Cohousing-L Mailing List: the group and the individual

[Casey Morrigan (cjmorr]

I've found that how a group functions - group dynamics - is really different
from how individuals function.  Feelings emerge differently when in a group;
implicit and explicit rules are different.  But the paradox is that
individuals need to really come out with what is on their individual minds
in order for a group to do well.  This reminds me that several (great) times
in our community's history, the group has had a better "brain" than
individuals - the interaction and back and forth resulted in a solution that
no individual had been able to devise.

I am reading a book I just ordered up from the FIC (Fellowship of
Intentional Community)  called, "Sitting in the Fire - Large group
transformation using conflict and diversity" - by Arnold Mindell.  It's
really opening up my eyes.  Anyone else read this?
I'm only part way through it and I am liking especially how he talks about
rank and how it is used.

Casey Morrigan
Two Acre Wood
Sebastopol, California

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cohousing-l-admin [at] cohousing.org
> [mailto:cohousing-l-admin [at] cohousing.org]On Behalf Of Sharon Villines
> Sent: Saturday, February 08, 2003 7:33 AM
> To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
> Subject: Re: [C-L]_Re: Is living cooperatively an ideology of itself?
>
>
>
>
> > "Ruddick, T.R." <Ruddick [at] edisonohio.edu>
> > is the author of the message below.
> >
>
> > If nothing else, this discussion reinforces my belief that
> the tired
> > old
> > false dichotomy of liberal-conservative needs to be put to rest.
> >
> And while we are at it, we need to retire the false dichotomy of
> individual-group. "For the good of the group not the individual" is
> ultimately a meaningless distinction. The group only exists
> because of
> individuals. Only individuals can act. Once you decide that a
> group is
> something different than the individuals in it, you are on very thin
> ice.
>
> While combined efforts of a group of individuals can produce results
> that are greater than the sum of its parts, it can also
> produce results
> that are far less. The only productive group is one that can utilize
> the full strengths of all the individuals within it.
>
> Sharon
> -----
> Sharon Villines, Washington DC
> Where all roads lead to Casablanca
>
> _______________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list
> Cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org  Unsubscribe  and other info:
> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L
>


_______________________________________________
Cohousing-L mailing list
Cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org  Unsubscribe  and other info:
http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L