In my class soci245 08, teaching lecture 10lecture-10-08.ppt about relational approach, did a class experiment. Asked people to talk about their interests and find out abut each other’s interests so as to identify networks.
The trigger for grouping was – a fake horoscope and each person having to relate to relevant issue in the horoscope and place it on a piece of paper so that all could see, and congregate around. This was used as a kind of ice breaker to get a less formal atmosphere.
Two groups were formed. One group tried to list their areas of interest and focused on the task of listing (5 members) finished their interaction in a short while
The other group engaged in a conversation and even asked for extra time (this was a group of 3 people)
First group – came up with very generic groups
Second group also came up with generic groups but their interactions told the story of building relations on the sheer notion of more interactions
In a way this proved the point of relational approach though being based on mathematics – which sheer numbers can actually result in meaningful relations because the more people interact the more meaningful their relation is- so relations are about frequency. But this frequency is about increasing familiarity knowing more about each other – contributing to the dimensionality of the personalities involved – they are more than just a cardboard front, hence contributing to the complexity of the relations.
