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Social Engagement Progression
The goal is not to push people up a ladder. It is to choose a level of relational demand the group can actually use.
Stages of relational demand
- Parallel Play
- Incidental Interaction
- Structured Cooperation
- Open Negotiation
- Relational Complexity
These stages describe the relational demand of the table, not the worth, maturity, or diagnosis of a participant. Groups can move backward after conflict, membership change, stress, fatigue, or life events.
Default selection rule
Operate at the group's current center of gravity or one stage ahead, not two. Do not raise the whole table because one person is bored.
- Host: primarily stages 1–3
- Coach: primarily stages 1–4
- Therapist: stages 1–5 with judgment and consent
Leaders & Facilitators stay with Host-primary stages in public guidance.
After play
When you debrief, Empty → Sort → See → Act still applies. See is observation of what the table made visible. Act is one or two next steps the group can actually carry, without forcing a climb to a higher stage.