The Psychology of Clubs

corkandproud

Just wondering if there's any available material on the psychology of clubs or voluntary organisations.

I'm involved with a club and it's obvious that there are many peaks and troughs, is there any research or discussion in this area or is there any online resources available.

Thanks.

Odysseus

Depends you could start with Freud's Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego. Or try googling W Bion.

corkandproud

Well that's a bit heavier than expected (although Freud does make some sense)

Quite a few people have told me that clubs/groups can only work on a very extreme dynamic, going from highs to troughs and back again - but rarely working on an even keel for too long.

This is certainly the case with a group I'm involved with, and what I'd like to do is demonstrate this to those involved to give us a better understanding of the self-destructive nature of some of our actions.

what I'm really looking for is a simple template to help us all better understand. I got the following link through google and it's a start but it doesn't explain the dynamics or causes.

http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/common/pdfs/prc4.pdf

everyday taxi

corkandproud wrote: »

Well that's a bit heavier than expected (although Freud does make some sense)

Quite a few people have told me that clubs/groups can only work on a very extreme dynamic, going from highs to troughs and back again - but rarely working on an even keel for too long.

This is certainly the case with a group I'm involved with, and what I'd like to do is demonstrate this to those involved to give us a better understanding of the self-destructive nature of some of our actions.

what I'm really looking for is a simple template to help us all better understand. I got the following link through google and it's a start but it doesn't explain the dynamics or causes.

http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/common/pdfs/prc4.pdf

may i ask, what kind of group are you in? music? social?

JuliusCaesar

I think you might find the psychology of organisations a start...

corkandproud

everyday taxi wrote: »

may i ask, what kind of group are you in? music? social?

sports, and the club has grown quickly, hence the divergent views and such like

Jupiter36

You might also look at the research in social psychology on groups and group dynamics; as club/group membership is not static and the motivation for being part of the group so diverse, the dynamics and decision making processes are fascinating (and often frustrating:))! As pointed out already, the organisational psychology literature is also an excellent place to look.