The importance to the individual of collaborating within a group. And the importance to the group in recognizing, and nurturing, the individual.
From: "Amy Chua Is a Wimp" By DAVID BROOKS Published: January 17, 2011 NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/opinion/18brooks.html?nl=todaysheadlines&a... mc=tha212
"Most people work in groups. We do this because groups are much more efficient at solving problems than individuals (swimmers are often motivated to have their best times as part of relay teams, not in individual events). Moreover, the performance of a group does not correlate well with the average I.Q. of the group or even with the I.Q.'s of the smartest members.
"Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon have found that groups have a high collective intelligence when members of a group are good at reading each others' emotions when they take turns speaking, when the inputs from each member are managed fluidly, when they detect each others' inclinations and strengths.
"Participating in a well-functioning group is really hard. It requires the ability to trust people outside your kinship circle, read intonations and moods, understand how the psychological pieces each person brings to the room can and cannot fit together."
This also presents to how "home schooling" can produce the socially-challenged.
Be healthy,
Marc Riddell