There are four areas of internal group dynamics:

1. Communication patterns: Paying attention to verbal and nonverbal communication helps the therapist to effectively move toward group goals.

2. Cohesiveness: Members' strong affinity among each other and toward the group as a whole makes a more open, supportive, and accepting group.

3. Social control: This involves the norms, roles, expecations, and status that let groups function effectively, if not always smoothly.

a. Norms are rules of behavior may be tacit or explicit, informal or formal, veiled or overt. The therapist tries to head off members' automatic conforming responses.
b. Individual group members act differently, serving different functions, including task and maintenance roles (helping to keep things on track) and individual roles (often selfishly at odds with group goals).
c. Status outside the group combined with behavior in the group contributes to members in-group ranking. Willingness to conform to group norms is affected by this status.

4. Group culture: This comes from beliefs, customs, and values of its members, and the environment in which a group is set. Group culture influences objectives, tasks, and group interaction and methods.