The author proposes to view the processes of large group conflict within the paradigm of a biologically programmed drive, which he calls the cohesive-divisive drive. This drive governs the mechanisms responsible for group cohesion, disintegration, and intergroup hostility. In a psychoanalytic setting, the shift from the polarity of cohesiveness to the polarity of divisiveness is manifested by a sense of freezing and a remarkable change in cognitive-emotional processing, which the author describes in detail. Drawing on neurophysiological and social anthropological data, he suggests that the bio-psychological mechanisms of a cohesive pole are based on an early attachment, whereas the mechanisms of divisive pole are rooted in hot and cold aggression. The author epistemologically unites these opposing tendencies of human activity into a single drive, since only together do they reflect a teleological purpose - the process of group evolution. The author argues that the anthropocentric approach to the drive concept is both scientifically and ethically relevant.