The formation of groups: Worchel’s cyclical model

The groups to which we belong are a key aspect since we integrate them, to a greater or lesser extent, as part of our identity. All of us belong to various social groups (friends, family, work…). In this sense, A group is defined as a set of people who share a role, an activity, an objective or any aspect that unites them. Thus, an issue with which social psychology has been deeply concerned is the formation of groups.

The study of the groups has been one of the fields that has aroused the most interest inside and outside of psychology, especially because of the enormous potential that the discoveries made in this field usually have. Knowing how their influence mechanisms work – between groups, from the group to the individual and from the individual to the group – helps us to a large extent explain many of our behaviors.

The formation of groups and their maintenance have been studied from many points of view. One of the most interesting and complete models that explain this process is “Worchel’s cyclic model.”. This model offers added value to the others, and is the contemplation of the stages of the groups as something cyclical, not linear.

Characteristics of Worchel’s cyclic model

It is a cyclical, non-linear model. This idea is based on the fact that many groups continue to exist after their original members are gone. It is not limited to just the group, but rather considers and defines the group in relation to other groups. It provides a special attention to the conflict experienced by members between the desire to belong to the group and identify with it and their need for independence and distinctiveness as individuals.Considers the group as an entity outside the individual and that exerts real pressure on its members.The model consists of six different stages. Two of them correspond to their training, and the other four correspond to development. Although it is not specified within the model, The stages occur in a predictable order that is repeated many times throughout the life of the group.

This set of characteristics makes this model unique and worthy of study. It shows us a description of the evolution of the groups quite complete and defined in specific stages. In the next section we will see what those stages are.

Stages of group formation

The first of the stages, which could also be one of the last, since the process is circular, is a phase of discontent.. Feeling that the group to which they belonged has stopped satisfying their needs, some members become passive or violent. These end up being expelled or voluntarily leaving the group.

This discontent, together with a triggering event, gives way to the second stage. This event has a distinctive character and symbolically represents the problems related to the members of the group. This is when the division of the original group is caused between those who remain loyal and those who depart from it.

Then the third stage begins, the group identification phase, in which individuals who have left the previous group strive to develop a new identity as a separate group. In this phase of group development, a multitude of interpersonal processes occur, such as leadership, the perception of intergroup similarities or the delimitation of group boundaries.

Once identity is established, group members focus on meeting group objectives. This is where it begins fourth stage, group productivity. The important thing now is to compare ourselves with the other groups, in order to know the productivity of our group and improve it.

Now that individuals have been allowed to stop focusing on group identification, a process of individuation or fifth stage. Which consists of a comparison of each individual with the rest of the individuals in their group. Comparisons are also made with the quality of other groups. This causes subgroups or people who leave the group to begin to appear.

After this individuation, we often return to the discontent phase. And these phases will be repeated in the same way in the new groups that are created, closing the cycle again and again, with different groups in various areas.

With this cyclical model we can understand both the formation of new groups from others and the restructuring of an already existing group. Something that provides us with very valuable information when carrying out new studies on the development of groups.