sociometry

[Ann Hale]

Rethinking sociometry:
    Each application, each setting involves rethinking sociometry in order 
that it have relevance, takes into consideration context, and purpose.  Most 
experienced with sociometry do this as a matter of course and the results 
have produced many of the exciting procedures we work with today.

In exploring criteria with a group you have the group discuss the range of 
relevance and the degree of threat they are willing to explore, and choose 
criteria which have consensus. This often means that certain criteria are 
out of range and the group can work with their dynamics to increase their 
elasticity.

Regarding the ve\arious types of groups you mentioned at the beginning of 
this post, it brought to mind that very excellent book by Marv Thomas called 
Personal Village (www.personalvillage.com)  which is an extremely elegant 
text for groups of all kinds. He even has a workbook.

The intimate group with who you can discuss most anythin he calls a coterie.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Adam Blatner" <adam at blatner.com>
To: <list at grouptalkweb.org>
Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 10:09 AM
Subject: sociometry


> Dear Grouptalk
>
> Some morning reflections on sociometry.
>       Reflecting on my life here in my community, where I can be both 
> extroverted in some
> roles and introverted in others, I become aware of a number of variables, 
> if that's the
> right word:
>     Read on if you are interested in sociometry, and erase and go on if 
> not.
>
>   1. In a number of roles, there's an implicit agreement not to discuss 
> politics or
> religion... or sex.  We have fun together square dancing, singing in a 100 
> person chorus,
> working out in the fitness center, and engaging in various other 
> activities. We become
> neighbors who share help and concerns. It takes time, and builds 
> gradually.
>
>       There is a loss of a certain level of depth or heart-to-heart, of 
> full
> psychological encounter. Happily I have a few people in my social network 
> with whom I can
> be far more honest in terms of discussing these more loaded topics. This 
> makes for a
> different kind of relationship, it is a different role or role cluster.
>
>    2. My own highest preference or calling is to be passionately, 
> critically, mentally
> engaged in contemplating a variety of relevant issues in the world, for 
> me, regarding
> spirituality, philosophy, psychology, cultural trends, some history, and 
> so forth. I've
> come to realize this is a sociotelic and psychetelic criterion shared by 
> only a few folks,
> as it requires a capacity to entertain both complexity and a lively 
> humility that seeks to
> question one's own assumptions in order to stretch and penetrate more 
> effectively the
> mysteries in which we are embedded.
>
>     This is okay, and one thing I've been learning is not to bring this 
> "calling" to
> others who don't want to engage the world and each other in this fashion.
>
>    3. One of the distortions generated by analytically-oriented group 
> therapy and then
> the encounter groups in the 1970s is the illusion that this is more 
> authentic, this
> heart-to-heart level. But it isn't, because such groups were constituted 
> of people who
> were in other roles relative strangers. These aren't the people you will 
> be living with in
> an ongoing fashion.  So we should hesitate to privilege such modes of 
> communication,
> implying that they're somehow more true or better. My current thinking is 
> that they are
> better only subjectively for those who enjoy interacting at this more 
> multi-role,
> multi-dimensional, vigorous, re-evaluative fashion. It's not an objective 
> judgment for
> everyone.
>
>   4. Indeed, it may be that a measure of reserve is optimal for being in 
> larger groups in
> which members have a wide diversity of values and interest.
>
>     5. A corollary is that sociometry as a method may involve a range of 
> techniques that
> may be applied to groups according to degrees of role-complementarity.
>     The classical method perhaps should be reserved for those groups with 
> remarkably high
> levels of cohesion and with people with fairly high degrees of resilience. 
> What's being
> proposed is a frank discussion of interpersonal preferences, which as I've 
> noted
> elsewhere, is for most people a highly sensitive topic. Perhaps Moreno in 
> his somewhat
> narcissistic and hypomanic approach could engage to a degree at this 
> level, even in his
> own mind (though one wonders if he could engage as an equal), his 
> temperament might blind
> him from recognizing the profound vulnerability of most folks in 
> considering this dynamic
> in their interpersonal field. I suspect people may repress this more 
> deeply and strongly
> than their sexuality!
>      On the other hand, there are a number of near-sociometric techniques 
> that have
> emerged that can be applied more readily. Indeed, I envision many if not 
> most beginning
> groups, classrooms at every level from kindergarten on, using a number of 
> carefully
> designed sociometric exercises to help group members discover certain 
> areas of
> commonality. For example, using circle sociometry for a beginning 8th 
> grade class, the
> teacher might explore some different and non-emotionally-loaded hobbies: 
> Who has been
> interested in stamp collecting? Coin collecting? Reptiles or amphibians? 
> Who has cats at
> home? Dogs?
>     Perhaps some spectrograms might be fun: Number of pets in the home, 
> etc.
>          I doubt that these students would want to bring up political 
> affiliations,
> religious affiliations. Some would, interestingly, but they might be naive 
> in thinking
> they can handle the mixed feelings, low grade prejudices, and degrees of 
> judgment that get
> evoked by such topics.
>
>     The key point to be emphasized is the importance of maintaining 
> freedom not to
> disclose those interests, inclinations, opinions, and such that one feels 
> might well be
> judged by others.
>
>     So I start to wonder if it would be useful to re-think sociometry in a 
> very basic
> fashion; recognize that it is far from a single package or method; and 
> begin to consider
> how different forms of sociometry might be used in different situations, 
> perhaps far more
> widely than before. (For example, is it a good idea idea to introduce 
> near-sociometry to
> most teachers to foster group cohesion and interactions in most classes?)
>
>   Good wishes for a happy summer to you all. Warmly, Adam
>
>
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