Social groups form a significant part of the human experience. In social psychology, a group is described as two or more individuals with a collective identity and who accept responsibilities as members of the group. Individuals are born into some groups such as race and ethnic groups and become affiliated with other groups such as religious sets later in their lives. Social psychology studies have shown that social groups have considerable social benefits to an individual. However, some scholars disagree with the impression that groups add value to an individual’s life. For instance, Christian Buys stated that "Humans would do better without groups," a statement that has received both criticism and approval in equal measure in social psychology (Buys, 1978).
While social groups are fundamental to human interactions, they may have a detrimental impact on an individual's life. In the context of the group processes, I agree to some extent with Buys' statement that ‘Humans would do better without groups.’ For instance, group conformity pressures and groupthink may significantly limit an individual’s capability to make effective decisions (Baron, 2005). Studies show that group conformity pressures limit a person’s willingness to express ideas that are conflicting to the group standards. Therefore, a few members of the group make decisions on behalf of the group members, while the majority of the members fail to express their opinions (Baron, 2005). The group conformity pressures thus limit the group members' freedom to express their views and ideas.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The group conformity pressures result in groupthink, which results in making poor decisions. Competent and capable individuals fail to air their ideas and opinions due to the conformity pressure and end up agreeing with disastrous decisions (Forsyth, 2006). Bays argue that groupthink can lead to damaging resolutions such as the Korean War and the Pearl Harbor attacks (Buys, 1978). The decisions made in these situations resulted from groupthink and had negative consequences on the individual group members.
However, group membership also has significant benefits for an individual's life. Humans are social beings, and group membership provides individuals with a sense of belonging. The social identity and recognition offered by group membership boost the self-esteem of individuals.
References
Baron, R. S. (2005). So right it’s wrong: Groupthink and the ubiquitous nature of polarized group decision making. Advances in experimental social psychology , 37 (2), 219-253.
Buys, C. J. (1978). Humans would do better without groups. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin , 4 (1), 123-125.
Forsyth, D. R. (2006). Group Dynamics.
