Hall, Van Lopik, & Caldwell. 2016. Sustainability Science 11: 127-138)
What is Sustainability?
Key Components of Sustainability
Education
•
•
•
•
Project-Based
Community-Based (Community Engagement)
Collaborative and Cooperative work
Real (actual) study site w/ real consequences