And so it begins…
In the first episode of Survivor a lot happened. Not only were the new cast members divided up among their loved ones and forced to compete against one another, but they started to form alliances. In this competition it is crucial to form some type of alliances in order to have a successful strategy. Who they chose to communicate and work together with may be the key to being the ultimate survivor.
This episode conveys a major relation to group development. Although the formation of the cast’s groups were chosen at random, the real group development begins within each team. As they all try to identify each members strengths and weaknesses they start to decide who they will and will not trust. The first challenge is accepted by firefighter named Jeremy, who is set up to go against his wife-Val. The challenge consists of various obstacles in a race to be the first to finish. Jeremy finishes first which results in Val being sent off with another one of Jermey’s team members-Keith, to exile island. This is crucial because the first few days is when each team is getting to know one another and begin to form relationships. During this forming stage all members explore their personal and group goals, this is most likely a strategy used in order to gain personal success. So, with Val and Keith on exile island they are unable to start getting to know their group members and puts them at a disadvantage.
Being the first day on the island the primary tension between the new members is broken up as they become acquainted. So far everyone has been fairly nice, and polite but as the show goes on I would imagine there will be more drama and true colors will begin to show, and that is when things will really start to get interesting. All coming into their teams as newcomers each member has anticipations and expectations of what each person should bring to the table. On one team the oldest member-Dale -55, must prove his worth to his team. He does this by essentially sacrificing his reading glasses to create fire through the magnification. The team is impressed but still categorize Dale as a weakness who will only physically slow them down.
Each group starts to form their goals which is mainly to win the challenges and prove to one another they are an asset to their team but not a threat to individual goals of winning over all. Of course everyone wants to win, but the impressions that are made are ones that can make or break them, being that their fate is essentially in their competitors hands. The groups norms or rules are established and right now seem to be being followed. I believe as the show continues more group norms will be broken and begin to create tension. I think whats being expected of one another is trust in sticking together within the groups they have formed. By this I mean when they have chosen who they want to confide in and work together to rule the majority of the vote as a strategy to pick off other group members one by one, then they will have a sense of trust in the allies they form. Although at some point the breaking of this trust is inevitable. Conforming to similar mindsets and attitudes will distinguish who members will align with. Those members who chose nonconformity may result in being excluded from their team, leaving them more vulnerable to being voted off.
Lastly the group motivation as well as individually is provided through the hope of winning the money by being the last man standing. Motivation may be represented within the groups as individuals gain a sense of meaningfulness to their team. As the show progresses and teams begin to advance their progress may also be a means of motivation. While each challenge is a step closer they may only become more and more motivated to win. But as the groups and allies begin to be broken up they may be faced with other challenges, only time will tell who has what it takes.
