Freud allowed groups to gain the individual’s traits through organization

Evidence

In the first place, we have those passages in which he opens up the possibility – as an alternative mode of social aggregation – that, through organization, society acquires the characteristics of the individual. The definition of the group – quoted above – as consisting of individuals putting an object in the place of the ego ideal, and mutually identifying through their egos, is preceded by this important limitation: ‘We are quite in a position to give the formula for the libidinal constitution of groups or at least of such groups as we have hitherto considered – namely, those that have a leader and have not been able by means of too much “organisation” to acquire secondarily the characteristics of an individual.’ — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 149

Categorization

• XREF: Resonates with institutional theory and the notion that organisations are epistemic agents in their own right — see Milgrom on reputation institutions capacitating impersonal coordination. — connects to: Freud defined groups by shared object replacing the ego ideal — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 147; Social pressure converts a people into a set of shared psychological traits — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 219; Nobility smelted individuals into the group while aiming at individual self-sufficiency — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 522

Broader Connections

• Social pressure converts a people into a set of shared psychological traits #corroborates (0.75) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 219
• Nobility smelted individuals into the group while aiming at individual self-sufficiency #epitomizes (0.72) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 522