Groups & Teams Overview
Each of us is an autonomous individual seeking our objectives, yet we are also members of groups that constrain, guide, and sustain us. Just as each of us influences the group and the people in the group, so do groups change each of us. Joining groups satisfies our need to belong, gain information and understanding through social comparison, define our sense of self and social identity, and achieve goals that might elude us if we worked alone. Groups are also practically significant, for groups rather than individuals do much of the world’s work. Success sometimes eludes our groups, but their success becomes more specific when group members learn to work together as a cohesive team. People also turn to groups when essential decisions must be made, and this choice is justified as long as groups avoid such problems as group polarization and groupthink.
The Psychology of Groups
Psychologists study groups because nearly all human activities—working, learning, worshiping, relaxing, playing, and even sleeping—occur in groups. The lone individual cut off from all groups is rare–even during a pandemic. Most of us live our lives in groups, and these groups have a profound impact on our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Many psychologists focus on single individuals, but social psychologists expand their analysis to include groups, organizations, communities, and cultures.
The chapter reviews some critical findings from group studies. Researchers have asked many questions about people and groups: Do people work as hard as they can in groups? Do groups take more risks than individuals? Do they make wiser decisions than single individuals? Sometimes, the answers are not what common sense and folk wisdom might suggest.
The Psychological Significance of Groups
Many people proclaim their autonomy and independence. Like Ralph Waldo Emerson, they avow, “I must be myself. I will not hide my tastes or aversions . . . . I will seek my own” (1903/2004, p. 127). Even though people can live separately and apart from others, they join with others because groups meet their psychological and social needs.
The Need to Belong
Across individuals, societies, and eras, humans consistently seek inclusion over exclusion, membership over isolation, and acceptance over rejection. As Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary (1995) wrote, humans need to belong: “a pervasive drive to form and maintain at least a minimum quantity of lasting, positive, and impactful interpersonal relationships” (p. 497). Most of us satisfy this need by joining groups. According to the 2010 Census, the average household size is 2.58 people. When surveyed, 87.3% of Americans reported living with other people, including family members, partners, and roommates (Davis & Smith, 2007). The majority, ranging from 50% to 80%, reported regularly doing things in groups, such as attending a sporting event together, visiting one another for the evening, sharing a meal, or going out as a group to see a m