Groups – what they give, what they take, and what we make of them

Hear this blog post read aloud:

In our last Stories of Our Lives session, we turned our attention to the idea of groups – the ones we’re part of, the ones we’ve left, and the ones that have shaped us along the way. The conversation was a little shorter than usual because it was also our annual feedback session, but it was still a really rich and thoughtful exchange.

Some of the words that came up were belonging, identification, enjoyment, motivation, community, thought-provoking, lifeline, values, clauses, contribution, shared power, expression, consensus, and dynamic. They capture so much of what groups can offer – and sometimes, what they can challenge in us too.

Being part of a group isn’t always easy, and it isn’t always positive. But here at Stories of Our Lives, we keep working to make this a space where people feel included, valued, and able to express themselves in their own way.

Tony has written a lovely piece inspired by our discussion, which you’ll find below. If you have some experiences or thoughts on groups, please comment on the post to share them!

Tony Goulding

The latest session was a slightly truncated one, however, there was time for a lively discussion on the significance of groups.

I reflected on how the intrinsic nature of their collectiveness provides both benefits and drawbacks.

Membership of a group offers greater resources for assistance.  Also, as the relationship is with the group, not one individual, it can confer continuity of that support. A vital asset of various self-help groups.

Unfortunately, sometimes a group can negate its members’ individuality and with that, personal responsibility for their actions. Thus, leading them to engage in reckless or outrageous behaviour that they would otherwise not consider.  This is most apparent in the actions of riotous mobs and is also evident within football hooliganism.

Another interesting point of discussion was the changes in society that were already happening but were vastly intensified by the impact of the Covid pandemic. The combined effect of these, resulting in people living more solitary lives, as increasingly more activities are completed online.  The long-term effect of these changes, especially as regards to mental health, may prove to be problematic.

Perhaps significantly, members of our “Stories of Our Lives” group have opted to return to fully face-to-face meetings.