Symposium--psychiatric education.

Abstract

The process of learning in groups, as exemplified by the author's experience in a multidiscipline conference on a surgical ward of a general hospital has been examined. A sequence of six developmental states has been identified: initial ambivalence; passive receptivity; resistance; task orientation; the work group and consolidation. These findings have been compared with those of other studies dealing with sequential stages in group development. The psychiatric consultant's role in expediting these phases and some of the difficulties encountered have been mentioned.