Cohesiveness


 * Exploring Cohesiveness: The Mystic Unifying Force **
 * By Seung-Hwan Kim **

In the 2011 season of NFL, the New York Giants entered the playoff with an unimpressive record of 9-7, barely slipping out of the division that lacked a true championship contender. However, the Giants were more united than ever. Everyone seemed motivated and the team was like a family. They ended up sweeping through the NFC playoff and defeating the Patriots in the Superbowl to hold up the championship trophy. But what had made the Giants so successful? How did the team that entered the playoff in such a mediocre fashion suddenly become the champion? It seems irrational and nonsensical to think about at first, but with close examination, it is clear as to what sparked them into a fire: cohesiveness. The water droplets of players had become an ocean. //Cohesiveness // is the noun form of the word //cohesive//, which can be defined as having the property of cohering. It originates from the Latin verb //cohaerere//, which means to stick together by being near or united. The //co-// prefix gives the meaning “together” while the //haerere// suggests clinging and remaining fixed. Similar to its foundation, the word //cohesiveness// is now used to describe the quality of being held or cleaved together, but can additionally characterize the rapport of a group of people who are communally consolidated under common interests and social ties. Its meaning is comparable to words such as //adherence// and //conformity//, but is different in that it describes the internal bond between the members of the group. //Conformity// is more often used to express congruity and compliance, while //adherence// illustrates the devotion and attachment of a person to a group. The word //cohesiveness// lies on the opposite spectrum to terms such as //detachment// and //disunion// that describe dissension and factionalism.  Though the full word //cohesiveness// was not added to a dictionary until 1727, its core vocabulary, //cohere//, was used in works of literature dating back to 16th century. Philemon Holland utilized the word in his translation of Plutarch’s //Morals// in 1603, and Thomas Hobbes used the word in his famous work //Leviathan// to describe how the members of every commonwealth “cohere together; but depend only on the sovereign.” Over time, the word //cohesiveness// evolved to also describe consensus and agreement. Thomas Herbert illustrated this definition in his work when he described how the members of a nation “disagreed in sundry fantasies, yet cohered in this [decision].” The word //cohesiveness// has stayed with English for the most part, but the fact that it is derived from Latin keeps it open to other Romantic languages. For example, the word //cohesión// in Spanish , which is derived from the same Latin verb //cohaerere//,  is used to express party unity and the sense of collectiveness. Other languages, though not derived from the Latin word //cohaerere//, still commonly expresses //cohesiveness// with words that describes entitativity and the closeness of a group. //Cohesiveness // depends on various factors such as similarities of the members, difficulty of joining the group, size of the group, and external competitions that may affect the group. Particularly, a group of people with similar background – such as race, age, occupation, ethnicity, personality, and etc. – tend to have higher group cohesion than a group that comes from various backgrounds. Similarities within the members increase the chance that they view certain obstacles in similar ways, which can allow the members to work in accordance while reaching toward a joint goal. Other factors such as leadership and communication can also affect how effectively the group can collaborate with its members. //Cohesiveness// is an integral part of a functional group. Without cohesion, the members will have no sense of belongingness and the group will inevitably cease to exist. In terms of groups, //cohesiveness// plays a large role in how its members interact, to what extent the members interact, and how effective the group interacts. According to a paper written by Leon Festinger and his colleagues in 1950, the cohesion of a group can be defined as “the total ﬁeld of forces which act on members to remain in the group.” A group with higher //cohesiveness// is more likely to retain its members, whereas a group with lower //cohesiveness// is more likely to lose members and thus more likely to dissolve. A group with stronger //cohesiveness// tends to work harmoniously together while working toward a certain goal that fulfils the needs of the group. It increases the sense of unity and wholeness, thus boosting the members’ attraction to one another and the group as a whole. Stronger //cohesiveness// also leads to a stable group interaction that allows the group to continue and extend its interaction with one another for a longer period of time. The emotional and social satisfaction that the members gain from being near one another holds the members close to one another, and the mutual positive feeling toward other members allows the group to exist for an extended period of time in order to fully reach the goal that they are looking for. Members of cohesive groups develop a sense of belonging and unity that helps the group to act together in an efficient and effective way. Members in a highly cohesive group tend to feel prideful and connected to the group due to the sense of fulfillment they receive from being part of the group. References

Cohere. [def. 1]. (1891). In //Oxford English Dictionary online//. Retrieved September 16, 2013 from http://www.oed.com Cohesion. [def. 1]. In //Cambridge Dictionaries online//. Retrieved September 16, 2013 from http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org/us <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Cohesive. [def. 1]. (1891). In //Oxford English Dictionary online//. Retrieved September 16, 2013 from http://www.oed.com <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Cohesive. [def. 1]. In //Merriam-Webster Dictionary online//. Retrieved September 16, 2013 from http://www.merriam-webster.com <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Friedkin, N. E. (2004). Social Cohesion. //Annual Reviews Sociology//. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.30.012703.110625 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Festinger, L., Back, K., Schachter, S. (1950) Social Pressures in Informal Groups: A Study of <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Human Factors in Housing. //Stanford University Press//.