Psychology 2070A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Contingency Theory, Transformational Leadership, Groupthink

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2070A/B
• Professor: Phills

Document Summary

Group: a collection of three or more people who interact with one another and are interdependent, in the sense that their needs and goals cause them to rely on one another. An innate need to belong to social groups. Most social groups, however, range in size from three to six members. If groups become too large, you cannot interact with all of the members, and they are no longer considered a social group. The members tend to be alike in age, sex, beliefs, and opinions. There are two reasons for the homogeneity of groups: Many groups attract people who are already similar before they join. Groups operate in ways that encourage similarity in the members. Social norms are powerful determinants of human behavior, as shown by what happens if people violate them too often: they are shunned by other group members and, in extreme cases, pressured to leave the group.