A man can't live with stability if he is isolated. Between himself and others, he has interactions, and through repetition of them he tries to be a member of a small group consisted of himself and others.
When he finds himself in this group, he attains stability through the union of his true individual self with the group. With the stability of this base, he can face other new external objects in a positive way. In this sense, a small group is essential support to one's stability.
It is the level of interactions between them that decides the degree of forming of a small group. One of the most primary interaction is, I think, the recognition and the perceptiveness between oneself and the others.
There are four such levels:
1) Self-need centered level
The main purpose is to satisfy one's own wants mutually. When one's wants have been satisfied, interactions are finished. The most important point in this level is the result of the others action. Recognition and perceptiveness to others are not necessary. At this level there are interactions, but the group is not yet formed.
2) Subjective level
Through repetition of interactions, recognition and receptiveness are met. But, there is some subjective bias from which some confusion springs on the way to forming a group. This subjective bias results chiefly from the individuals self-defense and individuality synthesis.
3) Objective level
Usually what is called the scientific method. It selects and catches from the others phenomena which can be reasonably applicable to a certain general standard. It is apt to neglect the synthetic function of the others as a whole. So they can't get sufficient recognition and receptiveness to others. As a result, forming a group is limited.
4) Emphathetic level
This is the method by which we recognize and recieve the whole synthetic function as it is, understanding the others not as the objects but as the subjects. When an interaction is done by this method, it will get deeper and it becomes more reasonable to understand each other as a human. The common domain of the Recognition and Receptiveness shows the maximum expantion. Here, the small group becomes the most mature one.
In the practical formations of small groups, these levels are partly overlapped by each other. But this classification will give an effective method for the analysis and appreciation of a group and to the educational and critical direction to make a group mature. It also suggests that in studies about human, human-relations, and a group, the subjective synthesis function should be put at the center.
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