Support groups only weakly bind members and do not replace genuine community attachments.

Evidence

Some small groups merely provide occasions for individuals to focus on themselves in the presence of others. The social contract binding members together asserts only the weakest of obligations. Come if you have time. Talk if you feel like it. Respect everyone’s opinion. Never criticize. Leave quietly if you become dissatisfied… . We can imagine that [these small groups] really substitute for families, neighborhoods, and broader community attachments that may demand lifelong commitments, when, in fact, they do not. — Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone, 48

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the ADDENDUM theme of weak vs strong social bonds, echoing sacrifice/love obligations discussed in ‘On Sacrifice.’ — connects to: Community bonds have thinned from dense local ties into weak single-purpose ones — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 605
• corroborated: 5 independent passages support this claim — Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone: America’s Declining…, 48

Related

• Community bonds have thinned from dense local ties into weak single-purpose ones (similarity 0.84)

Broader Connections

• Community bonds have thinned from dense local ties into weak single-purpose ones #expands (0.85) — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 605