Synopses & Reviews
The study of group communication has never been more critical, as recent national and international events point to the fragility of group life. An emerging perspective, the bona fide group perspective, offers hope for improving group communication, for it recognizes that any group--a family, community group, expedition team, social support group, organizational work group, interorganizational collaboration, or international team--must be studied and understood within the multiple contexts in which it is embedded and that significantly affects who is considered to be part of a group, what occurs within that group, and how that group interacts with other groups.
In the second edition of his award-winning volume, editor Lawrence R. Frey showcases original research studies conducted on and about communication in bona fide groups, demonstrating the conceptual promise of the bona fide group perspective as realized in research practice. Divided into six sections, the chapters cover a wide range of new or relatively understudied groups--including youth community groups, Internet support groups, climbing expedition groups, families, neighborhoods, and school boards--and demonstrate the wealth of methodological approaches that can be used to study bona fide group communication--including survey methods, interviews, textual analysis, content analysis, participant observation, and discourse analysis.
Group Communication in Context: Studies of Bona Fide Groups, Second Edition shows that the bona fide group perspective has the power to transform our thinking about groups and group communication and, in time, the practices in which groups and group members engage. The volume is intended for use in group communication courses, as well as a reference for group scholars. It is also appropriate for classes in psychology, social work, counseling, sociology, anthropology, and related disciplines.
Synopsis
In the second edition of his award-winning volume, editor Lawrence R. Frey showcases original research studies conducted on and about communication in bona fide groups, demonstrating the conceptual promise of the bona fide group perspective as realized in research practice.
Table of Contents
Introduction,Group communication in context : studying bona fide groups /Lawrence R. Frey --Family privacy dilemmas : managing communication boundaries within family groups /Sandra Petronio, Susanne Jones, and Mary Claire Morr --Negotiating (Im)permeable neighborhood borders /Rona Buchalter --Multicultural, intergenerational youth program : creating and sustaining a youth community group /Sharon Howell, Bernard Brock, and Eric Hauser --Selecting a school superintendent : sensitivities in group deliberation /Karen Tracy and Christina Standerfer --In the mask of thin air : intragroup and intergroup communication during the Mt. Everest disaster /Renâee Houston --Culture and stigma in a bona fide group : boundaries and context in a "closed" support group for "Asian Americans" living with HIV infection /Gust A. Yep, Sachiko T. Reece, and Emma L. Negrâon --Multiple identities in teams in a cooperative supermarket /John G. Oetzel and Jean Robbins --Environmental collaboration and constituency communication /Jonathan I. Lange --On the verge of collaboration : interaction processes versus group outcomes /Joann Keyton and Virginia Stallworth --Influences on the recommendations of international business consulting teams /John C. Sherblom --Indexing the Polish transformation : the case of Eco-S from a bona fide group perspective /John Parrish-Sprowl.