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Studies in group dynamics in Japan, which started just after the Second World War, are reviewed. This review categorizes the studies into two classes: those conducted in the first generation (up to the 1970s) which still remain influential today, and those which represent the current major research trends in the area. The first generation is characterized by a strenuous catching up of studies conducted in the U.S. The second generation has been a theoretical and empirical expansion of the area, and has emphasized the bilateral, dynamic relations between the nature of human collectivities (including culture) and the individuals' psychological state. It has been increasingly recognized that what was regarded as an individual psychological phenomenon in the past should be re-examined from the viewpoint of group dynamics. This goes beyond the traditional definition of small groups research in the laboratory setting. Group dynamics is developing as a field of study in which any kind and size of human collectivity is investigated regarding its dynamic nature and functions that provide a life-world appearing in front of each individual in the collectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A social conflict often occurs during the course of a large-scale and long-term project such as infrastructure development projects, in which multiple parties are involved. Not only do possible gains and losses of interested parties likely conflict with each other, but also their attitudes towards the project may change dynamically over time. A mathematical model was developed to analyze this process. One part of the model is the attitude change model, which describes attitude change processes as a function of both the remembering/forgeting of the project and the social influence among interested parties. The other part is called conflict analysis, which provides a game theoretical description of a conflict of interest among the parties. In order to show its utility, the model was applied to the case of an infrastructure development project in which a river mouth weir was constructed in the Nagara River, Japan. The model could reproduce the history of the social conflict surrounding the project, but was also helpful in exploring a counter-factual event that might have eventuated had the parameter values been different. A more general discussion about the utility of dynamical modeling is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]