Look at that tribe role…
With the contents of Chapter 3: Group Membership still fresh on my mind, it was very interesting to watch Episode 2 and see how the tribe members are beginning to exhibit needs and take on roles within their tribes. However, it should be noted that this new perspective on the episode does not negate the fact that course concepts from Chapter 2 are still very much alive and well. It is evident that both tribes are still in the process of forming but, they are now both clearly moving towards the next, more dramatic stage of storming.
As primary tension decreases, tribe members are beginning to become more vocal about their opinions. An example of this occurred when the Hunahpu tribe won their reward challenge and tried to barter with Jeff Probst to get more flint. When Probst offered a tough ultimatum, the tribe launched into an animated debate about whether or not to surrender their fishing gear in return for more flint. Tribe members interjected strong, decided opinions that lacked much of the initial shyness and civility. Welcome to the storming stage, Hunahpu.
This reward challenge gave a lot of insight into, not only the Hunahpu tribe’s development, but also into the specific needs and roles of certain members. I found it interesting that, for the Hunahpu tribe, Reed has been the one to step in and do the rock-paper-scissors duel for both of the reward challenges that have come up. In addition, Reed was also the one to initially pose the idea of bartering with Jeff Probst. In this way, it seems to me that Reed is assuming what Benne and Sheats refer to as a group task role. Specifically, I think Reed is acting as an initiator-contributor. He gets the group started and, he proposes ideas in order to help the group accomplish certain goals (i.e. starting fire).
It follows that Benne and Sheats have also identified a number of other roles. Another category of potential member roles is group maintenance roles. These roles have to do with relationship building, getting along, and encouraging cooperation as the group moves toward a shared goal. In the Hunahpu tribe, I have identified Missy as being an encourager-supporter in her tribe. In the first episode, Missy can be seen praising group members and agreeing with their input and, in the second episode, she can be seen listening empathically to Natalie as she cried about her sister’s absence. I think these examples can also be related to Schutz’s theory of interpersonal needs for, Missy seems to exhibit a need for affection.
When Missy and her daughter, Baylor, were pitted against one another for the immunity challenge, the initial banter seemed rather passive-aggressive. Both appeared to exhibit confidence but, everything changed when Baylor’s lip was busted. Missy’s demeanor instantly changed and, she started acting like an overpersonal member who had become passive about the group’s goal. Baylor was upset and, her passive-aggressive behavior turned toward the more assertive side. When this happened, Missy lost and, Baylor was able to win a point for the Coyopa tribe.
In this instance, the season’s theme of Blood vs. Water was tested once again. At least for Missy, it seems that her blood ties to Baylor were stronger than the “water” that joined her to her fellow tribe members. It will be interesting to see if Baylor’s loyalties end up being towards her tribe or towards her blood relative as well.
