Chapter 5 - cohesion and

development
Monday, November 6, 2023 5:26 PM

5-1 Sources of Cohesion

• Group cohesion is the integrity,

solidarity, and unity of the group.
Cohesiveness is an indication of the
health of the group and is related to a
variety of other group processes
• Cohesion, as the principle of
equifinality suggests, can result from
one or more sources, including
attraction relations, task relations,
identity, emotions and structure
○ Equifinality: in an open system,
the potential to reach a certain
goal through multiple different
ways no matter what

5-1a Social Cohesion

• The attraction of members to one
another and to the group as a whole

5-1b Task Cohesion

• A shared commitment among
members to achieve a goal and the
resulting capacity to perform
successfully as a coordinate unit
• Groups that are cohesive, in terms of
task commitment, tend to exhibit high
levels of collective efficacy and group
potency
○ Collective efficacy is
determined by member's shared
beliefs that they can accomplish
all the components of their
group's tasks competently and
 potency
○ Collective efficacy is
determined by member's shared
beliefs that they can accomplish
all the components of their
group's tasks competently and
efficiently.
○ Group potency is a generalize
positive expectation about the
group's chances for success -
high potency groups tend to
select more difficult goals to
pursue and they tend to
outperform their less potent
counterparts

5-1c Collective Cohesion

• Unity based on shared identity and
belonging
• Cohesion and entitativity: a group
that is higher in collective cohesion
will also be a group that is perceived
to be a single unified entity that resists
disintegration. Small highly unified
groups like gangs, cliques, families,
and sports teams, are all thought to be
high in entitativity.
• Identity infusion theory: theory that
explains the extreme self sacrifice that
sometimes occurs when individual
identity is fused with group identity
(heroism in the face of danger and
terrorism)

5-1d Emotional Cohesion

• Group-based emotions, including
pride, esprit de corps, and overall
affective intensity
• Rational cohesion theory: assumes
members of groups develop stronger
ties to groups that are perceived to be
sources of positive feelings and
weaker ties to those perceived to be
sources of negative feelings
 members of groups develop stronger
ties to groups that are perceived to be
sources of positive feelings and
weaker ties to those perceived to be
sources of negative feelings

5-1e Structural Cohesion

• The group's structural integrity,
including normative coherence, clarity
of roles, and strength and density of
relationships linking members
• Group unity based on the structural
integrity of the group, including roles,
norms, and interpersonal networks of
member-to-member relationships
○ Olympic teams -- the absence of
subgroups and less hierarchy
promote increases in
cohesiveness.

5-1f Assumptions and Assessments

• Assessing group cohesion:
○ Multicomponent assumption
○ Multilevel assumption
○ Multimethod assumption
5-2 Developing Cohesion

5-2a Theories of Group Development

• Theories of group development seek
to describe recurring patterns of
change in a group's structure and
interactions that occur over the course
of the group's existence.
○ Successive stage models suggest
that groups move through a
series of separable stages as they
develop
○ Cyclical models argue that
groups repeatedly cycle through
periods or phases during their
lifetimes, rather than moving
through each stage once

5-2b Five Stages of Development

 groups repeatedly cycle through
periods or phases during their
lifetimes, rather than moving
through each stage once

5-2b Five Stages of Development

• Stage models of group development
theorize that groups move from one
stage to the next in a predictable,
sequential fashion. As the group deals
with challenges that it must face at
each stage, the group's interactions
stabilize, the relations joining the
members strengthen, and the group
becomes more proficient.
○ In theory, a group that has
completed each stage should
function more efficiently than
one that has not.
• 5 stages

5-2c Cycles of Development

• 5 stage model - analysis of the
regularities groups exhibit as they
change over time (Bruce Tuckman)
• Groups that balance task and relations
are more likely to complete their
projects on time than groups whose
meetings are all business and no
relationships
• Equilibrium model: assumes that the
focus of a group shifts back and forth
between the group's tasks and the
interpersonal relationships among
group members. (Robert Bales)
• Punctuated equilibrium models:
agrees with bale's view, but add that
 focus of a group shifts back and forth
between the group's tasks and the
interpersonal relationships among
group members. (Robert Bales)
• Punctuated equilibrium models:
agrees with bale's view, but add that
groups often go through periods of
relatively rapid change. These
changes in the group's developmental
trajectory can be triggered by a
barometric event (an incident or
outcome that causes a significant shift
in the interpersonal dynamics of the
group.
○ The halfway point of a group's
life can also trigger dramatic
changes in the group, as
members deal with deadlines
and time pressure, tensions can
arise and the group's
cohesiveness can drop.

5-3 Consequences of Cohesion

• A cohesive group is an intense group.

Its intensity affects members, the
group's dynamics, and the group's
performance in both positive and
negative ways.

5-3a Member Satisfaction and

Adjustment
• Cohesion is associated with increases
in member satisfaction and decreases
in turnover and stress. Cohesive
groups can be so psychologically
demanding that they cause emotional
problems for members.
○ The old sergeant's syndrome:
more common in cohesive
military squads -- although the
cohesiveness of the unit initially
provides psychological support
for the individual, the loss of
comrades during battle causes
 more common in cohesive
military squads -- although the
cohesiveness of the unit initially
provides psychological support
for the individual, the loss of
comrades during battle causes
sever distress. When new people
join the group, the original
members are reluctant to create
emotional ties in fear of the pain
caused by separation -- the "old
sergeants" can eventually
become completely isolated
within the group.
5-3b Group Dynamics and Influence
• Cohesion intensifies group processes.
Dependence, pressure to conform, and
acceptance of influence are greater in
cohesive groups and can result in
mistaken decisions
○ Cohesive groups are more likely
to initiate their members,
pressure to conform is greater
and resistance to pressure is
weaker.
○ Drug use and illegal activities
are often traced back to
conformity pressures of
adolescents' peer groups --
cohesive gangs exert strong
pressure on members --
alternative religious groups
(cults) may demand extreme
sacrifices from their members.
○ Cohesion can also increase
negative group processes,
including hostility,
scapegoating, and hostility
toward other groups.

5-3c Group Productivity

• Cohesion and performance are linked,
both because success increases a
group's cohesion and because
 toward other groups.

5-3c Group Productivity

• Cohesion and performance are linked,
both because success increases a
group's cohesion and because
cohesive groups tend to perform better
○ Meta-analysis studies suggest
that each component of cohesion
contributes to task proficiency.
○ Cohesive groups tend to
outperform less cohesive groups,
but this relationship is strongest
when members are committed to
the group's tasks.
○ The success of cohesive groups
lies, in part, in the enhanced
coordination of their members.
The more group members must
coordinate their activities with
each other, the more likely a
cohesive group will outperform
a less cohesive one.
○ Studies suggest that cohesion is
related to performance, not
because cohesion causes groups
to perform better, but because
groups that perform better
become more cohesive.
§ the cohesion–performance
relationship is a reciprocal
one: Cohesion makes
groups more successful,
but groups that succeed
also become more
cohesive
• The exception -- if group norms
encourage high productivity,
cohesiveness and productivity is
positively correlated -- if norms
encourage low productivity, the
relationship is negative.

5-4 Application: Explaining Initiations

 positively correlated -- if norms
encourage low productivity, the
relationship is negative.

5-4 Application: Explaining Initiations

• Initiations are a groups way to require

individuals to demonstrate their
commitment and invest into to the
group before they are allowed to
become full members. These
investments may strengthen the bon
between the individual and the group.
○ Groups with admission
standards may be more attractive
to members, since their
exclusiveness may make them
seem more prestigious.
○ Since membership must be
earned, people who join do so
more intentionally and are more
likely to be active, contributing
members.

5-4a Cohesion and Initiations

• Cognitive dissonance: an adverse
psychological state that occurs when
an individual holds two conflicting
cognitions at the same time.
○ Studies show that people who
suffered through more extreme
initiations were more likely to
conform to the group's
decisions, rated the group more
positively, and felt more
comfortable when part of the
group. Initiations create
dissonance that new members
resolve by increasing their
commitment to the group.
○ People who go through some
kind of initiation to join a group
tend to like that group more.

5-4b Hazing
 commitment to the group.
○ People who go through some
kind of initiation to join a group
tend to like that group more.

5-4b Hazing
• An initiation into a group that subjects
the new member to mental or physical
discomfort, harassment,
embarrassment, ridicule or
humiliation.
• Hazing is sustained by a number of
group level processes:
○ Bonding and dependence:
individuals who suffer to join a
group value the group more and
become more dependent on the
group.
○ Dominance: initiations serve to
introduce new members to the
hierarchical order of the group
and the requirements to
recognize and respect veteran
members.
○ Commitment: hazing requires a
lot of commitment from new
comers and serves to weed out
individuals who are not willing
to meet the group's demands.
○ Tradition: many groups haze
new members because they feel
that they must honour the
group's traditions, established by
founding members of the
society.
• The use of hazing is unjustified. It is
ineffective as a means of increasing
cohesion and is illegal.