Trainers' Liking, Bion's Emotional Modalities, and T-Group Effect

Elisha Y. Babad, Liora Amir*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

The relationships between trainers' differential liking for group members (actual and perceived), members' behaviors in the group reflecting Bion's emotional modalities, and T-group outcomes were investigated in three unstructured T groups of female students. Members' perceptions of trainers' liking were found to fit quite accurately the trainers' actual ratings, and group effect was a function of both actual and perceived trainers' liking. Member-rated outcomes were unrelated to their behaviors in the group reflecting Bion's modalities, while trainer-rated outcomes were differentially related to the different modalities. The modalities Work and Fight were both liked by the trainers and positively related to trainer-rated success; Flight and Counter-dependency were not liked by the trainers and unrelated to trainer-rated success; Dependency was not liked by the trainers but positively related to trainer-rated success; and Pairing was liked by the trainers and related to global, but not analytic, trainerrated success. The implications of those findings to Bion's theory and to group training were discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)511-522
Number of pages12
JournalThe Journal of Applied Behavioral Science
Volume14
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1978

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