In this course, it appears Michael's disidentification from the group (Hodges, 1998) by creating a barrier between himself and his peers, as well as his unwillingness to follow the rules of functioning within the context of this particular group, yielded tension. One possible explanation for Michael's behavior was that being reliant on the group discussion did not provide Michael with the ability to meet his needs as a learner (Smith, 2008; Suler, 2004). Often, his complaints and statements that resulted in tension were the result of seeming frustration with the overall quality of the discussion and peer work ethic.