There  are three book chapters on the Stages and Processes of Group Development by Ariadne P. Beck published over a 26 year period. 

 

The first paper, "Phases in the development of structure in therapy and encounter groups" comes from the book Innovations in Client-Centered Therapy, published in 1974. Beck lays out her "distilled observations" after a decade (1960-1970) of studying transcripts of scores of group sessions at the University of Chicago. She begins with seven "propositions" about the nature of group development, but then, starting on page 435 goes on to narratively describe the phases in the development of group structure, including descriptions of the four leadership's roles -- here called Designated Leader, Emotional Leader, Scapegoat, and Defiant Member --  at crucial moments during development, as well as summaries of each phase.  If you like narrative, you might want to start here.

 

The second paper, "Developmental Characteristics of the System-forming Process" comes from the book Living Groups: Group Psychotherapy and General System Theory, edited by James E. Durkin in 1981. Her propositions and observations have become well-developed hypotheses, ready to be empirically tested. Beginning on page 326, switching from narrative descriptions to outline form, she describes the boundaries managed by each of the four group leaders - now called Task Leader, Emotional Leader, Scapegoat, and Defiant Leader. This is followed on page 330 with a Table outlining the Nine Phases, the Group and Individual Issues addressed in each Phase, and the important roles each leader plays during that phase. If you prefer outlines, you might want to start here. 

 

The last paper "The Group Development Process Analysis" is from the book The Process of Group Psychotherapy: Systems for Analyzing Change, which Beck co-edited, published in 2000. This is the summary of her validating research, using three scales for process analysis, a set of behavior codes, and a sociometric test for identification of emergent leaders. Her summary of the Nine Phases of Group Development begins on page 223, with her description of the four Group Leaders beginning on page 224. If you like short summaries, you might begin here. This paper includes actual quotes from the group transcripts, which I find illuminating. I would also recommend the last two sections of the chapter, Clinical Insights (page 256) and Implications for Further Study (page 257).

 

My introduction to Beck's theory began in graduate school in 1997 while taking an experiential class on group process with Bill Roller and Vivian Nelson. This ongoing group involved actually going into a public tv station and recording ten process group sessions.  Bill and Vivian analyzed these recordings using Beck's Model and produced a three tape series entitled "The Promise of Group Therapy" (1997). The following link holds three short clips from those sessions, if you are at all interested in what I looked like some 30 years ago. 

 

https://berkeleyfamilyandindividualtherapist.com/the-promise-of-group-therapy