In order to minimize group harms, which of the following practices can be effective?
Looking at how individual members are experiencing harm in a group setting
Developing and distributing educational materials that help people understand the dangers of certain types of groups or organizations
Engaging with individuals who may be considering joining a particular type of organization in order to warn them of the potential dangers
Developing networks that are designed to help group members who want out, as well as those considering joining a particular type of organization.
Looking at how individual members are experiencing harm in a group setting
Developing and distributing educational materials that help people understand the dangers of certain types of groups or organizations
Engaging with individuals who may be considering joining a particular type of organization in order to warn them of the potential dangers. Developing networks that are designed to help group members who want out, as well as those considering joining a particular type of organization.
Each of these practices can be effective in minimizing group harms; however, they are not without their own challenges. For example, developing and distributing educational materials that help people understand the dangers of certain types of groups or organizations may not reach individuals who are at-risk for joining a particular type of organization because they lack access to those available resources. Developing networks that are designed to help group members who want out, as well as those considering joining a particular type of organization is also difficult when there is little funding or time allocated just for this purpose.
There are also some significant challenges in the design of educational materials about certain groups or organizations. For example, if an organization has a tendency to recruit young people by exploiting their vulnerabilities (e.g., low self-esteem, depression), then designing a brochure that discusses these aspects may not be effective because it will most likely get thrown away immediately upon being read. Developing and distributing such information requires considerable time and resources which may make them less accessible for many different reasons including lack of funding or large geographic areas where few services exist.
In my opinion, research on social media is one way to minimize group harms without requiring extensive resources like developing new websites with educational material or making television appearances for advertising purposes.
If you have ever been in a group setting where someone makes an offensive comment, or says something that triggers a harmful memory, then you know how difficult it can be to deal with the aftermath. It’s hard enough when it happens once. But if people are constantly hurting others with their words and actions – or even just one person over and over again – what do we do? There is no easy solution to this problem.
I am going to discuss some practices that can be effective in minimizing group harms. First, the practice of research on social media is one way to minimize group harms without requiring extensive resources like developing new websites with educational material or making television appearances for advertising purposes. If you have ever been in a group setting where someone makes an offensive comment, or says something that triggers a harmful memory, then you know how difficult it can be to deal with the aftermath. It’s hard enough when it happens once. But if people are constantly hurting others with their words and actions – or even just one person over and over again – what do we do? There is no easy solution to this problem.
A second practice would include educating members about appropriate ways to interact with others in the group and then consistently enforcing those rules. This would require a lot of work on behalf of the leader or organizers, but it is worth consideration when talking about minimizing harm to groups.
Successfully implementing this practice effectively requires three things:
comprehensive education for all members, which can be costly both in time and resources;
discipline for violators who don’t seem to understand that their behaviors are inappropriate; and – an environment where people feel comfortable coming forward as either victims or witnesses without fear of being bullied themselves.
It’s also important not to forget that addressing these issues will only minimize harms from one direction – there are other practices (like teaching self defense) that we’ll need to implement in order to address the harms coming from all directions.
