ABSTRACT
One dimension of the behaviour of conferences or small groups which has not always received the attention it deserves relates to the part played by the individual idiosyncrasies of the participants. Even when adequate consideration has been given to other important aspects—the significance of administrative arrangements, of cultures and sub-cultures, of role and status, etc.—there remains the need to appreciate the qualities and characteristics of the persons involved. Cartwright (1950) makes the statement that Kurt Lewin, the founder of the Research Center for Group Dynamics, was convinced 'that laws of group behaviour could be established independently of the purposes or the specific activities of the group. Thus it would be possible to study a group's productivity as a phenomenon whether it be in the committee room, factory, or classroom. Further, one would be able to specify the determinants of friendship or hostility between groups whether they be formed on the basis of race, religion, sex, or nationality.' We must raise the question as to whether this viewpoint has given adequate consideration either to the phenomenon of cultural differences, or to the complications introduced by the idiosyncratic nature of the participants.
