ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the effectiveness of architecture in determining group structures and membership patterns in residential environments. To understand the significance of acquiring group memberships and of belonging to groups, it is first necessary to understand why people seek membership in groups and how groups acquire power over their members. Groups differ in their attraction for members, and members differ in how satisfying the group membership is for them. In general, the realms of relevance of groups are identical with the activities which are the source of attraction to the group. The process of entering and leaving groups is a continuing one for most people. The small informal social groups to which they belong change their membership; some friends drift away and new ones are made; a person will leave a club and, perhaps, join a different one.
