Models of Group Development: Implications for Social Group Work Practice

Author(s): James K. Whittaker

Source: Social Service Review, Vol. 44, No. 3 (Sep., 1970), pp. 308-322

Abstract

While generally underdeveloped, some areas of social group work theory have an abun- dance of models which tend to confuse rather than clarify matters for the practitioner. This paper takes one such area—small-group development—and attempts to integrate existing formulations into the five-stage model suggested by Garland, Jones, and Kolodny. Practice implications are developed for each of the five stages in terms of the three overall models for social group work practice: the social-goals model, the remedial model, and the reciprocal model.

Models of Group Development Implications for Social Group Work Practice