The Relationship of Group Cohesiveness to Membership Continuity and Social Influence: A Case Study on Youth for Christ Manila Campus Core Group

Abstract

One of the most basic properties of a group is its cohesiveness. It is the “cement” that binds group members together and maintains their relationship with one another and to the group as well (Hogg, 1992). It has been investigated from two points of view - as a dependent variable and as an independent variable. Studies of the first type determine the conditions that bring about various levels of group cohesiveness whereas the second type investigated the effects of different levels of cohesiveness upon the group and its members (Cartwright and Zander, 1968). Cohesiveness has provided the impetus for many researches on group processes on the assumption that groups behave differently depending on their cohesiveness level. Using Festinger, Schachter, and Back’s Model of Group Cohesiveness as a theoretical foundation, the study investigated group cohesiveness and its relationship to membership continuity and social influence in a voluntary organization like YFC Manila Campus Core Group. According to Festinger, Schachter, and Back, the level of group cohesiveness is influenced by two set of factors - attractiveness of the group and group’s mediation to members’ goals. The resultant valence of these forces produces cohesiveness that is responsible for membership continuity and social influence (Hogg, 1992). The study treated cohesiveness both as a dependent variable and independent variable. The researcher formulated a 34-item questionnaire which served as a major instrument of the study. The first part of the questionnaire was designed to measure the level of cohesiveness of the YFC Manila Campus Core Group using the group’s attractiveness and the group’s ability to mediate members’ individual goals as determinants. The last part was designed to measure the members’ desire to maintain their membership to the group and the extent of social influence within the group. It was administered to 60 members of YFC Manila Campus Core Group of Central Sector. The results showed that YFC Manila Campus Core Group has a high level of cohesiveness which is brought about by the members’ high evaluation on the group’s attractiveness to them and the group’s mediation to their goals. The attractiveness of the group is the more influential determinant between the two major determinants of group cohesiveness used in the study. It was also found out that the two determinants of group cohesiveness (attractiveness of the group and group’s mediation to members’ goals) have moderate relationship to membership continuity and social influence. Although the obtained values of correlation coefficients denote a moderate relationship only, they are statistically reliable to indicate that cohesiveness has a substantial relationship to membership continuity and social influence.