Every functioning group requires some shared beliefs or value frames

Evidence

We are all members of groups, as well as separate individuals. Being a member of a group means sharing something with other members of the group. Durkheim’s (1899/1947) classic analysis of societies highlights differ­ ences between simple groups, in which everyone does the same thing, and complex groups, in which members take on different roles to sustain the group but share some common beliefs. Modern societies can be thought of as com­ plex groups, yet even in modern societies, Durkheim noted, members must have some “similarities of beliefs” if the group is to function. Another way to describe these ‘similarities of beliefs’ is to discuss common values or value frames, perspectives, or worldviews. — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide, 1002

Categorization

• DEFINE: Operationalizes ‘value frame’ as the group-level ‘similarities of beliefs’ Durkheim said a group needs to function — the conceptual unit later chapters build on.
• XREF: Connects to the inclusion-need and small-exclusive-subgroup literature: shared value frames are also what mark who is inside versus outside a group. — connects to: Evidence sharing alone drives groups toward uniform belief without conformity psychology — Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall, The Misinformation Age: How False…, 208; Status groups share beliefs that both cohere members and divide outsiders — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 95; Large groups require abstract norms that conflict with small-group personal relations — Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, 3193

Broader Connections

• Status groups share beliefs that both cohere members and divide outsiders #expands (0.80) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 95
• Evidence sharing alone drives groups toward uniform belief without conformity psychology #expands (0.75) — Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall, The Misinformation Age, 208
• Large groups require abstract norms that conflict with small-group personal relations #expands (0.75) — Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, 3193