Surviving the “Forming” Stage
Like many other people taking this course, this will be my first time watching Survivor. I have only watched the first episode thus far but, I can already see why Jaimie chose to use this as the theme for the semester. I can already see how the chapter concepts come to life as I’m watching the show and, I think this will be a new and fun way to bring meaning to the topics we discuss in class.
As you all know, the theme of this season’s Survivor is Blood vs. Water and, the show opens by giving each of the cast members one night to spend with their loved one. When thinking about course concepts, this can also be interpreted as having one final night with a primary group member. The very next day, each cast member will be forced to adjourn from their primary group member and enter into a new social group where no one knows what to expect.
This stage of joining a new group is referred to in Tuckman’s Group Development Stages as the forming stage. In this stage, the text says that group members tend to exhibit caution in their social interactions and, they tend to be overly polite in hopes of making a good impression. I think this concept was aptly demonstrated by the very cautious answer that Nadiya gave when Jeff Probst asked her what she thought about her potential competitors. This question was posed prior to the division of the tribes and, I thought she was wise to not speak poorly of anyone who she may have later hoped to form an alliance with. That being said, I do feel that her cautious answer was based more in her hopes of making a good first impression than it was in honesty. If she had not been eliminated, I would have expected to see her voice more of her true opinions as the show went on.
It follows, however, that both the Coyopa and Hunahpu tribes had to go about the forming stage in their own ways and, for Nadiya’s tribe, this meant getting rid of her for fear of her perceived hidden agenda. I was somewhat surprised when Nadiya was chosen for elimination but, I can understand how the Coyopa tribe may have felt that Nadiya’s personal goals would have eventually interfered with the overall goal of the group.
During the initial forming stage, each member is trying to explore personal goals as well as group goals and, it makes sense that members might feel tentative and uncomfortable about being thrown into a group of total strangers. It is not at all surprising that members of the same tribe are suspicious of one another and not sure who to trust. I believe that this is all part of what the text calls primary tension.
In the show, one example of primary tension occurred when Wes was trying to form a bond with John Rocker based on the similar interest of baseball. Wes was asking John what his last name was and, initially, John lied and said it was “Wetland”. The whole conversation seemed strained and, John later revealed that he wasn’t sure that he could trust Wes and that he might consider getting rid of him early on.
Wes, however, seemed to be completely oblivious of John’s apprehension about him. He seemed rather pleased with the connection he felt he had made with John and, he probably had no thoughts of fearing his intentions. Meanwhile, there were other members who were definitely fearing the outcomes of the initial forming stage and, that was because they were completely excluded from it.
Keith and Val had been sent to Exile Island after the first Reward Challenge and, they both knew that they would be returning as newcomers to groups that had already started to establish themselves. There was a lot at stake for these two as they began the socialization process with their tribes and, each tried to find a way to make himself/herself valuable to the group.
Some who had stayed behind had already proven their value. For example, the Reward challenge ended on a much higher note for Val’s husband, Jeremy. He not only gained the extrinsic rewards of flint and beans for his tribe but, he also gained intrinsic rewards by way of the praise of his team. I thought it was interesting how, at first, Jeremy was so upset about having to relinquish his husbandly duties and adjourn from his role with Val but, soon after, he had a new found motivation and sense of meaningfulness with his tribe. It will be interesting to see how the relationship dynamics continue to play out throughout the season as the bonds of “blood” are continually pitted against those of “water”.
