Group dynamics are interesting to say the least. This morning a person was adamant about diagreeing with someone in a setting of about 15 people. The leader of the group was very polite to the person who voiced disagreement. We had to spend about 10 minutes of time trying to find ground on which some agreement could be found. It didn't happen, so it was a waste of 10 minutes. The group leader, as a consequence, didn't get to end at a place he wanted to. The people in the class could feel the crunch of time, so they didn't discuss as much.
One perspective is that one person decided he would rob everyone of a needed 10 minutes. Another, kinder perspective is that the person needed to be able to say something so that he could benefit from the rest of the group's time together. Groups are always energy-sucking events. It sometimes makes one wonder if the energy drain is worth it. In a country in which individual freedom is valued, I guess position-taking is a ritual that doesn't have so many ethical rules governing it.
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