The Real Is Relational: A Sociological Perspective to Group Dynamic and Personal Behavior: Habitus-Oriented Approach

Based on experience in a group facilitation, this chapter offers a sociological perspective for the understanding of behavior in T-groups. The proposed perspective rests on Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of habitus (social dispositions) and the relational. It is argued that by using therapeutic discourse and practices aimed at developing personal skills and abilities and shaping behavior, the T-group very often hardly represents the role of social and structural aspects in generating participants' behavior. In response to this shortcoming, the chapter shows how habitus and the relational perspective enable a group facilitator to expose the relationship between the group's social and structural context and personal behavior. The aim in this article is therefore to propose using Bourdieu's habitus and relational perspective as organizing concepts for the understanding the behavior of T-groups participants.