Yalom and Leszcz describe this as the hallmark of the working stage and involves a group member recognizing the inappropriateness of certain interpersonal feelings or behaviors.

• A. Corrective emotional experience
• B. Group cohesion
• C. Universality
• D. Personal awareness

Answer: (A)

During the working stage, group members engage in deep interpersonal learning, and a central mechanism is the corrective emotional experience. This happens when a member becomes aware that certain interpersonal feelings or behaviors are inappropriate or maladaptive and the group’s feedback, support, and real-time interactions help reshape those patterns. In this setting, the individual can experience a new, healthier way of relating that corrects old responses, which is then reinforced through subsequent group interactions. This is why the correct choice highlights a transformative emotional experience within the relational field of the group.

Group cohesion is important for a productive working stage, but it describes the overall climate of trust and belonging rather than the specific process of recognizing and correcting maladaptive interpersonal patterns. Universality often emerges earlier, as members realize others share similar feelings, and personal awareness is broad and general; it doesn’t pinpoint the corrective emotional shift that crystallizes change in interaction patterns.