Quotations
Definition of a clique / social group:
 A group is a collection of individuals who interact with each other that one person’s
activities have an impact on the others (Web Books n.d.)
 Can be divided into Informal Work Groups (e.g. similar trait is to play tennis) or
Formal Work Groups (e.g. managers /subordinates etc) (Web Books n.d.)
Stages of a Social Group:
 Forming Stage: Members may already know each other or are total strangers, there
is also a level of formality and some anxiety. (e.g. still not as comfortable. And
people are trying to find common ground) (short duration) (Web Books n.d.)
 Storming Stage: members feel sufficiently safe, explore their power and influence on
each other, discussions can become more heated (Web Books n.d.)
 Norming Stage: Members are committed to reaching a goal, they are move cohesive
and corporative, establishment of ground rules, and group tends to make decisions
as a whole (Web Books Nd)
 Performing Stage: Feeling of unity as a group, tend to look towards the future
 Adjourning Stage: If groups end e.g. due to conflicts etc
Group Development Model (Web Books n.d. , retrieved 2 Feb 12)
1. (Tuckman 1965, TUCKMAN, B.W. (1965) Developmental sequence in small groups.
Psychological Bulletin, 63 (6), p. 384-399
) (http://www.brianmac.co.uk/group.htm)
Punctuated Equilibrium Model (By Eldredge and Gould 1972)
The model highlights the rapid changes / stabilities that a clique might face.
According to: http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/ON/B0/B58/079MB58.html, factors
that affect the formation / cohesion of a clique is based on:
 Similarity (the more similar group members are in terms of age, sex, education, skills,
attitudes, values, beliefs)
 Stability (The longer a group stays together, the more cohesive i.e. if you know each
other longer there will be more cohesiveness)
 Size (smaller groups are better)
 Support (e.g. counting on one other)
 Satisfaction (how please is each member with another)
(Townsend 1968)
Groups may be either formal or informal. Groups go through developmental stages much like individuals
do. The Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing-Adjourning Model is useful in prescribing stages that
groups should pay attention to as they develop. The punctuated-equilibrium model of group
development argues that groups often move forward during bursts of change after long periods without
change. Groups that are similar, stable, small, supportive, and satisfied tend to be more cohesive than
groups that are not. Cohesion can help support group performance if the group values task completion,
but too much cohesion can also be a concern for groups. Social loafing increases as groups become
larger. When collective efficacy is high, groups tend to perform better. (Web Books n.d., taken from
http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/ON/B0/B58/079MB58.html)
View book: http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=OIOcaXbeY8C&pg=PA339&lpg=PA339&dq=FActors+Affecting+Formation+of+Cliques&source=bl&ots=p
Vqfl93k4H&sig=cICwBu8HQ1Y70B6Ic0caKiJSXbo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=txEmT64pxsytB6HzkEQ&ved=0CF
gQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=FActors%20Affecting%20Formation%20of%20Cliques&f=false
(Foot H. C., Chapman A. J., Smith J. R. 1995)
McCollins, LCSC n.d.:
Factors affecting formation of groups or cliques:
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Attractiveness of group – individual’s desire (sense of satisfaction; similar to Web Books n.d.)
Means Control – benefits of individual
CARRON, A. (1980) Social Psychology of Sport. Mouvement Publications
According to Carron’s Model (1980), factors that affect the clique:
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Environmental factors (e.g. common traits / goals. Age/proximity etc)
Personal Factors (motives)
Leadership Factors (character traits)
Team Factors (interaction – eg. Sports etc)
Literature Cited:
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Carron A (1980) Social Psychology of Sport. Mouvement Publications  Caron’s Model of Factors
Affecting Cohesion
McCollins LCSC (n.d.) Group Cohesion, taken from http://www.lcsc.edu/mcollins/groupcohesion.htm
Web Books (n.d.) & Townsend (1968)  SSSSS Factors
Group Development Model  Tuckman 1965, Web Books n.d.
(All American / Non-Asian Sources)
 Research targeted at Singapore Secondary School Kids