Many group techniques are used in attitude change, conversion, and thought reform. In attitude change, group discussion, organizational change, sensibility training group, role playing, psychodrama, sociodrama, and group psychotherapy used. As for conversion, we will take up as example the case of Sokagakkai, a sect of Buddism in Japan. The ardent believers combine in small groups on the first front line in the conversing campaign of the religious organization. In thought reform or “Culture Revolution” of the Red China, various forms of group techniques are found : such as learning movement, thought reform, rectification movement, etc.
We can point out that these methods have affinities and differentials with each other.
As for affinities on each side, small group method is used to bring up an attitude and behavior change. The mechanism of attitude change in group, which works on these fields, tends to enlarge ego-involvement of group members. Consequently, group members become to comformity to the norm, of the membership group, or the change of the norm of membership group accompany with the attitude and behavior change of group members.
As for differentials, we will try to compare between the group techniques of the behavior sciences and those used in the Red China. The differentials may be summarised as follows :
(1) The former aims at a partial change of an attitude or behavior, or one's
modus operandi so to speak, whereas the latter is marked with the reform of ideology, or
modus vivendi of one's whole existence.
(2) Although both of them have orientation to the support of their social system, the former's direct interest is almost purely limited to the practice of democracy on group dimension, while the latter's ideal is the realization of democracy in the group for the revolution of the nation wide social dimension.
(3) Accordingly, the former aims at “the making spontaneity and creativity” in the culture as a common donominator. In the latter, the cause of mistakes, (wrong deeds), done in the past should be abolished and people should be awakend by class consciousness, the people's real “independence making up.”
(4) In the latter, the people takes a part of the propelling power and the source of energy of the revolution comes from the people of pre-lower socio-economic status, e.g., the poorer and lower middle class peasants, and proletarian workers. They expect the security of mind and the rise of their social status by the reform of the social consciousness and group organization. But in the former, the security of mind is only hoped for, and not immediately aimed at.
(5) From the standpoint of the typology of groups, the groups in the former are generally temporary or functional ones. In the latter, the groups are the basic and primary units of the whole society, and are characterized by the production and daily life.
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