Correct Answer - Option 2 : Peer group
Group Cohesiveness:
- It is referred to as the interaction between the different components of the social group with one another. It is generally a part of different components-
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Social relations- A group is said to be most cohesive when the members share a social relation with one another. The members either share a relationship which is based on some relationship either by blood or by societal norms.
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Task relations- Members are either a part of an organization or a school where the task is shared among all the members.
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Perceived Unity- There is some common factors that binds the group which makes most of the group as one.
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Emotions- People in cohesive groups experience better emotional adjustment. In particular, people experience less anxiety and tension. It was also found that people cope better with stress when they belong to a cohesive group
Factors leading to group cohesiveness:
- Similarity of group members has different influences on group cohesiveness depending on how to define this concept. Lott and Lott (1965) who refer to interpersonal attraction as group cohesiveness conducted an extensive review on the literature and found that individuals' similarities in background (e.g., race, ethnicity, occupation, age), attitudes, values and personality traits have generally positive association with group cohesiveness.
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Difficult entry criteria or procedures to a group tend to present it in more exclusive light. The more elite the group is perceived to be, the more prestigious it is to be a member in that group. Dissonance reduction can occur when a person has endured arduous initiation into a group; if some aspects of the group are unpleasant, the person may distort their perception of the group because of the difficulty of entry. Thus, the value of the group increases in the group member's mind.
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Small groups are more cohesive than large groups. This is often caused by social loafing, a theory that says individual members of a group will actually put in less effort, because they believe other members will make up for the slack. It has been found that social loafing is eliminated when group members believe their individual performances are identifiable – much more the case in smaller groups.
Hence, the correct answer is Option 2.
