Chapter 4: formation

Question 1

What decides if a person is likely to join a group or not?

Answer 1

Personality, social difficulties, the strength of social motives, gender, attitudes, experiences and expectations

Question 2

Why do people affiliate with others?

Answer 2

-When they find themselves in frightening, ambiguous circumstances

-They also tend to seek out individuals who also perceive the situation as frightening.

-When they are going through hard times, people seek group-membership for social support.

-To compare themselves with one another

Question 3

What principles generate attraction between members of groups (what makes it more likely for people to even create/join groups with each other)?

Answer 3

Proximity principle
Elaboration principle
Similarity principle
Complementarity principle
Reciprocity principle
Minimax principle

Question 4

d: personality

Answer 4

set of distinctive and enduring dispositional characteristics, including traits, temperament and values. Those characterize an individual’s responses across situations.

Question 5

d: Big Five Theory

Answer 5

FFM, or five factor model) A conceptual model of the primary dimensions that structure individual differences in personality. It consists of five dimensions.

Question 6

What are the five dimensions of personality according to the Big Five Theory(5 factor model), and how are they characterized?

Answer 6

-Openness to experience: active pursuit of intellectually and aesthetically stimulating experiences, including imagination, fantasy, appreciation of art, openness to emotions, curiosity, cognitive flexibility.

-Conscientiousness: persistence in the pursuit of tasks, including self-confidence, orderliness, meeting of obligations, achievement striving.

-Extraversion: engagement and interest in social interactions, including friendliness, excitement seeking, cheerfulness.

-Agreeableness: cooperative orientation to others, acceptance, frankness, compassion, modesty and sympathy.

-Neuroticism: anxiety, hostility, negative affect, shyness, lack of impulse control, reactivity to stressors.

Question 7

d: extraversion

Answer 7

to what degree an individual tends to seek out social contacts, including such related qualities as outgoing, enthusiastic, energetic, and assertive.

Question 8

How does extraverts function in groups?

Answer 8

-Extraverts, in general, belong to many groups, like working in groups, and talking spontaneously to strangers.

-They tend to be influential group members.

-Extraverts are in general happier than introverts.

-They are attracted to organizations that are team-oriented.

Question 9

d: introversion

Answer 9

to what degree an individual is oriented primarily toward inner perceptions and judgements of concepts and ideas

Question 10

How does introverts function in groups?

Answer 10

-People that are high on introversion tend to be withdrawn, quiet and reclusive.

-Introverts, in general, belong to few groups, prefer to work alone and are not very interested in too much social interaction.

-They tend to be quiet followers.

-Introverts are more drawn to groups and organizations that are task- or detail-oriented.

Question 11

Name two social challenges that can make it hard for an individual to work in groups or to socialize.

Answer 11

shyness, social anxiety

Question 12

d: shyness

Answer 12

the tendency to be reserved or timid during social interactions, usually coupled with feelings of discomfort and nervousness

Question 13

How does shy people function in groups?

Answer 13

-Shy people do not join groups as readily as others.

-They do not find group activities to be as enjoyable.

-Shy individuals are drawn to, and often form groups with, other shy individuals.

-They feel more comfortable in activity-focused groups, such as sports teams or academic groups.

-Shy people often like to take a friend (called a social surrogate) with them to a new group.

Question 14

d: social anxiety

Answer 14

a feeling of apprehension and embarrassment experienced when anticipating or actually interacting with other people. This is an escalated version of shyness.

Question 15

d: attachment style

Answer 15

One’s characteristic approach to relationships with other people. These are determined by a combination of two factors: anxiety and avoidance.

Question 16

What are the four attachment styles, what characterizes them, and where are they on the anxiety-avoidance scale?

Answer 16

-Secure: low anxiety and low avoidance. People with this attachment style are self-confident and willing to rely on others.

-Preoccupied: High anxiety and low avoidance. People with this attachment style seek out membership but worry excessively about rejection.

-Fearful: High anxiety, high avoidance. People with this attachment style are so insecure about themselves that they fear rejection.

-Dismissing: High avoidance and low anxiety. People with this attachment style are uninterested in joining groups.

Question 17

d: social motivation

Answer 17

Psychological processes that guide people’s choices and the goals they seek. Social motives. Why people seek social interaction

Question 18

What are the three social motivations/motives?

Answer 18

-Need for affiliation: Individuals that are high in the need for affiliation express a stronger desire to be with other people, they seem happier when they are with people and they are more disturbed by unpleasant interactions with others

-Need for intimacy: Individuals who have a high need for intimacy seek close, warm relationships and are more likely than others to express caring and concern for other people.

-Need for power: Individuals who are high in the need for power exhibit an elevated desire to maintain and enhance their capacity to influence other people. This can also be described as “need to influence” or “need for control”.

Question 19

d: FIRO theory (Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation)

Answer 19

A theory of group formation and development that emphasizes compatibility among three basic social motives: inclusion(need for affiliation), control(need for power) and affection (need for intimacy). ​​FIRO theory assumes that people join groups, and remain in them, because they meet one or more of these basic needs.

Question 20

d: relationality

Answer 20

the degree to which one’s values, attitudes, and outlooks emphasize and facilitate establishing and maintaining connections to others.

Question 21

d: social comparison

Answer 21

The process of contrasting one’s personal qualities and outcomes, including beliefs, attitudes, values, abilities, accomplishments, and experiences, to those of other people.

Question 22

Explain: Misery loves company

Answer 22

people choose to join other people to gain the information they need while in an ambiguous, possibly dangerous, situation.

Question 23

Explain: Misery loves miserable company

Answer 23

when facing an ambiguous, possibly dangerous, situation, people seek out others that face the same threat and that are also stressed by it.

Question 24

Explain: embarrassed misery avoids company

Answer 24

even when people need information about a situation, they sometimes refrain from joining others because they do not want to embarrass themselves. Fear of embarrassment can be stronger than the need to understand what is happening, resulting in social inhibition instead of affiliation.

Question 25

Explain: safety in numbers

Answer 25

since humans are group-seeking animals, we seek out friends and relatives in times of trouble, such as illness, divorce, catastrophe, and personal loss

Question 26

D: social support

Answer 26

a sense of belonging, emotional support, advice, guidance, tangible assistance, and perspective provided by groups when members experience stress, daily hassles and more significant life crises. Social support can take many forms.

Question 27

What are the five types of social support, and how are they expressed within a group?

Answer 27

-Belonging: groups let members know that they are valued members and reassure them that they are not alone in facing their problems.

-Emotional support: group members express their caring, concern, and affection for one another. Members compliment, encourage, and listen to one another.

-Informational support: Groups provide members with useful information for solving problems, making decisions, and setting their goals. They offer advice, guidance and suggestions.

-Instrumental support: groups offer tangible assistance to their members, for example loan money, work collaboratively, loaning materials.

Meaning: groups provide members with existential, or spiritual support, by allaying existential anxiety, reconfirming members’ world views, and sharing faith and perspectives.

Question 28

Explain: downward social comparison

Answer 28

selecting people who are less well off as targets for social comparison

Question 29

When are “downward social comparison” used by an individual?

Answer 29

This type of comparison is used when self-esteem is on the line. “At least I’m better off than…”.

Question 30

Explain: upward social comparison

Answer 30

selecting people who are superior to oneself or whose outcomes surpass one’s own as targets for social comparison

Question 31

What are the positive and negative results of upward social comparison?

Answer 31

People can find reassurance in others’ accomplishments and success, “if he can do it, maybe I can”. However, this type of comparison can provoke envy and shame rather than pride and admiration.

Question 32

Explain: Self-Evaluation maintenance (SEM) model

Answer 32

We will graciously celebrate others’ accomplishments, provided they perform very well on tasks that are not central to our sense of self-worth. We will avoid association with high-achieving individuals who excel in areas that are important to one’s sense of self-esteem.

Question 33

d: attraction

Answer 33

Attraction transforms acquaintances into friends. The action or power of evoking interest in or liking for someone.

Question 34

Explain: comparison level

Answer 34

The standard by which individuals evaluate the desirability of group membership

Question 35

Explain: comparison level for alternatives

Answer 35

The standard by which individuals evaluate the quality of other groups that they may join. Which group is the “best affair”?