skip navigation

Not in the United States?
change your preferences.

Group Communication in Context

Studies of Bona Fide Groups

• Edited by Larry R. Frey

• Price: $125.00
• Binding: Hardback (also available in Paperback)
• Pages: 456
• Published by: Psychology Press
• Publication Date: 1st October 2002
• ISBN: 978-0-8058-3149-8

About the Book

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.

Table of Contents

Contents: L.R. Frey, Introduction: Group Communication in Context: Studying Bona Fide Groups. Part I:Tales From the Home and Hood: Managing Group Boundaries and Borders. S. Petronio, S. Jones, M.C. Morr, Family Privacy Dilemmas: Managing Communication Boundaries Within Family Groups. R. Buchalter, Negotiating (Im)permeable Neighborhood Borders. Part II:Community Groups: Engaging in Group Decision Making, Deliberation, and Development. S. Howell, B. Brock, E. Hauser, A Multicultural, Intergenerational Youth Program: Creating and Sustaining a Youth Community Group. K. Tracy, C. Standerfer, Selecting a School Superintendent: Sensitivities in Group Deliberation. Part III:Groups Confronting Crisis: Contextual Effects on Group Communication. R. Houston, In the Mask of Thin Air: Intragroup and Intergroup Communication During the Mt. Everest Disaster. G.A. Yep, S.T. Reece, E.L. Negrón, Culture and Stigma in a Bona Fide Group: Boundaries and Context in a "Closed" Support Group for "Asian Americans" Living With HIV Infection. Part IV:Cooperatives and Collaborations: Communicating Amidst Multiple Identities, Boundaries, and Constituents. J.G. Oetzel, J. Robbins, Multiple Identities in Teams in a Cooperative Supermarket. J.I. Lange, Environmental Collaboration and Constituency Communication. J. Keyton, V. Stallworth, On the Verge of Collaboration: Interaction Processes Versus Group Outcomes. Part V:Global Groups: Interfacing the Macro and the Micro. J.C. Sherblom, Influences on the Recommendations of International Business Consulting Teams. J. Parrish-Sprowl, Indexing the Polish Transformation: The Case of Eco-S From a Bona Fide Group Perspective. Part VI:Mediated Groups: Negotiating Communication and Relationships Electronically. S.C. Alexander, J.L. Peterson, A.B. Hollingshead, Help Is at Your Keyboard: Support Groups on the Internet. D. Krikorian, T. Kiyomiya, Bona Fide Groups as Self-Organizing Systems: Applications to Electronic Newsgroups. C. Meier, Doing "Groupness" in a Spatially Distributed Work Group: The Case of Videoconferences at Technics. C. Stohl, L.L. Putnam, Epilogue: Communication in Bona Fide Groups: A Retrospective and Prospective Account.