ABSTRACT
T-Groups provide opportunities to learn more about self, enhance interpersonal competence and develop the capacity to work in groups with greater effectiveness. This chapter focuses on theories and models of group development, the stages through which groups develop, the experiences of ISABS T-Group facilitators of how these models manifest, and the major group processes that aid group development. We also articulate specific group processes that typically happen in a T-Group and how they enable or create resistance for groups to develop. The chapter begins by defining groups, the types of groups, group dynamics that propel groups to develop, benefits of understanding group development theories and models and their shortcomings. Two recent theories of group development that propose a more cyclical and non-linear approach to how groups develop are presented at the end of the chapter.
In this chapter, we will focus our attention on the group as a whole and offer various lenses to sharpen our understanding of the group and its processes of development. It is one way of making the invisible group visible to us.
