Synergy of Psychological Mechanisms in Group Dynamics: New Questions and a Clearer Identification of Solutions

This article develops a theoretical framework explaining how scapegoating, ostracism, short-term collective mobilization, and the rise of dominant individuals operate as interconnected mechanisms in the reproduction of power within groups. Drawing on social psychology, anthropology, neuropsychology, and classic power theory, it conceptualizes these processes as a cyclical system through which domination and compliance are socially produced. The analysis compares how this cycle unfolds in political parties, corporations, conservative communities, liberal environments, online settings, and cooperatives. It further argues that cooperative organizational architectures—marked by distributed authority and transparency—may structurally limit social exclusion and pathological leadership.