Identity in Associations?

I know this seems a little late but relooking at organizations like girl scouts got me thinking...

“Joining a group became more a matter of individual fulfillment than an expectation of life in society, and leaving a group no longer presented the same dilemma as when it meant serving ties that defined one’s identity.” 

I found this quote when reading Leslie Lenkowsky’s analysis (“Still Bowling Alone?”) of Putnam’s article “Bowling Alone”. I really liked the way this quote highlighted several concepts. In the past Americans tended to identify themselves with these associations. Lenkowsky says that today we find a lot less of this in America. Instead, people freely join groups but are no longer “tied” down to them since they no longer need that identity, and therefore quite much more frequently. I think I have to agree with that statement, at least the idea that people join and quite these associations a lot today.

 I felt this way in my own life in the past. So many times I would join some sort of group but eventually quite keeping my membership short lived. I also saw it a lot in the groups I did stay in. For example, I was a Girl Scout for all my elementary years. That group actually retained a large amount of girls from year to year, but we also saw many girls make half-hearted attempts to participate and then drop their membership after a short period. I think the difference between those that stayed and those that left, was that those that were more committed also identified more with the group.

Why is that? This trend continues even today in my more college level view. Groups tend to have people that come and go a lot more frequently. Is it because the members don’t identify themselves with the group? I think a big causation at least in college people’s life is the ability to identify oneself in other volumes. Facebook seems to dominate that realm. That makes since for the college audience but it doesn’t really explain this trend in other age groups like the child associations.

I still basically have left off with the same question I had before. Why have we lost identity with the groups? Lenkowsky believes it is because membership has become easier to gain and therefore means less. I sort of agree with that but how had would it have been to ever join associations like bowling leagues?