15 - Negative Side of Groups

The group can create unhappiness for the individual in the form of loneliness, which means that people are outside the border of the group. People who are alone are not necessarily lonely. Loneliness is defined as the lack of group acceptance and support by someone who misses that interaction. Our society is busy, sophisticated, and full of opportunities, but it produces lonely people. One reason is that people in our society are very mobile, which cuts them off from meaningful and lasting relationships within groups. Another reason is that our choice of leisure activities tends to promote solitariness. Children play alone more than with each other. Several years ago, children spent more time inventing games, negotiating rules, and being part of teams during their play activities. Currently, children are involved in more solitary activities such as watching TV and playing arcade and computer games. All of those examples tend not to invite group interaction and may actually damage social skills if they become the focus of a person’s life for an extended period of time. Therefore, loneliness is often self-inflicted. People must set goals to be active within groups.

The individual is not always to blame when group relationships deteriorate. A person can experience rejection from personal relationships or small groups. Rejection is not entirely negative; it gives us opportunity to examine the situation we are in and learn valuable lessons from it. Rejection may cause people to be more determined to accept challenges to merit group membership. Rejection teaches people that forming and reforming new relationships is one of the facts of life.

Another very negative emotion is hatred. It is usually more intense between large groups within the society. It may be related to one of the phobias such as xenophobia, fear of strangers or outsiders. Fear, aggressiveness, and threats against one’s future and one’s safety bring out feelings of xenophobia.

A special kind of group phenomenon occurring during a lengthy crisis is termed the Stockholm Syndrome. People who become hostages undergo very intense emotions. If the hostage siege lasts for some time, the captives may tend to take sides with their captors and identify with them. The Stockholm Syndrome was first identified when bank employees and customers were trapped in a bank by a gunman over a long period of time. When the hostages were finally freed, the police were quite amazed that these people feared for the safety of the robber and believed the gunman was the oppressed party.