Metaphors of the string quartet: Constructs for small group development.
Item
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Title
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Metaphors of the string quartet: Constructs for small group development.
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Identifier
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AAI9732964
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identifier
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9732964
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Creator
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Robinson, Howard Todd.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Irwin Epstein
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Date
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1997
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Industrial and Labor Relations | Psychology, Social | Language, General
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Abstract
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This study is an exploratory, qualitative inquiry into small group development using professional string quartets as exemplars of self-directing, task-oriented work groups. Informants representing 23 quartets ranging from formative to mature stages of career development were interviewed, individually and in groups, to collect qualitative data for analysis using the "constant comparative method" established by Glaser and Strauss (1967). Metaphors describing the nature and purpose of the quartet were inductively derived from interviews and organized into five unique theoretical categories that define discrete and contrasting world views for the group as a whole. These five metaphor constructs--Sacred Quest, Market, Growth, Marriage, and Tao--prescribe distinctly different goals, tasks, and developmental pathways for the group.;This study discovered, as well, that members of the same quartet may invoke contrasting metaphor categories while establishing group norms and setting group goals. This discovery is analyzed from a functionalist, open-systems perspective. Although the presence of contrasting metaphors within one group increases the potential for internal group conflict, different metaphors provide a varied and useful repertoire of group response to environmental change. Multiple metaphors, therefore, may be utilized to facilitate a better "goodness-of-fit" between a group and its situational context. A non-directive model for group intervention using metaphors indigenous to the group is constructed to empower group members in metaphor management.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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D.S.W.
