What is a T-group?
The T-group is a structured setting for understanding group dynamics and practicing social and emotional skills. The T-group’s origin was inter ethnic and interracial. Kurt Lewin invented it while working on issues of fair employment in Connecticut. It was a powerful force in the civil rights movement. The T-group was originally called “The basic skills training group.” In its early years it was often called “sensitivity training,” meaning “sensitivity to group processes.”
Different iterations of the T-group have evolved over time. In the Northwest, John Wallen evolved the T-group to emphasize four core skills: 1) description of feelings, 2) description of behavior, 3) paraphrase, and 4) perception check (guess others’ emotion).
These are exceedingly difficult skills. Everyone can express their feelings (i.e. slam a door, shout, swear, refuse to talk, etc.), but few can name their emotion/feeling. Only a rare participant can describe behavior. Rather they tell their judgment (i.e. “He’s being sarcastic,” “She’s selfish,” etc.). Both paraphrasing and parroting require one to pay close attention to the other which, in the anxiety of most moments, people usually fail to do. John Wallen’s skills are a critical part of the LIOS T-group experience.
An important training element, to increase consciousness, is to take away two standard stabilizers: 1) There is no one leading the discussion. 2) There is no agenda assigned. Instead, process goals are given. Typical process goals in a LIOS T-group are usually stated:
- Be in the here and now.
- Speak for yourself from the “I” when that is accurate.
- Say “you” or “we” when accurate. (Most people habitually say “you” or “we” when they really mean “I” and should be speaking for themselves.)
- Be aware of group processes.
- Be tuned into the others in the group.
- Use the four Wallen skills.