Tough Question - Why do we form small social groups (small cliques)?

Question

We have the capacity, if not the will, to form large open networks of friends and acquaintances with many and varied personality types and backgrounds included. This capacity in fact form the basis of the Small World Theory, where each person is connected to each other person by only up to six links if only one percent of all people travel internationally.

Yet instead of forming large open form social groups, we instead form small cliques where to be a part you have to fit the mould. These cliques, while often forming in larger populated areas, occur in academia (both teachers/lecturers and students), in religious rites and acceptances, workplaces and even in governments. Often cliques are the sources of racism or other prejudices and harmful gossip/rumours.

So my question is, why do we form small social/working/academic/religious cliques, what purpose does it serve and what need does it fulfil in us?

Please note : Answers stating that either ‘I don’t do that’ or focusing on one section, unless making a point, will not be considered. This question deals with the overall psychology of cliques and not one individual form of them.

Please explain your answer if possible.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Insightful question.

I think it is a case of our need to balance identity and security. As individuals, we have the best identity but the least security. As a part of a large group, we have the best security, but no identity. It is in these small cliques that we find the desirable balance between maintaining our identity and ensuring security. Extremely strong and powerful people are mostly loners, in the sense that they hardly cling on to any clique or group.... if they are part of a group, then it is usually the case that they are the leader around whom others have formed the group.

Hope this makes sense.

Answer 2

People enjoy the security of a group, feel disconnected and intimidated by larger groups.

When in a small group everyone has the ability to voice their opinion equally and come to some consensus. Small groups are easily interchangeable and disposable, so when we cease to agree with our group it isn't difficult to abandon it.

Larger groups cause alienation of less assertive personalities and there is often conflict between the more assertive ones. People can feel lost, and alone in larger groups, and feel REQUIRED to fulfill their need for social interaction so they break their larger group into smaller, more compatible groups.

Answer 3

check out Marilynn Brewer's artwork on optimum specialty theory. In a nutshell, we've 2 competing desires: a opt to belong and a opt to stand out. As a form of desires is fulfilled, the different will become stronger. In a huge group of people, it is great to experience that we belong, yet on the comparable time, we would decide directly to experience like we are better than purely a face interior the gang. on the turn-factor, if we are overly individuated, we are uncomfortable with that besides. So we attempt to strike a stability between belonging to a set, yet additionally keeping our experience of individuality. to that end, small communities artwork nicely in this means, as we are able to have the suitable of the two worlds. In a clique, we are no longer on my own, yet we additionally would be liked as ourselves as persons.

Answer 4

Because of time constraints.
We simply don't have the time to form larger social groups. Yes, we could each have a massive network of hundreds of acquaintances, but each of those might be relatively superficial and none of them would be your "good friend".

On the other hand, with smaller groups, the members of the group are closer to you because you have more time to devote to interaction with just a few people. It's a choice between lots of superficial acquaintances, and a few very close friends. And us humans, in our quest for close relationships, tend to pick smaller groups of closer friends.

Answer 5

Society is not a constant and there doesn't have to be some reason deep-seeded in humans. We just tend to be ignorant and that's how things turned out over the last few million years.