TY - JOUR A1 - McLeod, John T1 - Group process as drama JF - Small Group Behavior, Vol. 15 (No. 3, 1984), pp. 319-332. N2 - Discusses the traditional application of therapy and training models to the mechanisms and functions of small groups, arguing that culturally based alternative models reflect more accurately the relationship between the groups and the outlying culture of which they are a part. It is contended that groups symbolize a form of collective art in the context described by E. FROMM (1956), and that stages or forms of idiosyncratic group processes parallel the unfolding of dramatic performances. Stages of group development, including orientation, polarization and conflict, sharing and agreement, resolution, and dealing with termination issues, are outlined based on the ways in which they parallel theatrical or cinematic structures such as the unfolding of a plot. The roles of group members and group leaders, the processes of self-disclosure and experiencing emotion, and the framing effect of the group are described in dramatic terms. Implications of this dramatic group encounter perspective are discussed in terms of whether arrival of a stage of closeness and performance is necessary for effective group work, the type of learning that takes place within groups, and techniques for the training of group leaders, facilitators, and therapists. Y1 - 1984 ER -