OK 2 Group and Individual

8/2/2019 OK 2 Group and Individual

1/19

Philosophers and

social scientists

have long pondered

the master

problem of sociallife: What is the

connection

between the

individual andsociety, including

groups,

organizations, and

communities?

The Individual and the Group

Image from NICHCY

BJH.OBII.IMCOST.MHRDM


2/19

In his essay on

Self-reliance

Ralph WaldoEmerson wrote:

do not tell me of

my obligation toput all poor men

in good

situations. Are

they my poor?

Issues

How social an animal is

mankind?

Is homo sapiens communalor individualistic?

Is the self a private,

personal quality?



3/19

Do Humans Prefer Solitude or

Membership in Groups?

Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe:

I am cast upon a horrible, desolate

island; void of all hope of

recovery. I am singled out and

separated, as it were, from all the

world, to be miserable. I am

divided from mankind, a solitary;one banished from human

society. I have no soul to speak to

or to relieve me.

There was a

real Robison

Crusoe,

namedAlexander

Selkirk, who

was

marooned

for 4 years



4/19



Studies of in variouscontexts

Solitary confinement

Solitary adventurers

Studies of people who agree toisolation

All find strong negativereactions to isolation

Rubin, HurricaneCarter:

I had nothing,

absolutely

nothing. I was

trapped at thebottom, the lowest

point at which a

human being can

exist without being

dead: solitaryconfinement. I had

nothing to hold on

to, no family,

nobody to do

anything for me.BJH.OBII.IMCOST.MHRDM


5/19



Alone versus together

Isolation can be positive, but

prolonged isolation is stressful

People respond negatively if they

expect to be alone

increased aggression

take risks reduced cognitive capacity

Walt Whitman

wrote I think I

could turn and

live with the

animals but he

also wrote I

demand the most

copious and close

companionship ofmen.



6/19

Do Humans Prefer Solitude or Membershipin Groups?

Exclusion is aversive and avoided



7/19

Do Humans Prefer Solitude orMembership in Groups?

Learys sociometer theory: self-esteemwarns of possible exclusion

Self-esteem is not the evaluation ofyour worthit is an indicator ofhow well you are accepted intosocial groups

Mark Leary:

We need to

think about

ourselvesoccasionally,

but none of us

needs to think

about

ourselves as

much as we do.



8/19

Loneliness

Types of loneliness: emotional and social

Membership in groups can reduce both types of loneliness



9/19

Need to

belong(Baumeister &Leary)

Evolutionary

psychologysuggeststhis instinctresultedfrom

naturalselection

B's gene type: Solita Stays apar

Persons and Gene Action

Environmenta

Challenges

Mating

Pool

A's gene type: Affiliati Joins Joiner

C's gene type : Affilia tio Joins

D's gene type: Affiliati Joins Joiner

H's gene type: Affiliati Joins Joiner

I's gene type: Affiliati Stays apar

E's gene type: Solita Stays apar

F's gene type: Solita Stays apar

G's gene type: Solita Stays apar

J's gene type: Solita Stays apar

Loner



10/19

The Individual or the Group

When alone, you are free to

act any way that you like

But join a group, and youmust tailor your actions

to the demands of the

group situation

Living

in groups

requires

pragmatic

compromise:One must some-

times give

priority to the

needs and concernsof the group and

put ones own

interests on hold

(Hewitt, 1989)BJH.OBII.IMCOST.MHRDM


11/19

The balance between theindividuals rights and the

groups rights

Can the group insist oncompliance? Force the member

to obey rules?

Can members insist that the groupsatisfy their needs? Put them

first?

Are homo sapiens communal or

individualistic?

How involved

are you in the

community?

Volunteering

Political action

Social change

Nationalism



12/19

The individual is

primary, first. His

or her rights must be

recognized and

put above the right of thegroup as a

whole. If the groups

goals arent

compatible with theindividuals goals,

then the individual is free

to go his

or her own way.

IndividualismCollectivism

The group isprimary, first. Its

rights must be

recognized andput above the right

of the individual.

The individual

belongs to the

group.BJH.OBII.IMCOST.MHRDM


13/19

The I-C Continuum

Individualism and collectivism differ in theirrelative emphasis on individuals and groups.

Interpersonal relations

Collectivism: greater loyalty to the ingroup

and less concern for the outgroup Individualism foster exchange

relationships rather than communalrelationships

Norms and roles

Collectivism: stresses hierarchy and reactsmore negatively to nonconformity

Individualism: stresses individuality andindependence

Four aspects

Of I-C:

Interpersonalrelations

Norms and

rolesMotivationsThe self



14/19

The I-C Continuum

Individualism and collectivism differ in their

relative emphasis on individuals and groups

(cont).

Motivations

Collectivism: group-serving tendencies,reliance on the equality norm

Individualism: self-serving tendencies,

reliance on the equity norm

Self-conception Collectivism: emphasis on collective,

social identity

Individualism: emphasis on personal

identity

Four aspects

Of I-C:Interpersonal

relationsNorms and

rolesMotivationsThe self



15/19

Cultures, groups, andindividuals vary intheir relative

emphasis ofindividualism andcollectivism

Cultures: East vs.West

Subcultures: Someethnic groups, suchas Asian Americansand Latinos, aremore collectivisticthan individualistic



16/19

Personality: independents areindividualistic and interdependent

putting their groups' goals and needsabove their own.

Sex differences: In Western cultureswomen are more interdependent,

men more independent.

Levels of

I-C:

Culturaldifferences

Individual

differencesSex

differences

Variations in I-C



17/19

Does Membership in a Group Change a

Person's Self-Concept and Social Identity?

Social identity theory: the self-concept is determined

by group memberships

Social categorization: Individuals automatically classify

people, including themselves, into groups.

Social identification: accepting as self-descriptive (self-

stereotyping) the qualities attributed to ones group

(depersonalization)



18/19

Does Membership in a Group Change aPerson's Self-Concept and Social

Identity?

Self-esteem depends on an individuals personalqualities and the value of the groups to which theybelong.

Ingroup-outgroup bias: by rating ones own group

positively self-esteem is enhancedIf a member of a prestigious collective self-esteem

will increase

Members of stigmatized group may nonetheless take

pride in their groups and reject nonmembersevaluations of their groups (social creativity)

Basking in Reflected Glory (BIRG): stressingassociation with successful groups.



19/19

Does Membership in a Group Changea Person's Self-Concept and Social

Identity?

Self-protective strategies

Denying connections to groups that are

performing poorly (CORF, or cutting offreflected failure)

Leaving the group (individual mobility).

Who are you? Is a complex,

hard-to-answer, question.BJH.OBII.IMCOST.MHRDM

Documents

OK 2 Group and Individual