Objective: Although researchers have explored therapeutic alliance ruptures in individual therapy, little is known about how these processes unfold in group therapy. The goal of this study was to examine associations between alliance ruptures at multiple group interpersonal levels and outcomes. We hypothesized that alliance ruptures that occurred member-to-therapist (M-T), member-to-member, and member-to-group would be associated with poorer interpersonal distress outcomes posttreatment. We also conducted exploratory analyses to assess the relationship between change in alliance ruptures across group therapy and outcomes and whether rupture repairs moderated this relationship. Method: The study included 62 video-recorded therapy sessions from 21 groups. Raters coded alliance ruptures using the Group Rupture Resolution Rating System (Baldwin et al., 2025), an observation-based measure of ruptures and repairs in group therapy. To assess the study's hypotheses, we ran multivariate hierarchical linear models. Results: Higher M-T ruptures in early treatment were significantly associated with worse-than-expected interpersonal distress, partially supporting the hypothesis. Therapist-to-member repairs did not significantly moderate this relationship. Member-to-group ruptures demonstrated a moderate but nonsignificant association with outcomes. Higher M-T ruptures late in treatment were significantly associated with better-than-expected outcomes. In exploratory analyses, decreases in M-T ruptures and member-to-group ruptures across stages of group therapy were associated with worse-than-expected outcomes. Conclusion: M-T ruptures early in group therapy may interfere with developing cohesion and set patients on a trajectory for poorer treatment outcomes. Therapist-to-member repairs did not reduce the negative impact of early M-T ruptures in these groups.
Objective: The current research explored actor-initiated ostracism of best and close friends in adulthood with a focus on the role of group factors. Method: An international sample (N = 827; 75% Australian) of fluent English-speaking adults aged 18-84 years was used (73.4% female). Participants reported on a current best or close friendship. Results: Reported bullying behaviors (within friends and peer group) and sexual interest (within friends and romantic partners) were relatively common at low frequencies (approximately 20%) but uncommon at high frequencies. The ability of two types of group factors to explain actor-initiated ostracism of best and close friends was examined. The peer-bullying factors model explained 50% of variance in actor-initiated ostracism of their best or close friend, and the romantic partner sexual interest model explained 23%. The significance and effect sizes of all models and unique contributors remained unchanged when controlling for age, sexual orientation, gender, gender combination of friends, personality, and locus of control. Conclusions: The research highlighted the importance of assessing within friends and group factors when working with adults on friendship challenges and incorporating these themes in the development of adult friendship-based intervention programs.
Objective: Team creativity is important for organizations, yet our knowledge about how it can be achieved and the mechanisms that influence it is sparse. In this research, we propose the important asymmetric effect of task context-one that induces divergent thinking processes versus convergent thinking processes-on not only team creativity but also the formation of transactive memory systems (TMS), a form of team-based cognition. In order to investigate this asymmetric effect, we study task context both in terms of the nature of the task and the temporal order of engaging in each task. Method: We test these predictions using an experimental, mixed-factorial, 2 (initial task context: divergent vs. convergent) & times; 2 (change in task context vs. continuity in task context) design with 105 laboratory teams. Results: We find that engaging in an initial divergent task context and a subsequent convergent task context aids in team creativity. We also find that a divergent task context has a powerful impact on jump-starting foundational TMS as well as aiding in further TMS development compared to a convergent task context. Finally, foundational TMS is an important mechanism that guides the relationship between task context and team creativity, especially when there is a change in task context. Conclusions: Overall, our research points to the powerful effect of task context in influencing team creativity and team cognition.
Objective: In knowledge-intensive environments, organizations rely on teams to develop the capability to respond rapidly and flexibly (i.e., team agility) to uncertainty and high-velocity changes. Building such agile teams, particularly among those engaged in new product development, is a complex and challenging leadership endeavor that has yet to be fully addressed in the existing literature. Our research seeks to develop theorizing about the pathways through which leadership can help cultivate team agility. Method: We have used multisource, in-depth interviews with 39 professionals working in 32 organizations and conducted inductive, qualitative analysis. Results: We reveal three key pathways to enhancing team agility: psychological empowerment, cognitive, and relational. The psychological empowerment path specifies leadership strategies that facilitate team agility by increasing autonomy. The cognitive path involves leadership strategies that enhance team agility by promoting continuous learning and know-how. The relational path demarcates leadership strategies that enhance team agility by cultivating close relationships. We have also learned that team agility enhances performance, particularly in contexts characterized by high levels of dynamism, critical response times, and uncertainty. Conclusions: We advance research on leadership and team agility by delineating how leadership cultivates team agility and identifying the conditions under which team agility improves performance.
Objective: The growing prevalence of psychological distress among college students, combined with persistent shortages in professional counseling resources, has intensified interest in peer counseling as a scalable support model. However, the effectiveness of peer counseling largely depends on the quality and theoretical coherence of training. This randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of a theory-driven, 12-week experiential group training program grounded in experiential learning, group dynamics, and positive psychology, designed to enhance peer counselors' group facilitation competencies and psychological capital. Method: Sixty-six university students (46 females, 20 males; M-age = 20.77, SD = 2.59; 100% Chinese) at a university in Beijing, China, were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 34) or a waitlist control group (n = 32). The intervention integrated experiential group participation, embedded theoretical learning, authentic campus practice, and multimodal supervision. Participants completed the Group Counselor Competency Scale and the Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire at pretest and posttest. Results: Linear mixed effects models revealed significant intervention effects. Compared to the control group, participants in the intervention condition demonstrated substantial improvements in overall group counselor competency (beta = 17.89, p < .001, d = 2.16) and psychological capital (beta = 12.64, p < .001, d = .75). Exploratory moderation analyses indicated that training effects varied by academic level: doctoral students showed enhanced gains, whereas master's students exhibited attenuated effects, suggesting a potential "transitional learner paradox" with implications for group-based training design. Conclusions: The findings provide robust empirical support for an integrated, theory-driven experiential group training model for peer counselors. This study advances group dynamics and training literature by demonstrating that experiential group interventions can simultaneously foster helping competencies and core psychological resources, while highlighting the importance of developmental and contextual factors in optimizing training effectiveness.
Objective: This article synthesizes clinical principles for conducting children's and adolescents' therapy groups when large-scale crises (e.g., war or natural disasters) necessitate a rapid shift from in-person meetings to online sessions and, later, a return to in-person work. The aim is to propose a clinical framework for understanding and guiding therapeutic group processes when treatment shifts between in-person and online settings during times of crisis. Method: The article draws on systematic documentation of ongoing clinical therapy groups alongside supervisory reflections. Observations were organized around three cross-cutting psychotherapeutic constructs: holding and frame in times of crisis, cohesion and alliance, and playfulness as therapeutic flexibility. These constructs were translated into practical guidance for assessment, session structure, and moment-to-moment interventions during online meetings and during the transition back to the therapy room. Results: Therapeutic processes can be preserved, and sometimes strengthened, despite dramatic changes in the treatment setting. When deliberately framed, online meetings can function as a transitional space that expands children's sensitivity to others and allows graded exposure to interpersonal closeness. The return to in-person sessions benefits from ritualized transitions and explicit renegotiation of group norms. Conclusions: Transitions between online and in-person group settings can be used therapeutically rather than merely tolerated as disruptions, supporting secure relating, psychological flexibility, and developmental growth in children and adolescents. Implications extend beyond group therapy to broader child and adolescent psychotherapy contexts.
Objective: Group psychotherapy provides a unique therapeutic context where individuals can model and practice interpersonal skills within a social microcosm. Research suggests that discrepancies in interpersonal styles among group members significantly influence group dynamics, processes, and outcomes. However, little is known about how discrepancies between an individual group member's and other group members' interpersonal styles impact group psychotherapy outcomes. Guided by the interpersonal complementarity theory and mutual influence theory, this study examined the effect of discrepancies in an individual member's dominance (actor effect) and the other group members' dominance (partner effect) on the individual member's adjusted posttreatment psychological symptoms. Method: Data consisted of 201 clients participating in focused brief group therapy at a university counseling center between 2015 and 2019. Using the actor-partner interdependence model and polynomial regression with response surface analysis, we modeled pretreatment actor and partner dominance component as predictors of individual group members' posttreatment outcomes. Results: Results indicated a significant positive congruent effect between actor dominance and partner dominance on an individual group member's posttreatment outcome. In addition, there was a significant positive discrepant effect between actor dominance and partner dominance on an individual group member's posttreatment outcome. Conclusions: These findings highlight the complex interplay between group members' interpersonal styles and group composition, providing important implications for structuring and leading groups to optimize interpersonal growth in group psychotherapy.
Aims: Group therapy introduces new process dynamics when conducted online. Self-view refers to the phenomenon of viewing one's own image on the screen. The present study aims at investigating how psychotherapists perceive this phenomenon and how they make an active and conscious use of self-view (self-mirroring) to raise awareness in themselves and patients. Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with 14 Italian group psychotherapists (five males; M-age = 50.92; mean years of experience = 23). Eligible participants had at least 5 years of experience in group psychotherapy and prior experience with online group formats. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the consensual qualitative research method. Results: Three main domains emerged from the analysis: (a) the effects of self-mirroring (SM) on therapists, (b) on patients, and (c) on the group. Therapists reported both benefits-such as increased self-awareness of nonverbal language, self-monitoring, and cohesion with their image on the screen-and difficulties, including altered communication and self-image. Patients were perceived as both benefiting from SM as a resource for self-reflection and experiencing it as a low source of distraction, control, or visual alienation. Group-level effects were described as context-dependent, with SM sometimes fostering background perception. Conclusion: When used actively and reflectively, SM can foster self-awareness and therapeutic reflection. However, it is also frequently associated with mismatch between the therapist's idea of oneself and the perceived self-image on the screen, underscoring its ambivalent role in online group therapy. Awareness of SM effects may help therapists and patients use it constructively.
Objective: Although hybrid teams are increasingly common, little is known about the relational dynamics through which leadership emerges in such settings. Drawing on social identity construction theory, particularly the claiming-granting perspective, this study investigates how relationship- and task-oriented behaviors contribute to leadership emergence in hybrid contexts and whether these effects depend on virtuality. We further examine follower perceptions of warmth and competence as proximal cognitive mechanisms underlying early leadership recognition. Method: The study participants were 188 university students in Indonesia, most of whom were female (79%) and between 18 and 20 years old (70%). They were randomly assigned to small teams to complete a management simulation task under low- or high-virtuality hybrid conditions. Relationship- and task-oriented behaviors were coded by trained observers during the team interactions. Team members subsequently rated one another on perceived warmth, competence, and leadership emergence using established measures. Results: While virtuality did not moderate the relationship between leadership-claiming behaviors and initial leadership emergence, relationship-oriented behaviors predicted initial leadership emergence indirectly through perceptions of warmth, and task-oriented behaviors predicted initial leadership emergence through perceptions of competence. Conclusions: These findings locate leadership emergence in followers' evaluative processes rather than in behavioral enactment alone, highlighting how early leadership claims are provisionally recognized in hybrid teams characterized by fragmented interactions. By demonstrating a neutral role of virtuality and clarifying the cognitive bases of granting, this study extends relational theories of leadership emergence and offers a more nuanced account of leadership emergence in contemporary hybrid work settings.
Objective: Many of humanity’s largest challenges, such as managing our shared resources, are long-term collective action problems, where we must learn to cooperate with others over time. However, research has found that participants play repeated resource dilemma games less sustainably over time. Improving our understanding of this is vital to inform policy advocating long-term cooperation. One hypothesis is that increasingly uncooperative behavior is driven by other uncooperative actors – if others act unsustainably then other individuals reciprocate. Alternatively, given the environmental and social uncertainty often found in collective action problems, individuals might struggle to learn to find cooperative, sustainable solutions even if other uncooperative actors are removed. Here, we experimentally juxtapose these hypotheses. Method: Over two incentive-compatible experiments involving monetary payments (Experiment 1) and raffle tickets (Experiment 2), 351 participants played three consecutive resource dilemma games with three computer partners who collectively deployed a conditionally cooperative ('tit-for-tat') strategy (i.e., where one cooperates if others cooperate, but defects if others defect). The best strategy for the participant was to learn to sustain the resource, maximizing long-term gains. Results: By the third game, most improved their outcomes, but only 9.12% of participants found long-term sustainable strategies which outperformed short-term unsustainable strategies. We demonstrate that this failure is partially due to difficulty learning the social and environmental dynamics at play. Conclusions: These results suggest that most struggle to learn to act sustainably even when interacting with partners who are willing to cooperate, illuminating a systemic difficulty with learning to act sustainably over time.
Objective: The therapeutic alliance is considered to be one of the most salient common factors in group psychotherapy, including within interpersonal psychotherapy groups (IPT-G). More recently, scholars are emphasizing the distinction between state- (within-person) and trait-like (between-person) alliance in both individual and group psychotherapies (Kivlighan et al., 2022; Zilcha-Mano & Fisher, 2022). Despite the abundant literature supporting the efficacy of IPT-G, there is limited understanding of the mechanisms of change that facilitate these outcomes, including alliance to the group. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between state- and trait-like alliance and therapeutic outcomes in IPT-G. Method: Data for this study were provided by 56 patients receiving care within a community mental health facility in Canada. Patients participated in weekly sessions of IPT-G for 10 weeks and completed the Outcome Rating Scale (Miller et al., 2003) and the Group Session Rating Scale (Quirk et al., 2013) after each session for routine outcome monitoring. Results: Results indicated significant and positive state- and trait-like alliance effects, indicating the importance of both session-to-session fluctuations in alliance, as well as patients' interpersonal skills and capacities before they begin IPT-G. The exploratory two-way interaction between within-person alliance and between-person alliance on outcome was also positive and significant, indicating that an increase in state-like alliance was related to better outcomes for that member if they also reported high levels trait-like alliance. Conclusions: Findings from this study demonstrate the importance of both state- and trait-like alliance in IPT-G and position the alliance as a treatment specific factor of change in IPT-G. Clinical implications will be discussed.
Objective: With a growing emphasis on making societies more inclusive, the present study examines how people's perceptions of whether their society provides basic psychological need support or thwarting to their group relate to group members' well-being and ill-being depending on the extent to which group membership is central to their identity. Method: Participants were Australians (N = 1,994, M-age = 42.15, 51% female) and Americans (N = 1,693, M-age = 41.48, 79.1% female) who self-described as members of either an ethnic, religious, political, or sexual orientation group. Results: In both studies, perceived group need support (vs. thwarting) statistically significantly influenced individual well-being (vs. ill-being) through basic psychological need satisfaction (vs. frustration), an effect that was magnified for sexuality-oriented and political groups in Study 2 when group identity was more central to self-concept. Conclusions: These results highlight how societal conditions at the group level influence the fulfillment of personal basic psychological needs, illustrating the importance of group identification for individual well-being.
Objective: The objective of this research is to understand how dehumanization is manifested in processes of secessionism or group separatism, where an initial social identity is shared. Method: Two hundred sixty-five volunteer participants from a national region participated in an experiment with two conditions. The experimental condition manipulated the perception of intragroup conflict by reading a fake article related to the comparative disadvantages of collective welfare between the local region and other national areas. The control condition presented neutral news about national well-being. Participants responded to a dehumanization scale in two versions (ingroup and superordinate ingroup-counterbalanced). Results: The main findings showed that, in a perceived conflict situation, the superordinate outgroup was perceived as less human from both animalistic and mechanistic perspectives. These results were not observed in the control condition, where no conflict was perceived. Conclusions: It is concluded that dynamics of dehumanization can be observed in intragroup contexts, fueled by a specific secessionist context. Furthermore, the intragroup dehumanization profile may vary when facing a secessionist conflict, which generates perceptions of dehumanization toward the superordinate outgroup.
Objective: Prior research found that highly identified spectators need to share the victory of their team (i.e., basking in reflected glory) as a way to increase territorial identification. Method: This study aims to address the main limitations of this work with a larger sample of supporters (N = 101), focusing on a different context (soccer at both local and national levels) and by considering additional variables, such as the outgroup territorial identification and the happiness emotion. Results: The results first replicated previous research concerning the mediating role of the basking in reflected glory process. As an extension, a serial mediation analysis revealed that team identification was associated with basking in reflected glory, which in turn was associated with happiness and, consequently, ingroup territorial identification. Conclusion: This research highlights the importance of considering affective components to understand the processes through which sports teams build social connections with people.
Objective: The Group Questionnaire (GQ; Krogel et al., 2013) intends to measure important group processes such as group climate, group cohesion, and the quality of group relationships. The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the GQ (GQ-NL) in a clinical population with personality disorders. Method: The English version of the questionnaire was translated into Dutch using a standard "forward-backward" translation procedure. The study included 439 outpatients who received group therapy. Internal consistency reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was investigated by evaluating the factor structure of the original questionnaire with confirmatory factor analysis. For examining convergent validity, a subsample of 243 patients completed four other questionnaires measuring similar group concepts. Results: The factor structure of the original questionnaire was largely replicated for the Dutch version, with adequate fit of the model with eight subfacets and of the full second-order model. Fit improved when correlation between three item pairs and three latent leader aspects was allowed. The internal consistency of the scales and facets was good; convergent validity was supported. Conclusion: Previous reports on the good psychometric properties of the GQ are substantiated with the present results for the Dutch version. The factor structure of the GQ-NL with three latent factors and eight subfacets was supported, as was the validity and reliability of the instrument for use in research and clinical practice. Further research with a larger sample size and different patient groups is recommended.
Objective: Previous research has suggested that interteam conflict can enhance intra-team cohesion and promotes intra-team cooperation. However, drawing on the conflict spillover theory, interteam conflict within the organization may spill over into the team, triggering intra-team struggles and subsequently harming intra-team performance. This study explores the cross-level mediating mechanism by which interteam conflict affects intra-team performance via intra-team status struggles and examines the boundary effect of interteam status dispersion. Method: We conducted a two-wave and multisource survey in China. At Wave 1, we collected interteam level data from middle and senior executives. One month later, we collected intra-team data from team leaders. Ultimately, we obtained matched responses of 265 teams from 40 companies. Due to the nested structure of the data, we utilized Mplus 8.3 to construct multilevel linear models to test the hypotheses. Results: When interteam status dispersion is high, the indirect negative effect of interteam conflict on intra-team performance through intra-team status struggles is strengthened; on the contrary, when interteam status dispersion is low, the indirect negative impact of interteam conflict on intra-team performance through intra-team status struggles is not significant. Conclusions: Interteam status dispersion plays a crucial role in mitigating the negative spillover effects of interteam conflict into the intra-team dynamics. Organizations could reduce the negative consequences of interteam conflict through rational interteam status hierarchy design.
Objective: Prior research has established the significance of group cohesion in facilitating group outcomes, but few studies have clarified the similarities and differences between frequently used cohesion measures. This study compared the predictive effects of two practice-friendly group cohesion measurements on therapeutic factors, the Group Climate Questionnaire-Short Version (GCQ-S; MacKenzie, 1983) and the Group Entitativity Measure-Group Psychotherapy (GEM-GP; Hornsey et al., 2012), in 14-week positive psychology-informed structured psychoeducational groups. Method: Participants were 83 undergraduate students in 15 groups in an elective positive psychology course in a Chinese university. Participants completed self-report measures, and hierarchical linear models were conducted. Results: Both cohesion measures significantly and uniquely predicted therapeutic factors at the session level, including GCQ-Engagement (gamma(3j) = .51, p < .001), GCQ-Conflict (reversely coded; gamma(4j) = .13, p < .01), and GEM-GP (gamma(2j) = .11, p < .01). At the member level, GCQ-Engagement was the sole significant predictor of therapeutic factors (gamma(0)(1) = .85, p < .001). Conclusions: Findings illustrated that both the GCQ-S and the GEM-GP effectively and uniquely predicted session-to-session change of group therapeutic factors in manualized psychoeducational groups, whereas GCQ-Engagement was the most comprehensive measurement of the member component of cohesion.
Objective: Treatment adherence, specifically attendance, is an important factor for clients to benefit from group-based treatments. However, little attention has been paid to understanding antecedents, particularly cultural factors, that may significantly impact clients' attendance in group therapy. This study seeks to examine the impact of cultural subgrouping vis-& agrave;-vis identity-based faultlines based on member gender and racial-ethnic minority status on group members' attendance rates and treatment completion. Method: Data for this study consisted of 358 clients from 61 interpersonal process therapy groups. Identity-based faultlines were created based on members' reported gender and race. Results: Results indicated a significant and negative relationship between gendered racial faultline strength and member attendance rates and treatment completion, such that members of groups with a higher likelihood to subgroup based on member race and gender attended fewer group therapy sessions and had higher odds of not completing treatment. Group member race and gender significantly moderated the relationship between gendered racial faultline strength and treatment completion, such that the impact of gendered racial faultline strength on the odds of a group member completing treatment was stronger for women compared with men and racial-ethnic minority members compared with White members. Conclusions: Findings are discussed with attention to implications and recommendations for group therapy practice and training.
Objective: Group flow is a positive phenomenon of group action. As the previous questionnaires for measuring group flow had shortcomings (e.g., potential for more extensive consideration of theoretical elements, missing validation), the aim of the present work was to elaborate a new questionnaire. Method: Based on the integrative group flow theory and based on clear methodological considerations, the Group Flow Inventory (GFI) was therefore developed as a new questionnaire and evaluated two studies in the sport domain (Study 1: N = 152 German hockey players; Study 2: 486 German athletes of different team sports). Results: The GFI measures group flow from a self-oriented and a group-oriented perspective of the responding individual. Corresponding to the integrative group flow theory, factor analyses of the two studies have confirmed that the GFI consists of two factor levels: primary fit (i.e., the degree to which all group members within the group system fit together in the light of a group task) and secondary fit (i.e., the degree to which the group system as a whole fits the group task) at the higher level, which are each composed of behavior, state of mind, and skills at the lower level. Correlation analyses for validation have shown relationships between group flow on the one hand, and performance, motivational climate, intrateam communication and well-being on the other hand. Conclusions: The GFI offers various application possibilities. Its development and the results of the two studies not only stimulate group flow research but also offer new starting points for individual flow research.
Objective: The objective of this study was to explain a process by which teams maintain performance in a multigoal context. The aims of this study were to (a) integrate Burke et al.'s (2006) theory of adaptive performance with the selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) model to include specific adaptive strategies that lead to team performance and (b) extend the SOC model to include the team level of analysis. Specifically, we argue SOC can be conceptualized at the team level as a team strategy mental model (MM) that represents a shared understanding of goal selection strategies, the need to manage resources among strategic alternatives, and the implications of strategic decisions on goal pursuits in a multigoal, virtual context. Method: A novel virtual escape room task was designed to test study hypotheses using a sample of 48 teams. Results: Results indicated that SOC mental model similarity and accuracy have a significant amount of variation at the team levels, and this between-level variance is related to goal conflict. Additionally, team performance was related to SOC MM similarity, but not accuracy, and SOC MM similarity mediated the relationship between goal conflict and team performance. Finally, compensation MM similarity measured at the execution phase mediated the goal conflict to team performance relationship. Conclusion: Overall, our study shows that SOC MMs emerge within teams and, further, that the degree to which teams share these strategy MMs positively impacts performance. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings and offer suggestions for future research, particularly as they relate to virtual teams.
