The Long and Short of Groups and Individuals

Something very interesting struck me today...What drives a person to certain actions? First of all, what is it that a person strives for - is he clear at a not-so-mature stage in life, where glitz and glamor can come in the way of rational thinking and justification. Secondly, an individualistic action, when indirectly having adverse effects on a group - at what time does one decide to leave a group to protest this individualism? Moreover, having done so, is the protester then not falling in the same category of being out of the group?

An act of measuring disturbs the measured. Following the train of thought, the act of controlling too would do so (even more), as a prerequisite of control is measure. Thus, an action as taken by an individual in a group factors in ramifications of his actions as a stakeholder within the group. So that explains part of the story. But what happens when history tells us that the group is doing wrong, and that our objectives of being in a group do not match with the corresponding actions, at least in the long run.

One justification would be that in the short run, the personal motives are fulfilled. But at the cost of losing out in the long run? An explanation given is, "who knows/cares about tomorrow?". But then these people are acting against the interests of the group. Then, theoretically, they are not part of the group in the first place!

So, is the person who complained against the group a part of it, or the second individual who goes with the group, but does not cause it to reach its objective? Depending on how you think about it, the definition of a group and its purpose changes.