The Problem of Social Order in Nested Group Structures
8.5 Conclusion
The problem of person-to-group ties in the con- text of nested groups is ubiquitous in the contem- porary world. A key issue for small businesses, organizations, large corporations, radical social movements, or even nation states is how to foster and encourage group membership, prosocial behavior, sacrifi ce, and commitment to the agenda of larger, more distant and removed, social units. The theory and research, presented here, suggest that strong commitments to larger units occur, but only to the degree that certain structural and cognitive social conditions are realized. If left unchecked, primary or fundamen- tal interaction processes tend to promote commit- ment and stable orders in more local or proximal groups while inhibiting or weakening ties to larger, distal groups. This is termed the “proxi- mal bias” in commitment formation. In this paper we have reviewed and identifi ed several sociological mechanisms that promote person-to-
unit bonds from the micro-to-macro levels. These can explain the source of the proximal bias but also how larger social units overcome it.
There are three primary micro-social mecha- nisms that come to the foreground in our theoreti- cal analysis. First, when the sense of control is tied to the proximate unit, rather than the more distal unit, it is likely that any positive feelings experienced from social interactions are attrib- uted to and form the basis for stronger affective ties to the more local, nested unit (Lawler 1992 ).
The locus of control creates a structural and cog- nitive push for positive emotions to be attributed locally, and negative emotions to be attributed to and blamed on the more distal units. Second, Turner ( 2007 ) identifi es a different social mecha- nism for the proximal bias – specifi cally, if social encounters confi rm expectations , then they pro- duce positive emotions and stronger ties to local groups. Third, the theory of social commitments (Lawler et al. 2009 ) asserts that ties to proximal and distal social units depend on the locus of per- ceptions of shared responsibility . A proximal bias is likely if local unit generates a sense of shared responsibility, but if interactions are framed and guided by a distal group, affective ties to it will be stronger. We theorize that the structural interconnections of local and larger units determine the prospects for strong ties to larger units and these can be understood in terms of the above three mechanisms.
In closing, the complex, multi-faceted struc- tures of the modern world almost guarantee that nested groups will pose problems of cohesion, commitment and social order. We use select theo- ries from micro-sociology to analyze how, and under what conditions, these problems of social order are likely to be mitigated by local person- to- unit ties that spread and are generalized to larger and more encompassing social units. The theoretical work reviewed here suggests that human interaction – and the emotions, cogni- tions, and perceptions that are generated by it – can overcome nested group commitments.
Fundamental qualities of human social interac- tion are the source of the nested group problem but they also contain the “seeds” of stable and resilient social orders and stability across socio-
logical levels, ranging from the most proximate or immediate to the most distal, removed, or encompassing.
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