Importance of Primary Groups

Primary groups are fundamental in forming the social nature and ideals of the individual (Cooley, 1962, p. 23). The result of primary association, psychologically, is a fusion of individualities in a common whole, so that an individual's life is aligned with the common life and purposes of the group.

It should not be assumed that the unity of the primary group is one of harmony and love. It is always a differentiated and can be a competitive unity. The individual may be ambitious, but the chief object of his ambition will be some desired place in the thought of the others, and he will feel allegiance to common goals of the group. For example, a boy may dispute with his fellows a place on the team, but will place above such disputes the group goal of winning the game.

The most important spheres of this intimate association and cooperation are the family, the peer groups of children, and the neighborhood or community group of elders (Cooley, 1962, p. 24). These are practically universal, belonging to all time periods and all stages of development. Human nature is not something existing separately in the individual, but a group-nature or primary phase of society, a simple and general condition of the social mind. It is something more than mere instinct and something less than the more elaborate development of ideas and sentiments that make up institutions (Cooley, 1962, p. 30).

All human beings, because they live in a society, must establish a social balance between t

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e in nonconventional religious affiliation. Studies confirm that only individuals with a weak attachment and commitment to conventional society in Japan are likely to join these groups (Miller, 1992, pp. 397-410). In Japan, unlike the United States, religious life does not involve attending religious services or personal commitment to a single religious doctrine, but rather a variety of beliefs and behavior based on aspects of Shintoism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Conventional religious behavior consists of performing the appropriate rituals and exhibiting the appropriate beliefs given the specific occasion, and those who do not conform to at least this standard are negatively sanctioned (Miller, 1992, p. 400). In the United States, conversely, conventional religious behavior consists of church attendance and an expressed belief in God (Stark & Bainbridge, 1985). Some divergence from this is allowed since religious tolerance is also a social norm in the United States (Cuddihy, 1978). An essential aspect of increasing a group's cohesion is developing and maintaining a high level of trust among group members. Trust is a necessary condition for stable cooperation and effective communication. The higher the trust, the

Category: Psychology - I