Ukraine 07 2009 Konst

ЛАСКАВО ПРОСИМО!
Development of self-help movement in Ukraine
Kiev, 02.-05.07.2009

Dr. Konstantin Ingenkamp
Volkssolidarität LV Berlin e.V.

Selbsthilfe-Treffpunkt
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg

History and development of self-
help in Germany and the work of a
self-help clearing house in Berlin


About me and VS
• Dr. Konstantin Ingenkamp,
sociologist and social therapist for
elderly people
• Born 1965 in Bonn, FRG, since
1988 in Berlin
• Since 2000 professional supporter
of self-help for “Volkssolidarität”
• Volkssolidarität is an East-German
and typical GDR-welfare
organization founded 1945
• Cooperation with BORIS since
2003, cooperation with GURT
since 2007 („Development of self-
help groups in Ukraine“)


Self-Help is Different

• Different concepts of self-help (see discussion on
wikipedia.com)

• Typical and different features for each
country, tradition, history and community
• Different methods


Content
• History and histories of self-help
• Theoretical background of self-help
• Self-help in Germany
• Self-help in Berlin
• Self-help in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
• Selbsthilfe-Treffpunkt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
• Group dynamics and “rules”
• Why do we have this “rules”?


History and histories of self-help
• What is not our kind of self-help?
• Fundamental philosophical backgrounds; history as a
history of self-help
• Early social work
• Alcoholics Anonymous – the first self-help group?
• History of self-help as a part of history of psychiatry
• Self-help clearing houses
• History of self-help clearing houses in Germany and West-
Berlin
• Economic backgrounds of the institutionalization of self
help
• Latest trends


This is not exactly our subject:

Samuel Smiles, Scottish author,
(1812-1904) published the first self-
consciously personal-development "self-
help" book — entitled Self-Help — in
1859. Its opening sentence: "Heaven helps
those who help themselves", provides a
variation of "God helps them that help
themselves", the oft-quoted maxim that also
appeared previously in Benjamin Franklin´s
Poor Richard´s Almanach (1733 - 1758).

Anthropological and philosophical backgronds of
mutual self-help in groups and help to self-help

• The human organism is by nature a “being of
deficits” (Mängelwesen A. Gehlen 1956) and
social culture has developed or emerged in part to
deal specifically with biological deficits.
• Organisation in primitive tribes in stone age
• Platons cave-allegory and Sokratic conversation
are examples for „help for self-help“


Self organizing in history
• Founding of universities like the Platonic
Academy
• Founding of guilds (Zünfte) in the middle age
• Bourgeoise Revolutions
• Development of civil society
• Founding of political parties, trade unions etc
• Communist or Proletarian Revolutions
• Civil Right Revolutions
• Etc.


Settlement movement as a forerunner of
institutionalized support of self-help
• The settlement movement was a liberal reformist social
movement, peaking around the 1920s in England and the
US, with a goal of getting the rich and poor in society to
live more closely together in an interdependent
community. Its main object was the establishment of
"settlement houses" in poor urban areas, in which
volunteer middle-class "settlement workers" would live,
hoping to share knowledge and culture with, and alleviate
the poverty of, their low-income neighbours.
• After world war II this tradition came to West-Germany


History of Alkoholic Anonymous
• 12.05.1935: (other versions: 10.06.1935) Foundation
of Alkoholics Anoymous
• But: „Who is alkoholic has to recognize that he can
not help himselves. Only a „greater power than
oneselfes“ can help (Blue book of AA)
• AAs and related groups try through prayer and
meditation to „improve our conscious contact with a
power greater than ourselves“
• The Aim: „ Having a spiritual awekening of the
twelve steps“

History of self-help-support as a part of
history of psychiatry
• Self-help in groups has its roots in group psychotherapy
• In 1939 British military psychiatrist Joshua Bierer started in the hospital
Runwell by London to organize patients in groups
• He had success especially with traumatized soldiers (shell shock).
• In December 1943 Bierer reports in „Proceedings of the Royal Society of
Medicine about in experiment: The experiment took the form of helping
patients to run self-govered clubs… The clubs meet weekly and are
run democratically by the patients themselves
(http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2181093

• Results: In any club people tend to lose their shyness and develop their
initiative
• Bierer thought that classical psychoanalysis makes patients dependent from
the doctor. A group therapy helps the patients to become independent,
active and selfrelated and bring them to insight and stimulate them to
be involved in the process of healing, (Joshua Bierer: Group
Psychotherapie“ BMJ , 14. Febr. 1942, S. 216.)


The Official History of Self-Help Clearing
Houses
• In 1983 sociologist at WHO Stephen Hatch published an
expertise called „Self-help and Health in Europe: new
Approaches in Health Care“ (ISBN 92-890-1016-9)
• In this he recommends to support self-help groups by a
generalist support system and explicit not by a specialist
support system.
• And to support at a local level ... to be able quickly and
easily to make face to face contacts with group members,
professional workers and so on.
• The name for this institutions is „clearing houses for self-
help" (in Germany: Self-help contact and information centre)


West-German and „western society“
history
• After the socialistic inspired 1968 riots there were a lot of new
social movements politically active (movements for peace,
emancipation, alternative health, squatters, until to terrorists)
• In the 80s alternative people recognized that it is not easy to
change society (expierence with reaction to terrorisms), so
they decide to change themselves
• Green parties/movements were founded. Ecology and beeing
healthy in an insane environment was now more important
than socialism
• This new „Ecosocialism“ was compatible to subsidarity – a
more conservative principle of organizing social welfare


History of self-help in West-Berlin
• Special situation in the 80s in West-Berlin (with a new
founded and strong ecosocialist „green“ Party)
• A lot of alternative people lived in West-Berlin (no
military service), and there were a lot of squatted houses
• On the other hand: West-Berlin was the „showcase of the
free west“ with a lot of subventions
• Alternative people wantet to participate in this wealth
• State wanted to control alternative scene
• In this context: 1983 foundation (better: legalization) of
Sekis (the 1. clearing house in Germany) (in a squatted
hospital) in Berlin financed by the state of Berlin (divide et
impera!)


History from an political and economical
point of view
• Institutionalized self-hep is a result of a change in funding
strategies concerning welfare of the state and communities
• Since the middle of the 70s: End of the expansion of welfare
state (begin of the emerge of neoliberalism) (M. Thatcher: there is no society there are
only individuals)

• Distribution conflicts between the classical big welfare
organizations and state, federal states and communities
• Self-help groups and small associations becomes officially
recognized because of its potential savings. (and their
idealistic tendency toward self exploitation)
• Motto: Participation instead of care
• Marxist criticism: Redistribution from bottom to top


Self- help and Volunteering
• The latest trend in German policy is support of civic
engagment
• The support of civic engagement is seen as a
contribution against individualization and the
„breakup of sciety“
• Non-health-related self-help becomes more and more
a part of civic engagment
• Health related self-help becomes more and more
organized by big associations of chronicle ill people
like cancer-associations, diabetes-assoc., rheumatism-
assoc. Selbsthilfe-Treffpunkt

Very latest History: Big Pharma and Self-
Help
• Pharma companies are interested in self-help
groups an finance them. The aim: to make their
products more popular
• Self-help groups get instrumentalized by pharma
companies
• Pharma companies invent diseases (“sissy
syndrome”) or make diseases more popular
(“ADHS”) and therefore they use self-help groups


Theorical background of self-help
support

• Empowerment (political)
• Salutogenesis (health-related)
• Subsidarity(economic)


Empowerment
• Empowerment refers to increasing the political,
social or economic strength of individuals and
communities. It often involves the empowered
developing confidence in their own capacities
• Sociological empowerment often addresses
members of groups that social discrimination
processes have excluded from decision-making
processes through - for example - discrimination
based on disability, race, ethnicity, religion, illness
or gender.


Salutogenesis
• Salutogenesis is a term coined by Aaron Antonovsky, a
Professor of Medical Sociology.
• The term describes an approach focusing on factors that
support human health and well-being, rather than on
factors that cause disease.
• In his theory, whether a stress factor will be either
pathogenic, neutral or salutary, depends on what he called
generalized resistance resources or "GRRs
• The "sense of coherence" is a theoretical formulation that
provides a central explanation for the role of stress in
human functioning.


The sense of coherence has three
components:
• Comprehensibility: a belief that things happen in an orderly and predictable
fashion and a sense that you can understand events in your life and reasonably
predict what will happen in the future.
• Manageability: a belief that you have the skills or ability, the support, the
help, or the resources necessary to take care of things, and that things are
manageable and within your control.
• Meaningfulness: a belief that things in life are interesting and a source of
satisfaction, that things are really worth it and that there is good reason or
purpose to care about what happens.
• Self-help in groups can help ill people to increase their “SoC” and to cope
better with their disease


Subsidarity: the big consensus
• The word subsidiarity is derived from the Latin word subsidiarius
(in reserve, secondary) and has its origins in Catholic social
teaching.
• What is „in reserve“ or „secundary“? The next higher level, the
state
• Subsidiarity is an organizing principle that matters ought to be
handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent
authority.
• The Oxford English Dictionary defines subsidiarity as the idea that
a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing
only those tasks which cannot be performed effectively at a more
immediate or local level. The concept is applicable in the fields of
government, political science, cybernetics, management.
• Subsidiarity is, ideally or in principle, one of the features of
federalism.
• The term was coinded by Pope Pius XI in a Enzyklika as an
alternative to communist and fascist thinking and their
superevelation of the state


Self-help in Germany


Facts and figures
• 319 Self-help clearing houses in Germany
• 89 in new federal states (Ex-GDR)
• German statutory health insurances support
self-help in 2006 with 27,5 Mill. Euro (by law)
• 0,39 Cent per insured person
• Self-help clearing houses get 5,3 Mill.
• Self-help groups and organizations get 22,2
Mill.
• The ministries of the federal states spend 11,4
Mill. Euro for support of Self-help clearing
houses

For Selbsthilfe-Treffpunkt
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg:
• Financed from the gouvernment of the state of Berlin with
86.000.- Euro
• And financed by stutory health insurances with 10.000.-
• 96.000.- Euro/year in sum for 2 salaries and rent and
everything
• Additional: European money, EFRE, 62.000 Euro for a
special project 2009/2010
• Self-help groups can get money from the statutory health
insurances very unbureaucratically (for German relations)
for
1. basis financing (for administration, 300-800 Euro/year)
2. project financing (Doctor´s lessons etc.)


Self-help in Germany: self help groups in old and new
federal states


Self-help organizations in the sectors health, psycho-social
and social


Self-help in Berlin


Offical tasks of self-help clearing houses („Contract
commnity centers“) in Berlin. Support of:
• Own-initative and self-help
• Volunteering/civil engagement
• Identification with community
• Social responsibility
• Active participation of citizens
• Communication (between generations, intercultural,
between social classes)
• Tolerance and respect
• Creativity, phantasy and cultural activities.


Berlin
• 3.415.742 inhabitants,
second biggest city in
EU
• 11 districts
• Capital City an federal
state
• Only German state with
ex-communist-party in
governement
• 38,5% of all children
live in households
which live from social
welfare
• In 51% of all
households lives only
one Person; (FRG:
38%)
• Divided city


Monitoring of social development of the city of Berlin

• „Index of
social status“
• Red: very
low
• Orange: low
• Blue: middle
• Green: high


• East-west inner city
district, 269.000
inhabitants, share of
migrants: 22,5%
• Average income of
households (netto):
1175.- (FRG: 2770.-)
• Unemployment rate
19,3% (March 09)
(Berlin: 14,1%)
• Only direct voted
„green“ deputy in
Bundestag
(parliament)
• Upward trend of
„Gentrification“


The neighborhood: QM Boxhagener Platz
1999-2006
•22.000 inhabitants
•Low social status
(but changing)
•Bad substance of
buildings without
modernization
(changing)
•Gentrification
•Attractive for
young people and
young tourists
•Traditionally lot of
punks

Gentrification in the community


Selbsthilfe-Treffpunkt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg


Selbsthilfe-Treffpunkt Friedrichshain-
Kreuzberg
• 66 self-help groups
• 8 consulting offers
• Ca. 10.000 Vistors/year
• 1416 counselings
• Financed from the gouvernment of the state of Berlin and
stutory health insurances (10%) (96.000.- Euro/year in sum)
• Part of community center Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
• Founded 1993, 2 full-time employees, 2 employee which are
financed from job center, volunteers
• Additional project (EFRE): „Kieztreff Interkulturell“ with a
volunteer-based newspaper
• Social coneling
• Cooperation with BORIS since 2003, cooperation with GURT
since 2007 („Development of self-help groups in Ukraine“)

Counseling offers
• Local exchange trading system
• Agency for volunteering in the community
• Social counseling (welfare for the unemployed
etc.)
• Legal advice
• Dating and relationship 50+
• Counseling in Russian language
• Support for parents of crying babies


Aktivitäten
1 Klöppeln Klöppeln (Koppenstr.) 2 Lfd. 5
2 Gedächtnistraining Gedächtnistraining (Koppenstr.) 2 Lfd. 6
3 Wandern Gemeinsam statt allein 8 Lfd. 18
4 Unternehmungen Singlegruppe 40 Jahre 2 Lfd. 5
5 Englisch Englisch für Anfänger (Koppenstr.) 12 Lfd. 15

6 Kreatives Gestalten Handarbeitsgruppe (Koppenstr.) 4 Lfd. 6
7 Klöppeln Klöppeln (Singerstr.) 2 Lfd. 8
8 Seidenmalen Seidenmalen (Koppenstr.) 2 Lfd. 5
9 Kreatives Schreiben Kreatives Schreiben (Kreuzberg) 4 6 4
Mon
1 Briefmarken sammeln Phila- die Briefmarkenfreunde 1 ate
Lfd. 6
0 (Koppenstr.)
1 Seniorensport Stuhlgymnastik (Koppenstr.) 4 Lfd. 10
1
1 Singen Singegruppe (Koppenstr.) 2 Lfd. 5
2
1 Tanzen Tanzkreis (Koppenstr.) 4 Lfd. 7
3
1 Gesellschaftsspiele Spielgruppe (Koppenstr.) 4 Lfd. 12
4
1 Straßenverkehr Verkehrserziehung (Koppenstr.) 2 Lfd. 10
5
1 Qi Gong Qi Gong (3 Gruppen) 12 Lfd. 40
7
1 Laufen (Joggen) Laufgruppe 8 Lfd. 5-15
8
1 Ortsgruppe Volkssolidarität VS OG 48 1 Lfd. 20
9
2 Literaturkurs Seniorenuniversität 2 10 40
0 Mon
2 Yoga Yoga 4 ate
Lfd. 6
1
2 Kreatives Gestalten Textilkreis 2 Lfd. 12
2
2 Französisch 4 1 6
3 Mon
2 Englisch Englisch 1 und 2 4 at
Lfd. 6
4

Soziales/Migranten

2 Arbeitslosigkeit SHG Ermutigungskreis 4 Lfd. 4
5
2 Ältere Menschen Seniorengruppe Kreuzberg 4 Lfd. 8
6
2 Tauschringtreffen Friedrichshainer Tauschring 4 Lfd. 10
7
2 Ältere Menschen Lebensbaum 8 Lfd. 9
8
2 Arbeitslosigkeit Existenzgründer 4 9 5
9 Mo
nate
3 Ältere Menschen Alleinstehende Senioren 8 Lfd. 10
0
3 Ältere Kooperation mit TRIAS 8 8
1 Menschen/Computerkurs Mo
nate
3 Montagsdemo Stadtteilkomitee Friedrichshain 1 Lfd.
2
3 Hund und Mensch Friedrichshainer Hundefreunde 1 Lfd.
3
3 Trauern Verband für weltliche Trauerkultur 1 Lfd. 6
4
3 Migranten aus Kamerun (2 Assocciation des Ressortissants du 1 Lfd. 12
5 Gruppen) NDE/A.R.M. Menou
3 Russischsprachige Russischsprachige Rheumagruppe 4 1 12
6 Rheumagruppe Jahr
3 weltliche Trauerkultur Verband für weltliche Trauerkultur 1 Lfd. 7
7
3 Studenten-TV auf OKB Xenon-TV 4 Lfd 5
8
3 DA Debtors Anonymous 2 5 5
9 Mo
nate
4 Anwalts- und Justizopfer 1 5 4
0 Mo
nate


Familie, Frauen, Männer

4 Frauen von homosexuellen Tangiert 1 Lfd. 3
1 Männern

4 Männer Ostkreuzmänner 4 Lfd. 9
2

4 Männer MRT(Kreuzberg) 4 Lfd. 5
3

4 Singletreffen Partnervermittlung 50+ 4 Lfd. 60
4


Gesundheitsbezogene Themen

4 Qi Gong 3 Kurse: Lfd. 40
5 12

4 Gesundheitstraining für Kooperation mit ALV 12 9
6 Arbeitslose Treffen

Krankheiten

4 Krebs Frauen nach Krebs 1 Lfd. 8
7

4 Prostatakrebs Prostatakrebs (Kreuzberg) 4 6
8 Mo
nate
4 Brustkrebs In Hohenschönhausen 1 Lfd.
9

5 Osteoporose Leben mit Osteoporose I 4 Lfd. 16
0

5 Polyneuropathie 2 3 2
1 Mo
nate
5 Chronische Schmerzen Chronische Schmerzen 4 Lfd. 8
2

5 Prostatakrebs „Betroffene beraten Betroffenen 8 (bis -
3 Jan
uar)
5 Parkinson Parkinson – Rat und Tat beim Skat 4 (bis 3
4 Mai
)
5 Apoplex Aphasiker (Praxis Friedrichshain) 4 Lfd. 4
5


Psychische Störungen und Erkrankungen

5 Messiesyndrom Anonyme Messies (im 4 Lfd. 15
6 Elternzentrum Kreuzberg)

5 Depression Mejusa; Reha 4 (bis 10
7 Mai
)

5 Angehörige Verbündete, Partner von sexuell 2 Lfd. 5
8 missbrauchten Frauen

5 Zwänge Zwangserkrankung 2 Lfd. 8
9


Sucht

6 Spielsucht Glücksspielsucht 4 Lfd. 8
0

6 Beziehungssucht CoDa (Co-Dependents 4 Lfd. 10
1 Anonymous)

6 Rauschmittelsucht NA (Narcotics Anonymous) 4 Lfd. 20
2 (Lausitzer Str.)

6 Anonyme Alkoholiker AA 4 Lfd. 20
3

6 Esssucht Esssucht 4 10 5
4 Mo
nate

6 Angehörige Drogenprobleme – Elternkreis 2 Lfd.
5

6 Alkoholsucht Brücke 4 10 6
6 Mo
nate


Beratung

6 Freiwilligenagentur Koop. mit NHU
7

6 Grünberatung Koop. mit Stadtteilausschuss
8 Kreuzberg

6 Sozialberatung Selbsthilfe-Initiative
9

7 Partnervermittlung Ehrenamtliches Angebot
0

7 Tauschring Ehrenamtliches Angebot
1

7 Rechtsberatung Rechtsanwalt
2

7 Beratung zu Selbsthilfe etc.
3 in russischer Sprache

7 Schreibabyambulanz Beratung für Eltern (Lausitzer Str.)
4


Relationship men-women

Männer
25%

Männer
Frauen

Frauen
75%


Age of visitors

71+
13%
20-30 20-30
61-70
31% 31-40
9%
41-50
51-60
51-60
6%
61-70
41-50 31-40 71+
25% 16%


Answers to the question: Did had contact to self-help
groups before you took part in your actual self-help
group ?

nein Ja Ja
50% 50% nein


I would like to lern more about Selbsthilfe-Treffpunkt
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and community center

kA Ja
17% 25%
Ja
Nein
kA
Nein
58%


Group dynamics and “rules” for groups
Groud dynamics is the study of groups, and also
a general term for group processes


Team development clock


Rules and methods for group work in Germany (Sekis)
Rules and methods serve to structure the conversation and course
of events in the group. They make it easier for everyone to
concentrate on a definite subject and his or her own concerns.
Application of the rules and methods differs from group to group
and also depends on the subject matter of the self help group.
Thus, for example, many self help groups in the area of addiction
work with rules different from those used by groups dedicated to
experiencing oneself or to dealing with a certain chronic illness.
Some self help groups work without established rules or only use
certain techniques and methods which appear to them to be
necessary for group work.


1. The beginning and end of each session are determined in
advance.
The members know when the group work begins and can prepare
themselves for presenting their concerns during this time. Punctual
beginning and end of the sessions are important for this reason.


2. Everyone speaks about himself and not about
others.
As a matter of principle, every member speaks about himself –
about his or her thoughts, feelings, experience, hopes and
expectations. Of course, one cannot avoid speaking about
relatives, friends and others who play an important part in one’s
life; nevertheless, the group’s attention should be directed to
oneself.
Also, nothing should be said about group members when they are
not present!


3. Group communication problems have priority
Interrupt the conversation if for any reason you are not really
able to participate in it. For example, you might be bored,
annoyed or for some other reason not be able to concentrate on
the conversation. Such an “absent” member loses the chance to
develop himself in the group and the group also loses the benefit
of this member’s presence. When the problem has been set aside,
the interrupted conversation is resumed, or it may be that first
another subject is discussed because it is currently more
important for the group and was possibly raised by the
interruption itself.
It takes courage to apply this rule, but this rule is very important
and promotes the feeling of togetherness within the group.


4. How am I doing today?
At the beginning of their meetings, many groups ask about the
current problems and moods of the members (e.g. including fears
which are brought to the session). The group first goes over these,
even though another subject was actually planned. This approach
gives the individual a feeling of togetherness and being understood.


5. Snapshot
Every person receives the opportunity to say something short (at most 2 minutes)
about a certain subject, situation or current mood. These statements are not
discussed; indeed, nobody makes any comments about them at all!
The snapshot can be applied at the beginning, during or at the end of a group
meeting, as well as in group situations in which a lack of clarity prevails.
A snapshot can serve to:
clarify diffuse situations between the members,
depict the current personal situation of the members
to express one’s own feelings and moods
to present expectations, needs and wishes,
to identify subjects which arouse interest,
to ease everyone into the group conversation,
to draw a picture of opinions which concludes the group session.
The snapshot is not evaluated until all the participants have expressed themselves.
At that point certain conclusions might be drawn (e.g. to change the subject or to
apply a certain rule).


6. Feedback
With feedback we find out how our conduct has affected others.
The positive effect of feedback lies in the fact that conduct which
disturbs group work can be corrected and conduct which is
helpful can be reinforced.
When I am not sure how my conduct affects the other members
of the group or when I want to know what others think of me, I
can ask for feedback.
Also, when, for example, the conduct of a particular member of
the group pleases me or releases unpleasant feelings in me, I can
announce that I am going to give a feedback.
It is not easy to give feedback, nor is it easy to get feedback from
others. We are not accustomed to speaking of our feelings
openly. That is why it is helpful to go by the following rules for
feedback:

When you give feedback:
Speak to the other person directly and show that this is who
you mean.
Speak of the feelings which the conduct of the other has
released in you. Say specifically how you experienced the
situation so that the other person can understand which
conduct of his you mean. Assessments, complaints and
speculations about the conduct of the other are not helpful
When you receive feedback:
Do not try to refute something right away or to defend yourself
or to explain the matter. First listen and notice which feelings
the feedback releases in you. You can also ask the other
members of the group for feedback. Not until then can you go
into the substance of the matter.


Examples of rules for group interactions
The psychoanalyst Ruth Cohn has developed the concept of
interactions focused on a specific subject. During the past few
years the elements of this concept have been becoming
increasingly popular in group work with adults.
In this section we give some examples of subject focused
interactions. These are suggestions which should assist you in
your group work. Each self help group should apply those methods
and rules which best help it to structure its goal oriented group
conversations. Some groups only apply a couple rules or none at
all. Others apply a fairly large number of rules. You decide which
rules and methods, if any, to apply on the basis of what helps you
to structure your group work in a pleasant and effective way.


Examples of rules for group interactions
The psychoanalyst Ruth Cohn has developed the concept of
interactions focused on a specific subject. During the past few
years the elements of this concept have been becoming
increasingly popular in group work with adults.
In this section we give some examples of subject focused
interactions. These are suggestions which should assist you in
your group work. Each self help group should apply those
methods and rules which best help it to structure its goal oriented
group conversations. Some groups only apply a couple rules or
none at all. Others apply a fairly large number of rules. You
decide which rules and methods, if any, to apply on the basis of
what helps you to structure your group work in a pleasant and
effective way.

‘Be your own leader’
Be your own leader and act in accordance with your own needs in
regard to the subject and to what is otherwise important for you. You
are responsible for what you do for yourself through this group. You
do not need to ask whether that which you want pleases or displeases
the other members of the group. Just say what you want. Each of the
other members is his or her own leader too, so they will tell you when
they want something else.


‘Be authentic and selective in your communications. Be clear on
what you think and feel and decide what to say and do.’
If I just say or do something because I am supposed to, then what I
say or do has not been evaluated by me in my own proven way and I
am not acting authentically, not acting in accordance with me.
When, however, I am authentic, I contribute to trust and
understanding.


‘Be careful with generalizations’
Generalizations interrupt the group process. It is also easy for
them to distract from specific persons. Generalizations are
appropriate when a subordinate subject has been discussed
sufficiently and it is time to go on to something else.


‘When speaking about yourself, use the first person; that is, do
not say ‘one’, ‘we’, ‘us’, etc. when you actually mean ‘I’ or ‘me’.
Some statements are a personal confession or confidence which
also encourages other participants to make similar statements of
their own. In these cases, do not hide behind words such as ‘one’
and ‘we’, thus avoiding responsibility for what you say; rather,
present yourself as your own person and use ‘I’ and ‘me’.


‘When asking a question, say why you are asking it and what it
means for you.’
Following this rule promotes real dialogues which meet the need
of the questioner for answers. While questions by themselves are
another means with which you can avoid revealing yourself and
your opinion, when you express your opinion in addition to your
question, you make it easier for the persons to whom you put
your question to contradict you or agree.


‘Only one person at a time, please!’
Nobody can listen to more than one statement at the same time.
You, as well as everybody else, can only concentrate on verbal
interactions when they follow one another in time. Group
cohesion results from concentrated interest of its members in
each other and for each other’s statements and actions.
Side conversations should not be allowed. When side
conversations are conducted, they should be made public and
included in the group conversation.


Дякуємо Вам за увагу!


Ukraine 07 2009 Konst

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