Freud ascribed the binding forces in group formation to suggestibility, to the

leader as ego ideal, and to identifications of members with each other. The author however points out the role of anxiety, aggression, and the need for self-preservation. To illustrate: history is an account of collective aggressions; groups are formed for self-preservation whenever external danger exceeds the individuals' strength; anxiety due to unreleased aggression is basic to group formation. Libidinal forces the author believes to be secondary; they appear only after the group has been formed. Civilization and Its Discontents describes man's primary hostility to man, and its threat to the integration of society.