Social cohesion: its characteristics and components

A summary of the concept of social cohesion used in psychology.

Social cohesion is related to the degree of satisfaction and well-being of the members of a given group or of society as a whole. of the members of a given group or of society as a whole. The more there is, the less exclusion and marginalization there is in the community.

Group cohesion can be achieved by taking into account several factors, both as causes and influences. In addition, it can involve consequences, both positive and negative, which, together with the definition of this idea, we will see below.

What is social cohesion?

Social cohesion is understood as the degree of consensus of the members of a social group and the perception of belonging to a common project.. That a group is very cohesive means that its members have solid relationships, with good interaction.

Relations between leaders or rulers and followers or the governed are perceived as fair and, for this reason, cohesion is seen as a conditioning factor of social and economic development.

Many factors could be identified within social cohesion, but they are related to four essential components: social relations, work relations, unity and the emotions of group members..

The combination of each of these four elements is what allows communication and cooperation to take place in the group, which will not only enhance group cohesion, but will also facilitate social growth.

Social cohesion involves dynamic processes of both motivation and maintenance of the group.. Thus, cohesion could be defined, according to Leon Festinger in 1950, as the total field of forces that act on the members to remain in the group. These forces are acquired by the group, with which they remain united and function as motivators for the coexistence of the members.

A high social cohesion is the product of an egalitarian society, given that its members feel highly part of the community itself, without being victims of marginalization, exclusion or violation of their fundamental rights.

**Its members They are part of the same collective, with common interests and needs, respecting each other.. A reduced degree of social cohesion is related to a very volatile society, with many possibilities of social confrontation and violence.

How to achieve group cohesion?

Group cohesion is not a spontaneous phenomenon. For this to happen, whatever the size of the group or, to the maximum extent, the society, it is necessary that all those involved make an effort to achieve common objectives, accepting the differences of the other members of the group.. In this way, the social fabric is strengthened and great progress will be achieved.

Among the causes behind a high group cohesion we can find:

1. Attraction

The idea has been proposed that social cohesion is the result of high attraction among the members of the group or society, understood as a high degree of interest and concern for the other members.

If the members of the group have positive feelings in relation to each other, the bonds will be strengthened and, to a greater or lesser extent, there will be social cohesion.

2. Group pride

Social cohesion can be caused by feelings of pride with respect to one's own group. That is, people have a strong sense of appreciation for the idea of "we", feeling part of the group and seeing it as a whole, not necessarily homogeneous but sharing characteristics.They feel part of the group and see it as a whole, not necessarily homogeneous, but with shared characteristics.

3. Teamwork

Teamwork helps the members of the group to feel more united by sharing joint tasks, increasing the feeling of in-group and collaborating in the achievement of common goals.

During teamwork people show a great deal of interdependence and often have feelings of responsibility for the group.. The bonds of unity contribute to the achievement of objectives.

Influencing factors

Having seen the causes behind social cohesion, it is worth indicating a series of factors that influence, to a greater or lesser extent, whether this social cohesion is maintained or, in the opposite case, disappears completely.

Similarity of group members

The similarity of group members is an important factor influencing the maintenance of cohesion. Aspects such as language, ethnicity, type of work, age, gender and so on can strengthen bonds or, if there is a lot of diversity, can weaken them.

Members of a group may use one of these characteristics as a label under which to group themselves and others together, giving rise to the idea of a "group".The idea of an "us" (ingroup) and "them" (outgroup) may arise, which can make it difficult to accept people who are not like them, excluding them.

2. Difficulty of introduction

Difficulty of introduction refers to how difficult it is to enter a certain group.. It has been seen that in those groups where there is a great impermeability, being elitist and being very picky when it comes to accepting new members, when you are inside you feel a high social cohesion.

This is probably due to the fact that, since so much effort has been invested to gain entry, there is a great sense of satisfaction at having achieved it and and you see the other members as being more like you, in that they have also made that effort.They have also made the effort to be accepted.

Group size

Smaller groups tend to be more cohesive. This is mainly due to the fact that the smaller the group, the easier it is to establish contact with the other members of the group, as well as seeing less differences and diversity in the group.

Consequences

High social cohesion can have many consequences, both at the individual and group level. These consequences can be both positive and negative.

1. Motivation

Motivation and social or group cohesion are key factors that contribute to group performance, whether it is a small community or a small group. When the group is as one, it is more likely to make sacrifices for others, making the group invest more effort in achieving the goals as a whole..

2. Performance

It has been seen that both performance influences cohesion and cohesion influences performance. That is, cohesion makes one more likely to invest energy in the achievement of objectives, while performance, shown in teamwork, increases cohesion.

3. Member satisfaction

People feel more satisfied when they are part of a group, project or society with high cohesion. This can be observed in different areas, for example in successful companies, winning sports teams or in school classes where there is a high level of acceptance for the way other classmates are.

4. Emotional adjustment

Greater social cohesion is associated with less psychological problemsThe more the group members do not feel excluded or marginalized, the more the diversity of the group is accepted. The more the diversity of the group is accepted, the more likely it is to feel loved and this is a protective factor against emotional disorders and psychopathology in general.

5. Pressure to please others

One of the consequences of social cohesion, which can be seen as something negative, is the pressure to please the other members of the group. Group members may feel pressured to may feel pressured to commit more risky behaviors in order not to displease the other group members.or for fear of harming the cohesion of the group.

For example, there are many youth gangs in which there is high group cohesion and members who, separately, would not commit any type of crime, are willing to do anything when they are with their friends.

In addition, the more group cohesion there is in the group will mean that more influences are exerted on each other, which makes there more opportunities for bad decisions to be carried out if someone comes up with them.

Bibliographical references:

• Carron, A.V., Brawley, R.L., and Widmeyer, W.N. (1998). The measurement of cohesiveness in sport groups. In J.L. Duda (Ed.): Advances in sport and exercise psychology measurement (pp. 213-226). Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.
• Festinger, L. (1950). Informal social communication. Psychological Review, 57, 271-282.