Navarro, Job H.

2012-84184

APSY 184 Case Study

Brief History of the Group

The group being described in this case study was established during the

researcher's third year in high school. It was formed in 2009 at Dee Hwa Liong

College Foundation, a tertiary school located in Mabalacat Pampanga. It is composed

of six members. There are five women and one man in the group.

More specifically, the members of the group are the following:

 Fredelyn Cabreros- (25) She is the eldest yet she is also the smallest in the group.

She was a former CAT officer. In College, she studied Hotel and Restaurant

Services. She currently lives in Angeles City.

 Jemalene Joyce Gana- (23) She is a Mass Communication graduate. She is the

tallest in the group with the height of 5'9. She loves writing, and she's the most

active in social media compared to the other five.

 Charlene Limpin- (23) She is a teacher by profession. Like Fredelyn, she was a

former CAT officer in their school. She was also a theatre actress when she was

in College.

 Paula Magbag- (23) a lovely lad whose skin is as white as snow. She took up

Bachelor of Science in Accountancy in College. She is also the youngest in the

group.
 Job Navarro- (23) He is the only guy in the group. Among others, he is known to

be the most religious. He likes to introspect. He is currently studying Psychology

at UP Clark.

 Jenny-lyn Raymundo- (23) She is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in

Accounting Technology and is known as a very economical person. She worked

previously as an accountant in a car company.

Group Development

Forming

Out of the six members, four already knew each other by face from 1st year high

school. Jema and Job were both transferees from another private school in Angeles

City.

Everyday, their classes began at around 7am and ended at 5pm. During lunch

time, when most people are in the canteen, a minority of the people in the class stays

in the classroom since they had packed lunch, and they need not go to the school's

pantry to buy food.

This was when the members began to get to know each other. The forming stage

of the group didn't last for a long time since there was a little to moderate level of

hesitation to build friendship with each other even though all of them were total

strangers.

Storming

The group started positive during the first few weeks of the class, and their

relationship was generally harmonious. Individual differences, little by little, started

to emerge when they had class activities which required everyone to share their

insights.

As with any other organizations, the personalities of this group were diverse at

times, making it challenging to accommodate and adapt everyone's ideas.

Norming

Good thing the members of the group had adequate tolerance for each member's

differences, resulting to only mild level of conflict. The members eventually realized

that the disagreements were essential to know each other better which helped the

group strengthen their ties. When problems arise, the members assertively discuss

with each other what can be done differently. The members of the group also make

sure that everyone has equal opportunities to voice out his/her opinion in every

matter.

Performing

As the group realizes each everyone's strengths and weaknesses it became clear

what tasks and responsibilities were appropriate for each individual. Every month,

their school had full-blast events which nurtured the group's sense of cooperation and

competition (with other groups).

Adjourning

As a product of the increased awareness about every member’s personalities,

values, experiences and wavelengths plus the efforts to manage these things in order

to achieve their goals, the group eventually were able to accomplish all the tasks
given to them. The group stayed close with each other even after their graduation in

College.

Group Description

In terms of security and comfortability with each other, every member of the

group continuously and constantly invests in their "emotional bank account." They

maintain constant communication in order to get updates from each other.

Communication through FB chat and frequent catch-ups is also maintained in

order to know how well everyone is doing and whether someone from the group

needs help about anything (be it career, finances, family, etc.)

Another important factor that makes or excites the members to keep in touch with

each other is the humor they find when they communicate. Every member has his/her

own funny side which contributes to the group's vibrance and energy. This also

enhances cohesiveness within the group.

More interestingly, the group can engage in positive teasing without causing any

serious threat to another person's sense of self worth. There seems to be an unspoken

rule between members that everyone must be ready to overlook other's offenses

while everyone must also be aware when he/she crosses other's boundaries. Perhaps,

this can also explain why there is minimal conflict in thr group.

Who is the leader in the group? Depending on the situation, everyone always has

his/her turn to be the leader. This seems to agree with the situational leadership theory

of Hersey and Blanchard. Furthermore. A member's knowledge about a situation or a

particular matter also becomes a deciding factor in selecting which one should lead.
 Meanwhile, if the "great-person" theory of leadership is applied, it can be said

that among the members of the group, there is one person who, most of the time,

offers ideas that the group can rely on. She is Jema. From simple to complex

decisions, she almost always give feasible and realistic solution/s to problems which

ultimately lead to the achievement of the group's goal/s. Even so, she manages not to

appear authoritative or doineering. She consults with the group to make sure that the

members collectively agree to her.

Many believe that Jema is both street and book smart by nature. She also knows

how to manage resources well when there are group activities. All of these attributes

make the group trust her. However, in case of her absence, the group still manages to

function and achieve its objectives. Perhaps, because there is only influence but not

overdependence.

All members of the group are pure Filipinos. Not all members are pure

Kapampangans, but all of them have Kapampangan blood. In terms of religious

background, there are only little differences. All members are Christians (mostly

Catholics although Jenny-Lyn and Job are born-again Christians). Gender-wise, there

is also very little variance. Apparently, five out of six members of the group are

females. For Job who is the only male in the group, being distinct in terms of gender

is not a big challenge because even though it is an almost all-girls group, everyone

considers their group as generally gender-neutral when they interact with each other.

Because of the group's homogeneity in many aspects, there is only little difficulty

to manage it.

Overall, the members agree that the group is a low-maintenance friendship with a

healthy level of give-and-take relationship. Positive interdependence is maintained by

supporting each other in his/her chosen endeavor/s especially when it is advantageous

for the person and/or for the group.