Groups have been a part of human life since the beginning of time. We have all been a participant of a group at some point in our life. The film 12 Angry Men is a visual representation of groups and how they function. In this essay, I will discuss group transitions, the building of trust, group counseling versus work groups and relate each of these topics back to our text.
There are five stages within groups: forming, storming, norming, performing/working, and mourning/termination. The film began with the forming stage. They transition into the storming stage with the initial vote. Each member was asked to raise their hands and vote the guilt or innocence of the man. The jurors voted 11-1 in favor of guilt. Conflict arises once the results of the initial vote are revealed. The foreman takes charge to keep conflict at bay. The jurors spent most of the movie storming especially during the norming and performing stages. There was constant arguing about each other’s opinion, mainly the opinion of juror number eight. It wasn’t until juror eight began to state his opinion with valid reasoning that a shift took place
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The men had no time to gain trust before their initial vote. Throughout the movie, there was constant bickering and disrespect. I served on a jury before and we acted more like a family. We don’t have to always agree with the opinions of others, but we must always remain respectful. It took the men a long time to learn that. The jurors gave juror eight a hard time from the beginning. His opinion was thought to be crazy and almost impossible considering the amount of evidence against the defendant. As the movie went on juror eight began to explain his reasonings in a logical way and even acted out some of his thoughts. Respecting the opinions of others helped them become more equipped to reach the verdict. The men working together to reach a verdict is an example of a work/task