GROUPS

From the early days of humankind, people managed to survive and grow stronger. Humans gather in communities (groups) to increase their safety and chances of survival. A group can be defined as a formation of two or more individuals, who are dependent on each other, interact to achieve certain goals, influence each other, and share the perception of belonging to a group. If we rely on this definition, a group has two basic features: (a) organization, which is necessary for the group to reach goals, with members occupying appropriate social roles, that is, different places in the group; and (b) dependence and interaction between the members of the group.  

Groups differ from each other. They can be large (e.g., nations) or small (e.g., families), enduring (e.g., ethnic groups) or transitory (e.g., a jury), concentrated (e.g., government) or dispersed (e.g., social network “friends”), structured and organized (e.g., army) or informal (e.g., supporters of a club), have specific goals (e.g., organize a protest) or general goals (e.g., revitalize the community). Group membership is central to an individual’s identity. According to Social Identity Theory, people define themselves in terms of salient group membership.  

Groups can be more or less cohesive. Cohesiveness can be defined as the factors that aggregate individuals into groups and maintain them together over time. It refers to a sense of unity, expressed by attachment to the group, mutual support among members, conformity with group norms (standards or rules), and uniform behavior. Cohesiveness is derived from cooperative interdependence in following shared objectives, which promotes interpersonal attraction among members. Groups are more cohesive when liking based on group belonging (social attraction), similarity, acceptance, cooperation, and/or a common threat are present. In cases where highly cohesive groups are under great stress, have partial leaders, ideological homogeneity, isolation from external information and influences, and there is a pressure for consensus, groupthink can occur. In these situations, the desire of the members of the group to achieve a unanimous agreement can be seen as the most important aspect of the group decision-making process, deteriorating the quality of the decisions made. Polarization can also affect group decisions. It regards the tendency for group discussions to produce more extreme positions in its members, than those initially held by each member. 

In addition to cohesiveness, conformity can be essential for attaining group goals. It regards pressures from the group to its members to adjust their actions, judgments, or opinions to align with group norms (standards or rules). Conformity translates into acts of social influence, namely, through persuasion by requests or orders. Persuasion in groups is related to obedience, compliance, leadership, and power dynamics.

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