Dynamics of Social Cohesion in Diverse Groups: A Wave-Interference Model of Social Processes

This study develops a continuous structural model of group cohesion based on an interference framework. Whereas many influential approaches in diversity research focus on categorical subgroup distinctions, the present approach represents heterogeneity as dispersion of cohesion-relevant orientations within a shared interaction space. Simulation results reveal robust structural regularities across parameter ranges. Increasing diversity reduces the amplitude of cohesion dynamics without altering their functional form, and the optimal group size remains largely invariant. Structural adjustments such as resizing provide only partial compensation for dispersion-related attenuation. Most notably, the required regulatory scaling exhibits nonlinear threshold dynamics: intervention demand increases discontinuously and displays plateau regions that remain stable across group sizes. These patterns emerge endogenously from the interference structure of the model and highlight nonlinear scaling relationships that remain implicit in categorical accounts.