Page 165 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

148 Chapter 6

In this segment, the group starts out addressing its task directly, but quickly gets
off task as members enjoy trashing the previous year’s group. Kevin introduces the
fantasy, with all group members participating in the fantasy chain until Lori, the
group’s designated leader, stops the chain and returns the group to its task.
What function has this fantasy served? The manifest, or obvious, theme of the fan-
tasy is “Last year’s group did a rotten job of publicity.” Remember, though, that fanta-
sies help create shared meanings for the present group. In this sequence, trashing the
previous group builds up the performance of the present group by comparison, as
hinted at in Chris’s comment, “We’ve already done more than they ever did.” By saying
what a lousy group the previous year’s group was, this group is not-so-subtly saying,
“We’re so much better.” The group is setting standards of excellence, establishing norms
of professionalism missing in the previous group that motivates this group to do better.
Fantasies perform several functions for small groups. First, they help the members
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create the group’s unique identity. The student group helped define itself as an excel-
lent, hard-working, professional team by comparing itself favorably with the previous
group.
Second, fantasies help a group deal with threatening or difficult information that
members might feel reluctant to address directly. To illustrate, Morocco related the story
of the first meeting of a research group whose student members believed their leaders
were not providing them with enough direction. One student recalled seeing a film
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about an experiment in which baby monkeys were deprived of maternal nurturing.
The other members, who had seen the movie in school, began to contribute by adding
details and developing a plot and dramatic images associated with the movie. The
social and sexual development of the monkeys in the movie had been impaired by the
lack of parental care, and this image served to symbolize the reality that these group
members were currently experiencing. In essence, the group said, “The lack of
attention and direction on the part of the leaders will ultimately harm us.”
Third, fantasies help direct a group’s actions by subtly endorsing or condemning
particular courses of action. For example, Putnam and her associates describe a con-
tract bargaining situation between two committees, one of teachers and the other of
administrators. The administrators constructed a fantasy chain about one of the
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teachers, whose constant head nodding reminded them of a woodpecker or a toy bird
bobbing up and down on a cup. Their fantasy theme created a shared image of the
teachers as well meaning but inexperienced. Later, during the bargaining situation, the
teachers appeared to renege on a proposal they had earlier accepted, which is a breach
of ethics. The administrators could have shut down the negotiations, but the image of
the teachers as inexperienced rather than unscrupulous led them to perceive the teach-
ers’ actions as an innocent mistake. This benevolent interpretation by the administra-
tors gave the teachers latitude to err without derailing the bargaining process. The
effect was to maintain good feelings all around. The fantasy, in part, inspired this
outcome by molding the administrators’ perceptions of the teachers’ shortcomings.
Finally, fantasies can be entertaining and fun for the group. In the previous exam-
ple, the administrators’ committee kept itself happily entertained by imagining the
teacher who nodded constantly as a woodpecker and a whirligig bird. Fantasies help
groups exercise their imaginations and creativity. They are powerful shapers of a

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