Group Process Observations

Sample Paper

Group #1: S.C.A.L.E.S. Group Meeting

 

Leader: Today’s group meeting will focus on sexual health, intimacy, and relationships. To start, we will be talking about the different types of things which people use in their intimate relationships, or with themselves. What are some of the things which could fall under this category?

Member 1: Well, condoms and lubricants seem pretty obvious. (gets cut off by member 2)

Member 2: Yeah, those are really obvious, but some other things that people may use to enhance their intimate relationships could be sextoys, or other aides. Like, handcuffs, rope, hot wax, a riding crop, or if it’s with yourself a dildo or vibrator.

Member 3: I don’t know about you guys, but my partner and I are pretty new to everything, and we’ve started experimenting with little things, like blindfolds, and handcuffs.(blushes)

Leader: Well, there’s nothing wrong with being new to something; we’re all here because we were interested in the discussion topic. Member 1, you mentioned using condoms and lubricants, does everyone understand the basics that condoms and lubricants?

Member 1: For condoms and lubricants, the basic rules are that latex condoms need to be used with water based lubricants. Silicone lubricants and latex condoms should never be used together, because it deteriorates the condoms. Also, it’s really important to note that flavored condoms aren’t meant for penetrative sex.

Member 4: I’ve used flavored condoms for sex. I don’t see the problem with this.

Member 1: But flavored condoms usually have a certain flavor and sweetness to them, can you imagine the havoc that that could wreak on ones vagina, it’d like throw off the PH levels and whatnot.

Member 5: It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. At least you’re using condoms, which is the responsible thing to do.

Member 1: This is true, I guess member 4 is using condoms, but I think she may want to consider using other condoms if she is having sex with her partner, and they are available.

Leader: So, how do you guys feel about using lubricants?

Member 4: Well, obviously, lubricants are god’s gift to both women and men. I mean, like I don’t have problems getting wet… but if we’re going for a really long time, sometimes we end up using some. If we’re having unprotected sex, I’ll still use a water based lube with my partner, I think that silicone based lubes are more sticky.

Member 6: I’ve heard some pretty crazy stories about things that have been used as lube for my friends. One of my friends said that in a “jam” him and his partner used toothpaste, or lotion. Some people use KY jelly for anal sex. I don’t know, I feel like some people don’t know enough about sex before they actually start engaging in it, and that makes me sad. I was getting intimate with my partner for the first time downstairs, and he seemed to think that it was perfectly fine to use hand soap as lubricant. I quickly paused things so I could run upstairs and grab the lube.

Member 4: What’s wrong with that? (All other members, including the leader cringe).

Member 1:  Haven’t you ever showered and possibly gotten soap up just a bit too far in your vagina? Ouch, no thank you. Consistent with the PH level it’s just a horrible idea.

Leader: I have to say that soap probably wasn’t meant for use as a lubricant. It sounds like Member 4 did the responsible thing in her decision to pause, and go grab a more suitable item. Ones vagina does seem to have a specific PH level.

Member 5: Okay, so I can stop cringing, lets get back to talking about lube, or something more pleasant.

Member 6: Like, okay. How about anal sex? Lubricant, that’s a must.

Member 4: Lube, yes, lots of lube. Lube usually is a must with anal plugs too.

Member 1: Yeah, honestly, I think that it’s easy to go wrong with sex toys. So many people buy them out of catalogs and stuff without actually having seen them. Personally, I want to physically see something that I’m going to be using intimately with myself or my partner. But back to anal plugs especially, I never buy them online; I always have to see them in person, because quite frankly, I’m really picky.

Leader: What does everyone else think? Would you want to physically see something that you’re going to be using with your partner or by yourself?

Member 4: Yes, I’d always want to see something before I buy it.I’m going to be using it… and well, frankly, things aren’t cheap.

Member 2: Damn right! Good toys aren’t cheap. I don’t even want to imagine tying my partner up with rope that I haven’t felt. It’d be wrong to use a riding crop I haven’t hit myself with any number of times in various places. I mean, yes it is possible that if you know the right person, you can trust them, and their ability to make things… but unless I know the maker in person, or trust their judgment, I’m not buying it.

Member 5: Yeah, if it’s going in me… even if it’s lubricant, I usually want to see what it feels like. I mean yeah, with a mask you can’t go wrong. But, if it’s something like nipple clamps, or a ball gag I want to actually see and feel them. I mean, I don’t ask to try on the nipple clamps, but you guys know what I mean.

Member 3: When we went to go buy handcuffs for the first time, my partner and I had both had a discussion before we went. Did we want the fuzzy ones, the metal ones, or the ones that are more comfortable and made out of fabric.

Member 6: Communication is important, especially if you’re trying out something new for the first time. Like, I have books about stuff, and I always show my partner things before I go get stuff for it, or before we try something new. We’re really open with each other.

Leader: I think you guys make very valid points. It is really important to talk to your partner, be open, and communicate.

Member 4: I bought the book “Tickle His Pickle”, and read it, and I learned a lot. But everything is with cartoon diagrams, which suffice, but it’s not the same as one would expect it to be. There are things in there… dear god. No. Just, it’d never happen. I was talking to my partner, and we looked over the book together. He was like, “yes”, “hell yes”, “please”, “no”, and “if you do that, be prepared to be hit”. Back to my point though. I think that it’s always important to discuss these things with your partner.

Member 1: Yeah, honestly, I think that people need to talk things over with their partners. It’s part of trust, it’s obviously part of good communication, it’s part of building that bond. Yes, you can just have a quick fuck, if that’s what you’re into and I’m not judging you if you are, but even then, I think it’s important to talk things over with your partner.

Member 6: Well, it’s obvious;at least it was for me, that hand soap is not a good idea for a lube. But my partner, he seemed okay with it. It was important that him and I had that bond, that I felt comfortable saying “no, let me go get this really quick”. Or, like for the first time, when he said that he wanted to tie me up, blindfold me, and do xyz… (pause). We had a talk about it, he trusted me enough to bring it up. He wanted us to try and work it out, I wanted to please him, but I had to figure out what I was comfortable with. We had to work within those confines of our relationship. We managed to find a happy medium though, and I’m glad that we talked about it, before he tried to surprise me and actually do xyz.

Member 3: I don’t know I mean, I’m pretty “vanilla” compared to everyone, but at the same time, I mean I’m growing, I’m learning. I’m realizing what I want, what I do want, and what I may want.  Today I want this, tomorrow I want to try that, in the future, down the road, when I trust my partner enough maybe I will want to be tied to the bed posts, gagged, and well… completely at my partners mercy. But that dialogue has to happen first. I have to trust them enough. We have to develop that rapport. I don’t know how to do it, but I’ll figure it out eventually.

Member 2: I see where you’re coming from. The first time, when I began fantasizing about being my partners “slave”, or I wanted my partner to spank me (pauses)… I had to take a second, I had to test the waters. I was afraid of rejection, I was afraid of him thinking that I might be a freak, or that I had daddy issues, or something (pauses). I don’t know. We have boundaries, we had boundaries then. But we have less boundaries then than we have right now. It’s trust. You need to have that trust with your partner. I don’t know, we began by talking about the people running around campus with dog collars. I asked him what he thought about that first, it kinda opened the dialogue. I started finding porn that was a bit more tailored to what I was interested in, and we watched it, we discussed it. I think that was how we built this relationship. I know that we will have different interests. Sometimes one of us will want something, and the other person won’t be comfortable with it, but we talk about these things. I wish you good luck in going through this process with your partner Member 3. I wish everyone luck. It’s not easy, it’s stressful, it’s scary sometimes. But you learn a lot about yourself in the process.

Member 5: Give yourself some time. It’ll get there. Trust yourself. It’s a process. It takes time. I don’t know, my partner and I have a good relationship, but it takes time.

Member 4: I don’t know, do you guys have any opinions on anal sex? Have you guys done it? I’ve heard that anal sex doesn’t work the same for men as women, because our intestines are shaped differently, or our anal sphincter’s aren’t designed similarly.

Leader: Um, last I checked, our sphincter’s are similar. Our intestines are similar, we all… well, we have similar body parts. Men have a prostate though. Well, our opinions on anal sex aren’t necessarily relevant to you, but everyone should feel free to share.

Member 2: I think that there’s nothing wrong with anal sex, or butt plugs, but these things take time. They take communication. It’s not something that can be rushed the first handful of times. The body has to adjust, to become accustomed to everything; you have to be comfortable with it. Sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board and figure out where things went wrong. Sometimes you have to communicate with your partner, in the middle of what is going on. Sometimes it kills the mood. Sometimes you have to deal with feeling like you’ve let your partner down, when you really haven’t.  It all comes back to the communication bit.

Member 1: I second that. Time, communication, trust. Don’t expect everything to come over night. You have to work for it, you have to push through that discomfort stage, and see if there really is that orgasmic reward at the end. Sometimes, you may need that extra stimulation somewhere to make everything work. Guys have the prostate, which may make receiving anal sex more physiologically compatible for them. They may enjoy it more for that reason. But that varies.

Member 5: Time. Communication. Trust, but these things have already been said. I’m not about to beat a dead horse, but you could always look up some educational resources on anal sex, if you need some help with it, I can help you.

Leader: If you guys had to give someone new to the lifestyle some sort of advice for their relationship with their partner, or personal wellbeing, what would it be?

Member 4: Keep an open mind. Know yourself, but know that it’s okay to feel however you feel at the time. You need to know what you actually need. You need a partner whose willing to respect your boundaries. My first couple of partners…. (pause) they didn’t necessarily fall into that category. I learned from it though.

Member 3: I honestly don’t know, I’m really new to all of this. But I’d say that you can’t be ashamed of your wants and needs.I know we’ve discussed the R.A.C.K. and safety stuff. I got a lot out of that.

Member 6: I know that it’s really important to respect boundaries, like Member 4 has said. But at the same time, it may be important to realize why you have those boundaries. Know those triggers, know those limits, and know what squicks yourself out. At the same time. Don’t be afraid to welcome the discomfort, and at times push past it. Some things may not be your kink, but respect people who have those things as kinks.

Member 1: Just be yourself. Don’t feel like you have anything to prove. Don’t move to fast, don’t feel like you have to be the biggest “pain slut”, or that you’re not “dom enough” or “sub enough”. Slow down. Enjoy it. Don’t feel afraid to tell your partner to stop, pause, or use a safe word.

Member 2: I agree with the communication. I guess I’d say that if you don’t know what is fun, do some research. If you’re going to it, you need education though. Don’t just jump into something; unless you’ve done a bit of research, you need to be safe.

Member 5: Guys, I’ve got to go. See you next week.

Everyone: Bye.

Leader: It looks like that’s about time to go guys. Not to rush everyone, but we need to leave soon. That’s probably a great place to wrap up. We’ll continue where we left off. If you need any resources for other topics, feel free to get in contact with me, and I’ll do my best to help you.

 

Group 2 Process Notes- Gamers Guild Meeting

 

Leader/Vice President:Okay, guys, I’m going to start the meeting. We have several orders of business. First, and most obviously, our president is not here, so I’m filling in. So, well behave and listen. This meetings topics are as follows.

• The meeting with student government to learn about the new poster route thing. I still need two people to come to this, if I haven’t gotten people already.
• Second, Gencon, if you’re coming, I need to see you after the meeting. Wait, well, I’ll just do that now. In the next couple of weeks, the President and I are going to go defend the proposal and allocation request for Gencon.We need the money for badges and hotels probably by the end of the month. We need to get his taken care of so that we can decide whose all going, sleeping arrangements, and cars etc. (after this statement, several members make smart ass comments about the necessity of using Facebook.)
• Third, Black Ops tournament, we’re having one in mid-April. I’m hoping that we could possibly charge a small entrance fee, get Sodexo to cater, and then maybe donate that entry fee to a community organization, as well as use part of it to buy a prize. It would look really good for the organization if we could get something going. The last Black Ops tournament went fairly well, as most of you who attended remembered.
• The lock in that was supposed to happen last week, and was cancelled due to the snow is going to be rescheduled, and they will probably ask us to help out again. I know some of you were looking forward to it.
• We are currently looking into working on a Magic the Gathering competitive tournament, and we’ll need judges. Those of you who are interested in watching, not playing, and don’t want to feel guilty about doing so, contact me.
• I’m going to talk to the university about the policy on lock ins. The president and I were discussing possibly having a lock in, somewhere in the MU, and I thought we could play games all night. This will probably take place at the end of March if all goes according to plan.
• Membership requirements, you guys need to get those taken care of, so you can get some of the funding to go to Gencon.

I now open the floor for new business, does anyone have any? (Leader notes silence…) Okay guys, I’m going to head out, then. Going once… going twice…. (Jack pipes up)

Jack:  I am currently considering running a 40K Warhammer RPG if anyone would like to join. Let me know, asap. (Mark, Trevor, and Jerry all perk up).

Jeff: I am currently working with Math Club, and if anyone needs community service hours, we are having middle school girls come for a math event. We need people to help with math exploration. You can sign up for one, two, or three hour shifts. Let me know if you are interested (Member makes a smart ass comment.)

Leader: By the way guys, we all need community service hours as a requirement of being a member this would be an easy way to get some. Also, I forgot to mention something about the magic club. I contacted the President of the Magic Club, and I haven’t been able to get into contact with him. He’s probably not interested, or something. I don’t know what’s going on.

Trevor: I know the guy. He’s not so bad, he’s just a bit flakey. He hates technology, and he’s difficult to reach sometimes. If you need me to talk to him for you, I’m fine with that.

Leader: I’m not saying he’s a bad guy, just that I’d like to get in contact with him. Can you just ask him to check his email next time you see him.

Trevor: Will do.

Christian:  I was wondering if everyone wanted to get together and have a warhammer tournament in SchillingerLounge. You guys usually haphazardly show up, and nobody knows what’s going on, or what the point buy is. Just, we could be more organized.

(Nate,Jack,andTrevor all perk up.)

Leader: I could always rent out a room for you guys to use to have the tournament. It’d be more tables, a nicer space, and possibly able to hold more people. (Christian interrupts leader.)

Christian: Just not on the floor guys. Really, that’s a pain in the butt, and I feel all hunched over, or like I’m five. Not again.

(Mark,Jack,Nate, Jerry, Christian, Nick and Trevor all talk at the same time for like five minutes. All others look around trying to listen to the one closest to them. Leader looks unamused and annoyed.)

Nate: You guys, we should just have the VP get us a room, that way we don’t have to worry about the floor or the tables, it’ll be nicer, we can stay longer, and we won’t get interrupted. It’s a win win.

Leader: that’s fine with me guys. Just, let’s move on, and we can get the fine details worked out later sometime.

(Mark,Jerry,Trevor,Derek, Christian and Nick all start talking simultaneously the leader looks unamused.)

Leader: Okay, when wouldn’t work for you guys?

Trevor: Not first Friday, I have drill. How about the second Saturday in March? That would be amazing.

Leader: Okay, I’ll see what I can get booked at such short notice, and then post it to facebook. Also, on facebook, we will be having a listing of a garage sale items amongst members.

(Everyone in the group starts talking… the leader gets up, as does his girlfriend who  pushes in chair, is about to leave the room. Everyone notices this, and stops talking.)

Leader: Also, everyone, you need to get your hours in by the end of the semester. We will be having elections, here are your requirements. You must attend four meetings each semester, pay $5 in dues, do ten hours of community service, and actually participate. That is all.

(Leader leaves, everyone starts talking.)

 

Reflection:

For my group process observation, I chose two very different groups Gamers Guild and Safe Consensual Alternative Lifestyles Education and Support (SCALES).  Gamers Guild met for a specific reason to discuss business, to get things done, to make sure the “community” knew what was going to transpire. It gave people an opportunity to meet afterwards and play, discuss, run, or brainstorm different games. The SCALES meeting I attended seemed to have more of a support group mentality. They had a leader whose goal is to provide education and support to its members. If I had to categorize this group into either a content or process group, I would probably choose a content group.

While I think that both types of groups are incredibly important resources for people on campus, and each has its specific purpose. Gamers Guild helps pull people together with a common interest and facilitates a social aspect of life, whereas SCALES focuses a lot on the educational and support aspect. I think that Gamer’s Guild was a very good example of a cohesive group. Everyone seemed comfortable with each other. Each member seemed fully there with the group, and unafraid to disclose. I think that the president of the group, who was also the “leader” who guided the discussion, did a wonderful job with guiding the conversation when necessary.

As far as group dynamics are concerned, I admittedly found that they were very different between the two groups. Gamers Guild seemed to have very different dynamics because there were probably 15-20 members present, but very few chose to speak up. The group dynamics appeared to have been “thrown off” because the president was not present. This placed the vice president in the position of being “in charge”, and I think he did a decent job. Honestly, having known both the President and the Vice President for a year, I think that it is interesting that the President is able to run through business without people talking to each other and “ruining the flow of the meeting”.  The President rules with an “iron fist”, nobody speaks over him, nobody interrupts or cuts him off.  The Vice President, amusingly enough is a pretty “alpha male” type, and it seems interesting that instead of responding with confusion and frustration when people spoke over him, he seemed relatively comfortable with it. Well yes, he was annoyed, but it didn’t seem to bother him as much as I personally would have expected.

Another contrasting factor between the two groups was the actual “makeup” of the groups. While the membership of Guild is predominantly male, with 20 males and 4 or 5 females, I admit that this influences the group mentality. Yes, while the guys occasionally make sexist remarks (which occurred after the meeting, while games were being played), the females seem to do a pretty good job on holding their own, and keeping the guys in their place. Being a member of this group, I think that there’s a mentality that “boys will be boys”, but none of the girls are harassed, made fun of, or left feeling uncomfortable. The guys seem to look after the girls, and the girls stick up for themselves.  The membership of SCALES in comparison was predominantly female (four females, two males, and a female leader), the group seemed just as functional, and the males in the group seemed unabashed to this difference, and not as conscious to this fact as the girls in Gamers Guild.

I think that there was a more supportive atmosphere in SCALES, but that is to be expected. The way that conflict or disagreement was handled was rather democratically, in both instances the differences in opinion were respected, or in the case of SCALES used as opportunities for educative purposes. Overall, I think that this assignment made me more aware of specific group dynamics. The Gamers Guild seemed to have a wide variety of cliques, but these usually do not seem to cause conflict. After taking process notes, I realized the patterns of people talking, how different members usually speak together, and how the Vice President handles conflict.

 

Last Completed Projects

Are you looking for a similar paper or any other quality academic essay? Then look no further. Our research paper writing service is what you require. Our team of experienced writers is on standby to deliver to you an original paper as per your specified instructions with zero plagiarism guaranteed. This is the perfect way you can prepare your own unique academic paper and score the grades you deserve.

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]