Why and How Do Humans Group?

Video Transcription

Hi, I'm Julie Tietz, and welcome to Conflict Resolution-- Putting the Pieces Together. Today, we're going to discuss the causes and dynamics of group formation, so why and how do humans group.

As humans we have this inborn need to form groups. And this could come from evolutionary factors that really make it hard for us to survive without being a part of a group. So we can't go at it alone necessarily. We need support and assistance from others to help us get by in our living. And our need to form groups as humans is very similar to the primate's need and how they form groups as well.

So we form groups around various factors. And some of these could include our family or familial and genetic connections, through shared goals and values and interests. And these ways in which we form groups are not inclusive. So maybe you can think of some other ways in which you yourselves or other people you know have formed groups.

And when we form a group, we want to or perceive this sense of belonging. And this sense of belonging really starts off with similarities, so our perception that other members and individuals of the group are the same with us.

So for example, let's say as a fan of a particular team. And even the sense of belonging go can to the extreme or the point of not having any direct contact with the member of the group. So going again to being a fan of a sports team, we may all be at the same game and we all have that part of the group of our specific team where we're belonging together. But we haven't met probably most of the people that are in the stadium with us. So even though we don't know each other, we're all a part of and belong to the same group of fans.

When we are forming groups, we also create this in-group and out-group dynamic. And our in-group is the group in which we are a member of. We see these people as being very similar to us. And the out-group, which are people that are not a member of our group, we see them as being more dissimilar to us.

So this in-group and out-group dynamic can create opportunities for a conflict. And this happens when we are competing or vying over each other's interests. So if we maybe perceive that a resource is going to become unavailable, we may compete with the out-group to win over that resource.

Also, we see conflicts within our own group. And these are more at an interpersonal level. So maybe we have spent too much time with a specific group member or a specific group. Or maybe we are having specific problems with one member of the group. And this can create a conflict within our own group.

I know it's happened to me where I've spent way too much time with somebody. And I just need to get away, or things become too intense and a conflict happens.

So let's look at some key points here before we go on how humans group. We have an inborn need to form groups as humans. And this is very similar to primates who have similar characteristics in group formation.

And we form groups over a variety of factors. Some of those could include family, interests, goals, and values. And our sense of belonging within a group starts out with our perceived similarity with other members of the group. And it could even be with people that we have never met.

So for example, our specific team that we are fans of. And once we form groups, we create this in-group/out-group dynamic where we can create opportunities for conflict to arise.

And this can happen between different groups if we're competing or vying over similar interests and resources. And it also can happen within our own groups on a more interpersonal level.

Before we go, check out your key terms here. Feel free to pause and look at them a little bit closer.

Thank you so much for taking the time out to view this. I hope you learned something. And I can't wait to catch you again next time.