Individual tolerances and dynamics of intragroup segregation in a extended Schelling model

This research extends on Schelling’s dynamic models of segregation regarding on one of its basic rules: the individual tolerance of the agents in the network. Unlike previous applications that assume a homogeneous tolerance parameter for all individuals in the same population, this investigation introduces individual and distinctive tolerances for each agent, allowing for the exploration of more complex local dynamics and their effects on aggregate segregation. Through its implementation on a periodic two-dimensional lattice, local behaviors of instability and stability lead to less predictable segregation dynamics when comparing to Schelling’s original model. Whereas there is not a general rule that stems from individual tolerance thresholds for all the parametric space, an important characteristic emerges: that is, for given conditions in which extremely low tolerant agents interact, new efficient patterns of intragroup segregation emerges with size and geometries that intends to minimize the overall energy in the system.