Humans evolved opposing drives for inclusion and exclusion that keep group sizes bounded

Evidence

Based on this analysis of one structural requirement for group survival, I hypothesized that the conflicting benefits and costs associated with expanding group size would have shaped social motivational systems at the individual level. A unidirectional drive for inclusion would not have been adaptive without a counteracting drive for differentiation and exclusion. Opposing motives hold each other in check, with the result that human beings are not comfortable either in isolation or in huge collectives. These social motives at the individual level create a propensity for adhering to social groups that are both bounded and distinctive. As a consequence, groups that are optimal in size are those that will elicit the greatest levels of member loyalty, conformity, and cooperation, and the fit between individual psychology and group structure is ensured. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2507 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

In addition to examining the group formation process, a fruitful avenue for future research is examining the dissolution of groups and the formation of subgroups. According to ODT, feelings of deindividuation should motivate people to adopt more exclusive group identities as opposed to seeking total individuation. Thus, the need for distinctiveness can be satisfied in two complementary and sometimes sequential ways: (1) making intragroup distinctions, that is, dividing an overly inclusive group into more distinctive subgroups with which to identify, and (2) making intergroup comparisons between one’s subgroup and 138 • Cynthia L. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 847 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Effective social groups are constrained to an optimal intermediate size.; Human social motives evolved to keep groups bounded and optimally sized — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2507; Optimal distinctiveness needs drive individuals to join or leave groups by size — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 835 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Human social motives evolved to keep groups bounded and optimally sized #corroborates (0.95) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2507
• Excessive group inclusion triggers subgroup formation rather than full individuation #complicates (0.75) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 847
• Individual preferences for optimal group size can undermine optimal outcomes collectively #complicates (0.75)