Group Relations Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

Group relations describe the inner dynamics and interactions of people within a group. They are formed and maintained because group membership satisfies a number of human needs.

Groups vary in size and character and exist for a common purpose. A group consists of two or more persons who can interact and impact each other’s’ needs and aims. Humans enter into relations to satisfy a basic need of belonging, stemming from evolution, where group membership assured important advantages and one’s own survival. Humans have a need to control that part of the social environment that concerns themselves.

Groups reduce the complexities of life via providing information, helping to shape individual identity, and developing social norms regulating behavior. They exhibit a certain degree of inner homogeneity. Aside from norms, there are also social roles describing how people in a certain position within the group should behave. Social roles can also have negative effects, for example, when people act beyond the expectations of the role, giving up their own identity, or when people do not act according to the role.

In their groups, humans tend to categorize, identify, and compare as well as differentiate their own group from others—these processes were explored by Henri Tajfel, among others, in social identity theory. Also, various processes of control, persuasion, social facilitation, or social loafing take place. Conformity in groups largely depends on the level of importance of group membership to members, the level of group influence that a member is subject to, and the group size. The greater the first two factors, the greater the conformity. Size will impact conformity more in smaller groups, but less so or not at all in larger groups. Pressure to conform increases for members holding minority opinions. The more collective the group, also within the frame of the national culture, the greater is the inherent conformity.

Group cohesion is another important aspect of group relations, providing for connections among members and the promotion of mutual affection. Cohesion is important for group maintenance and can also improve the group performance.

Group membership can also lead to de-individuation, however, such as in cases where an individual member starts to act in a way that is against social norms and that he or she would never do alone (e.g., mobs among soccer fans or lynching incidents). This dynamic can develop because persons within a group feel less responsible for their own behavior and potentially act more aggressively. When de-individuation takes place, individual actions are more oriented along the norms of the group.

Group dynamics may further lead to information and process losses, which weaken good decision making. In such cases, important information and minority opinions are often ignored. Groupthink can develop when group cohesion and solidarity are seen as important. The level of risk taking within a group also increases the more risk is seen as cultural value in a given society. A further aspect is group polarization, describing group members making more extreme decisions when in their group than when alone.

Group relations vary across cultures due to different norms and expectations. The different dynamics can be experienced to a certain degree when entering or interacting with someone from another culture. Differences in group relations also affect modes of cooperation and conflict within as well as among groups.

Bibliography:

Aronson, Elliott,Timothy D.Wilson, and Robin M. Akert. Sozialpsychologie. 4th ed. Munich: Pearson Studium, 2004.
Fisher, Glen. Mindsets: The Role of Culture and Perception in International Relations. 2nd ed.Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, 1997.
Shaw, Marvin E. Group Dynamics: The Psychology of Small Group Behavior. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1976.
Tajfel, Henri.The Achievement of Group Differentiation. In: Differentiation between Social Groups: Studies in the Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations, edited by Henri Tajfel, 77–98. London: Academic Press, 1978.
Interindividual Behaviour and Intergroup Behaviour. In Differentiation between Social Groups: Studies in the Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations, edited by Henri Tajfel, 27–60. London: Academic Press, 1978.

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