Influence of Group on Individual Behaviour

Our affiliation to groups such as family, peer groups, and neighbours determines most of our behaviours.​ The way we talk, the kind of clothes we wear, and the manner in which we respond to others are all shaped by the groups we belong to.​ Groups influence individuals through social facilitation, social inhibition, social loafing, risk-taking, and group polarisation.

• Meaning: Positive effect on performance due to the presence of others.​
• People perform better when others are present.​
• The presence of others increases arousal, which boosts performance.​
• Fear of being judged (evaluation apprehension) motivates better effort.​
• Concern over self-presentation drives improved performance.

• Meaning: Adverse effect on performance due to the presence of others.​
• People sometimes make more errors when others are watching.​
• Example: A stutterer commits more errors reading aloud in public than alone.​
• Causes are the same as social facilitation — the difference is how the person responds to arousal.​
• Happens mainly with difficult or unfamiliar tasks.​

• Meaning: Reduction in motivation and effort when working in a group compared to working alone.
• Latané's experiment: Students clapping in groups — individual noise dropped as group size increased.
• Members feel less personally responsible for the task.​
• Individual contributions cannot be separately evaluated, reducing motivation.​
• The task feels monotonous, and there is poor coordination among members.
• Group identity is weak — members feel little connection to the group.​

How to Reduce Social Loafing:

• Make each person's effort individually identifiable.​
• Increase members' commitment and sense of responsibility.​
• Raise the importance and value of the task.​
• Make members feel their contribution is unique.​
• Strengthen group cohesiveness.​

• Meaning: Groups tend to take greater risks than individuals.
• In experiments, group decisions were more risky and polarising than individual decisions.​
• Group mind creates shared confidence and boldness among members.​
• Responsibility for failure is shared, so risks feel less personally threatening.​
• Individuals tend to conform to the group's bold stance.​
• Members believe the group is more right than any single individual.​

• Definition: Strengthening a group's initial position through group discussion.
• The group's initial view becomes more extreme after discussion.​
• Example: Colleagues deciding on a punishment may go to extremes—full acquittal or immediate termination— instead of a balanced verdict.​
• Like-minded people share newer, stronger arguments that reinforce existing views.
• Seeing others agree creates a bandwagon effect — the view feels publicly validated.​
• Members identify with the group (ingroup), show conformity, and views become extreme.

• Group Influence: Groups like family and friends shape our behaviour, communication, and responses.
• Social Facilitation: The presence of others can improve performance due to increased motivation and arousal.
• Social Inhibition: Sometimes performance decreases in front of others, especially in difficult tasks.
• Social Loafing: People may put less effort in groups because responsibility is shared.
• Reducing Social Loafing: It can be reduced by making individual efforts identifiable and increasing task importance.
• Risk-Taking: Groups often make riskier decisions because responsibility is shared.
• Group Polarisation: Group discussions can make opinions stronger and more extreme.