Group Mandala

Description of a Group Dynamics Exercise

Group Mandala
Allows symbolic
exploration of group
structure and
dynamics, and
revealing of personal feelings
towards others
Each person is represented by an
object they choose themselves;
objects are then "caste" like dice
Each person then shares how he or
she feels about the position in
which his or her object has landed
(uses psychoanalytic technique of
"projection")
Through various rounds,
participants get to modify/adjust
the position of their object until
each individual is satisfied with
where they sit in relation to the
other objects (group members)
Logistically, a simple activity;
facilitation-wise, a potentially
difficult and challenging activity;
lots of potential for subtle and deep
group work
Group sizes of approximately 7 to 9
are ideal, but can be done with as
few as 5 or as many as 12.

Equipment: Each
group member to
select one
personal object or
an object from
nature, to
represent
themselves
Time: ~30-40
minutes
Background
information
Description of
Group
Mandala
Facilitator
notes
Links to
other
descriptions

Background Information for Group

Mandala
Acknowledgements: This exercise has been
adapted from an exercise facilitated by Chris
Loynes at the 10th National Outdoor Education
Conference, 1997, in Perth, Western Australia
and subsequent personal advice (see links).
Chris attributes his learning of the learning to

Roger Greenaway who provided me with some

excellent information about a similar activity he
calls Stones and a related activity called
Human Sculpture (see links).
Psychodynamics & Personal Objects: My
intention in developing this particular adaptation
was to use it in an outdoor education graduate
seminar class to facilitate within group
communication and interpersonal understanding,
and to stimulate discussion about
psychodynamic theory in outdoor education
settings.
The most obvious psychodynamic principle at
work is the notion of "projection", although this
is a psychologically complex activity that is likely
to elicit several other observable psychodynamic
processes (such as ego states and interpersonal
transactions). The group had in the previous
week been introduced to background readings
about psychodynamic theory and had been
challenged to think about possible ways this
theory might be seen at applicable to outdoor
education.
Students were requested to bring a small, nonfragile object of personal significance to the
class. Note that the selection of personal
objects of significance for the exercise is likely to
bring into play the history of psychological
association and meaning that individuals have
attached and invested the object with. Thus the
decision to include these objects immediately
heightens the level of psychological investment.
Using objects of personal significance comes
with associated risks and liabilities of course and
requires an appropriately supportive and trusting
atmosphere, so use this feature carefully. Using
personal objects can make for a weightier and
more sobered session than might be the case
when using readily available objects in the
immediate environment.
Surprisingly little has been written in the
psychological literature about the psychology of
objects. Possibly the key text is still Jungs Man

and His Symbols, along with a relatively recent

book by Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton,
The meaning of things: Domestic symbols and
the self which states in the preface:
To understand what people are and what
they might become, one must understand
what goes on between people and things.
What things are cherished, and why,
should become part of our knowledge of
human beings. Yet it is surprising how
little we know about what things mean to
people. By and large social scientists have
neglected a full investigation of the
relationship between people and objects.
Roger Greenaway made a useful suggestion here
that
it may be tricky to move from here to
group dynamics if, say, someone brings a
photo of their boyfriend, another a family
photograph, another a tiny piece of
jewellery, another a goldfish in a jar ... So
each person may like to have the option of
choosing a new object when switching into
group dynamics that is more
representative of their image or role within
the group.
Interesting effects might be obtained by instead
bringing a lot of set of objects from which
participants can select.
Also note that before the activity, give the group
the extra instruction that their object will be
subject to group activity, some of which will be
beyond each of their personal control, and that
they will therefore lose a certain amount of
control over their object. So if they wish they
should select an alternative object for the
activity. Usually peope do not take up the offer,
but usually someone has forgotten to bring an
object. In this case, they should use something
handy, e.g., something from their bag or wallet,
or a watch or pen.
What is a Mandala?:
Mandala is Sanskrit for circle, polygon,

community, and connection. The The Concise

Macquarie Dictionary defines mandala as
a mystic symbol of the universe, in the
form of a circle enclosing a square; used
chiefly by the Hindus and Buddhists as an
aid to meditation.
Mandalas, however, need not be so narrowly
defined. A Google Image Search for Mandala
reveals many traditional and contemporary
mandala designs, several of which go beyond a
circle enclosing a square. What seems to tie
them together is their patterned
interconnectedness.
By the way, I don't share the title for the activity
with the students until afterwards, or possibly at
all. By leaving it nameless, it can help
emphasize the discovery of meaning via intricate
patterns and interconnectedness, both conscious
and unconscious, that seems to form even in the
most rudimentary of group structures.
Description of Group Mandala
Each of these steps should be revealed one by
one. This helps to enhance the unknowness of
the activity (and therefore, any experienced
meaning is largely socially constructed by
participants themselves).
Also note, the facilitator should consider
whether or not participate in the group - either
way can be appropriate or not, depending on
the nature of the group and the facilitator.
1. Participants in a group select a small
object. The object can be anything, from
anywhere: e.g., an object of personal
significance or collected from the outdoors
2. Standing in a circle, ask a participant for
their hat (or use some other container).
3. Place your object in the hat, and pass the
hat on to the next person who does the
same.
4. Caste the objects, with some care, some
randomness (like rolling dice) (may use
casting mat, e.g., a sarong or coat,

5.

6.

7.
8.
9.

particularly if using personally significant

objects). Try to use the floor rather than a
table.
Ask people to look at the objects and then
take turns sharing how they feel about the
place of their object in relation to the other
objects in the group.
One-by-one then go around in a circle and
have each person move his/her object to a
new position, explaining to the group why
it feels more comfortable for their object
to be in this different place.
Ask the group to discuss and collective
create (move/shift) their objects into an
ideal arrangement.
Debrief: What do you think of this
activity? Why?
What happened in this group during this
activity from a Psychodynamic
perspective?

Facilitator Notes
Participants could bring a surprising variety of
objects, for example an engagement ring, a
pocket knife, a stone bearing the inscription
inspiration, a teddy bear, necklaces and rings,
trinkets, and so on. Initially I did not ask
students to initially describe the significance of
their objects not asking this obvious question
can heighten the sense of mystery and
suspense in the activity. By the end of the
activity, the students responded favourably and
more richly to an earlier hint that we might
close the activity by sharing with others the
personal significance associated with the
object. This provided a deep, satisfying sense
of closing to the activity.
Overall, the exercise works well, but it can be a
challenge initially to process as there is often
some resistance and anxiety associated with the
apparent open-endedness of the activity.
At a critical point when a student challenged me
on the seeming pointlessness of the activity I
explained that from a psychodynamic point of

view the ultimate activity is give someone a

blank piece of paper and ask them what they
see. Whatever the person replies with would be
an indicator of their inner psychological state,
because there is relatively little external stimuli.
When we give people complex activities, it
becomes difficult to distinguish what parts are to
do with the person and what parts are due to
the nature and structure of the activity itself.
Thus, I suggested, it is the very open-endedness
of the activity which is the point of the exercise
from a psychodynamic point of view. This
comment appeared to serve as a catalyst to help
guide the student discussions behind the
immediate details of the activity and more or
less from this point they were able to make
many interesting connections and insights to
psychology and outdoor education.
Links to other descriptions
From Chris Loynes
1. Place the objects in the hat - or whateverand scatter them. What's going on in this
group?
2. Can repeat - how position changes felt
sense of experience.
3. Throw - What is the personality of your
object?
4. Throw - what would it be like to be your
object in this group?
5. Can be a repeat of 4.
6. Arrange the objects to represent the ideal
group.
7. If they don't move to this in 6 anyways what, given the characters you have
developed - is an arrangement that
represents the best this group can be?
8. You could go on to - or introduce earlier objects that represent their own
characters explicitly.
It'll work well for the purposes you describe! I'd
be cautious abut it being a fix for your group's
particular dynamics but it could be a step in the

right direction. If you can I'd recommend

moving it into their own story rather than the
fiction/projection they develop especially if their
comments give you an opening in this direction.
From Roger Greenaway
There's many dimensions to this - starting with
where the exercise came from and how different
people have developed it. There is no correct
way of doing this exercise. What I can tell you
about is some of my own experiences of using it,
and then I'll respond to your specific questions
about using it with your group.
I remember trying out this exercise when I was
at Brathay on hearing someone suggest
arranging objects to represent group dynamics. I
usually call it ''stones''. The most basic version is
described on my website as part of my reviewing
cycle tutorial (start at Facts and go round
clockwise). A more detailed description is in the
'stones' file on the website:
http://www.reviewing.co.uk/learningcycle/stones-group-dynamics.htm