The work of George Land helps us to understand the growth patterns of everything from individuals to ecological systems. Think of an infant. Accretion looks selfish, but it is a required stage of survival. In this stage connection with similar entities are sought for support and acknowledgment. In this stage other entities look and act like the organism itself.
Identity comes from likeness.
In human development the teen-age years are replication. In this stage there is search for new combinations based on heterogeneity. There is power being with everyone who is like us. The level of predictability is high when individuals are alike. It gives individuals in the group a sense of security.