- I wonder why we all have a need to belong that needs to be fulfilled. Is it something that we have always had as humans? Is it a result of years of past human experience that makes us feel more successful when we find a group? This is most likely a question that we will not ever be able to answer, but it is interesting to think about why that is a trait that most people have, and why some people do not have this trait.
- I think it is interesting how being a part of a group can change the way we see ourselves as individuals. A big part of our self-image is a result of our surroundings. We identify with certain groups that we share common interests with. This can lead us to feeling successful when our group is successful. Along with that, watching people in our group perform well often motivates us to perform better in similar situations.
- Despite finding a group being very beneficial to us humans, it does not exactly result in a massive rise in performance. When we are in a group effort, we often tend to relax and perform worse individually because we know that we have support from other people as well. A group of four in a school project would theoretically work 4 times as efficiently as a person working alone, but the weaker performance of everyone in the group would actually cause them to perform slightly worse.
- Along with decreased performance, the idea of group thinking is an intriguing topic. Since being a part of a group tends to change the way we see ourselves, it can often change the way we see the world. In situations where members of a group disagree with each other, one side, usually the loud majority, will convince the others that they are right in this instance. This happens because our identity within the group can compel us to believe the group’s most popular belief, due to members in a group often sharing similar ideals.
- Even though these conflicts can lead to groups being less effective, there are ways to avoid these conflicts. Fulling discussing the pros and cons of certain opinions can help prevent issues such as group think and polarization. Most groups do not prepare enough for this, which is why they ultimately become less successful, despite each member mostly sharing common beliefs.