Attachment and Cooperation in Religious Groups An Example of a Mechanism for Cultural Group Selection

Bowlby proposed that "the psychological problem of ensuring persistent co-operative behaviour" in groups was solved by emotional valuation of the group leader, group policy, or the group itself derived from the infant-mother attachment relationship. He described how an emotionally valued relationship with a group leader, which is rooted in early attachments, can motivate an individual to cooperate for the benefit of the group. Bowlby's insights, studies of attachment relationships with a deity, and the application of multilevel and group selection to cooperation in religious groups together show how attachment to a deity (supernatural agent) could be a mechanism for intragroup cooperation, including the within-group cooperation required for group selection. As such, it links the attachment system, a pillar of human relationships and personality, to cooperation in groups. We also consider how the attachment system could be a basis for intragroup cooperation generally and compare this possibility to two other theories about human social cooperation, the "tribal social instincts" hypothesis and the evolution of "shared intentionality."