In all these cases, we strive to fully release the possibilities in the situation. To omit this is to exclude the central element which is the most distinct identity of the church. Theologians can be reminded of the dangers of institutionalism and the correct use of bureaucracy.
This dynamic unity of person and group is also reflected in the conclusions of the behavioral research. Edward LeRoy Long, Jr., The Role of the Self in Conflict and Struggle (The Westminster Press, 1963), p.
Personal Growth and Social Change by Harvey Seifert and Howard J. Clinebell, Jr
Resistances, Resources, and Realistic Models for Change
This is similar to the response of the patient in the back ward who insists, "I'm not here." Rogers places a strong emphasis on the reality and availability of the growth-learning drive in all persons. Critics of the educational establishment point to the institutionalized forms of resistance to change that are inherent in the system as it currently functions.
To a great extent, modern man has harnessed technology to defend the status quo. The participation model to be chosen depends on the nature of the situation and the purpose to be.
Perspectives and Procedures for Stimulating Growth
The changes desired by the change agent must be related to the needs and expectations of the change client. Counseling starts with the "problem presented" and relates the counselor's different perception of the problem to the person's perception. Reduce resistance to change through awareness and appreciation of the person's fears of change.
This realization and recognition that resistances are functional in the psychic economy of the rebel provides clues to constructive responses. Methods that lead to the satisfaction of needs—such as the need for esteem, status, acceptance, a sense of power, or achievement—have built-in positive rewards.
Personal Growth and Social Change by Harvey Seifert and Howard J. Clinebell, Jr
The Process of Growth and Change
Jeremiah's was stimulated by a series of seminars on the problems of the community, sponsored by the church's committee on social affairs. This is one of the difficulties in maintaining motivation in the prophetic thrust, since any success in most important matters can be long delayed. In addition to the spontaneous stabilization that takes place after the tipping point, it is the task of the change agent to develop strategies for the structuralization of growth.
Internal change agents, who are part of the democratic group process, continue to have a key function. This self-other-God consciousness releases otherwise unused aspects of man's fantastic potentials. This is "one of the most central, intense and change-producing" factors in such group experiences.
This helps the person to grow in understanding the nature of the crisis and its causes. A first goal might be to secure early adoption of their program through the municipality's democratic processes. Incidentally, the National Council of Churches was one of the first major groups to publicly address the issue.
Understanding the problem involves becoming aware of the family's self-destructive patterns of communication and relationships. With such generalization and stabilization, the dominant new characteristic of the family is the constant growth of relationships. For a description of lay pastoral ministry, see Clinebell, Basic Types of Pastoral Counseling, Ch.
Communication That Facilitates Growth and Change
Sullivan observed that the capacity for empathy -- the ability to resonate emotionally with others -- is established in the close bond of the infant-mother relationship. Freud noted the central role of the unconscious (Hall's "informal") in changing individuals. Adults may use the term awkwardly without awareness of the nuances it carries for youth.
Selective inattention is an automatic process of screening out most of the stimuli one is bombarded with. By communicating trust, the counselor helps the person learn or relearn trust -- first in the counselor, then in himself and others. The police chief, who was skeptical of the project at first (and made snide comments about "talkative sociologists") is happy with it.
TV can make presidents now, and may soon do relatively superficial bases -- eg. the sex or security appeal of his "image". In opposition to this, the creative citizen should "listen" to a candidate's voting record rather than be swayed by what Congressman John Brademas calls the "calculated ambiguity of political expression."44. Research by social psychologists Weiss and Fine has shown that "a communication's effectiveness is facilitated if there is some correspondence between the disposition of the audience and the appeals made in the communication."48 Only through systematic pastoral care and small group activities can keep a minister connected with the thoughts, hopes and fears of his people. Social psychologists Hovland, Janis, and Kelley have shown that "two-sided communication is more effective in the long run when. the audience is exposed to subsequent counterpropaganda or when. the audience initially disagrees with the position being advocated."50 Two-sided communication. was found to be particularly important with better educated groups.
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "it is not enough to give the Christian message dogmatically correctly; nor general ethical principles; a concrete lesson in a concrete situation is needed."54 We thank the approach of these authors for many of the stated principles. Nonconformity results in pressure to reduce it by changing our ideas or our evaluation of the person.
Principles of Leadership
In its extreme form, laissez-faire leadership takes no initiative and allows members of the group to do as they please without guidance or coordination. The leader speaks only when his help is requested and then tries to reflect what he believes to be the group members' attitudes. A final leadership variable to consider in determining which style is appropriate is the unique personalities of the leader and group members.
The different sides of the leader's personality are like the strings of his leadership fiddle. Another common perversion of the democratic process is the submission of detailed plans from above before the group has formulated general guiding principles. The time for detailed planning is after, not before, the group discussion of the general idea.
In performing this function, the leader must simultaneously stand within the group and also in front of the group. One must win a leadership position by worthy support for the group's current program. One of the most difficult dilemmas facing any leader is how far forward to move.
Subjects tend to shift their ratings toward the confederate, but only through a certain range of discrepancies. Therefore, reform groups must stay as far ahead of the moderates as possible to make the maximum impression. See Sidney Verba's statement of his hypothesis of small group participation and political behavior (Princeton University Press, 1961), p.
The Creative Management of Conflict
Peace is a characteristic of the time when all people will have ascended the mountain of God. By definition, conflict is a competitive process in which each party tries to establish a position that is clearly incompatible with the wishes of the other. A further contribution provides a theological understanding of the possibilities in the human situation and of God's purposes for his people.
Yet this should never obscure the recognition that ethically this is a concession to the imperfections of the situation. In many circumstances, it is as much the church's job to provoke conflict as it is to resolve it. If a reformer can make his opponent overreact, he wins more of the public to the side of reform.
A recommendation to parties in labor management disputes is that they build power in a way that minimizes the threat to the other party's fundamental position of power. Christian groups always have superordinate goals - devotion to God as revealed in Christ, growth in the life of love, or devotion to the important enterprise of the church. Conflict between the church and elements in the community will also be expected when one theologically understands the nature of the church.
If the church is to contribute at all to shaping the future, it must in some respects live as one. These new leaders appealed mainly to the passions of those most alienated and least accepting of the rule of law. On the other hand, one should not spend so much time answering every accusation that he endangers the positive program of the church.
Constructive Uses of Power
Even in the coercive sense of the term "power" there is no complete dichotomy between. In addition to the top elite and intervening elite, there is another influential group of opinion makers. The influence of the mass media seems to be exerted to a large extent through opinion makers.
The opinion leader then plays a relay role in conveying the media's fuller message to the people. In light of the pluralism of elites, which leaders are accepted by large subgroups in society. This is part of the laymen's professional witness, which should also be recognized as a service to the church.
Church leaders can make the most of their position as members of the intervening elite. Given the reality of the power structure, the number of opinion leaders must be multiplied. The rediscovery of the primary group points to what has been a peculiar province of the Church.
It did not release the power of the small group for personal or social change. This requires deep acceptance of the fact that political action is not a dirty business. Active discussion of the kind in which the church should be involved will increasingly produce this kind.
