ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the basic elements of a theory of small groups. The essence of any interpersonal relationship is interaction. Two individuals may be said to have formed a relationship when on repeated occasions they are observed to interact. When the interactions of a number of persons are observed, it usually becomes quite apparent that interaction is a highly selective matter, both with respect to who interacts with whom and with respect to what any pair of persons interacts about. One important consequence is that interaction is not ordinarily the mere repetition of one combination of best items. Interaction is not usually a game in which there is a single best or dominant solution. In evaluating the adequacy of the sampled and anticipated outcomes of a relationship, the members of a dyad will have need for some kind of standard or criterion of the acceptability of outcomes.
