Relations Between Task and Interpersonal Success and Group Member Adjustment

摘要

This study investigated whether success in interpersonal relations and success on an assigned group task were positively related to the adjustment of group members. Task success was defined in three ways: (1) subjectively, the member's rating of perceived success on the task, (2) objectively, independent judges' ratings of the group's product, and (3) experimentally, a control vs. an external stress condition where subjects were observed by a high-ranking superior and told that they had done relatively poorly on the task. Interpersonal success was also defined in three ways: (1) subjectively, the member's ratings of how well he was able to work with the other group members, (2) objectively, the esteem which each member received from the other group members, and (3) experimentally, the control vs. an internal stress condition where members discussed a problem that was relevant to their differential statuses. The study also investigated whether the adjustment of persons identified as task-oriented was primarily related to task success and whether the adjustment of interaction-oriented persons was primarily related to interpersonal success. The results showed that members who experienced either (1) high subjective or experimental task success or (2) high subjective or objective interpersonal success were more satisfied with group membership and perceived the group atmosphere as more pleasant than did members who experienced any of these forms of low success. (Author)