Could the article have been by Robert Sapolsky? He discusses something like that in one of his later books, the one with a chimp on the cover where he talks about how male chimps leave their childhood tribes and head out to seek mates... and the adjustment of moving from a close-knit social group to a new alien group is covered.

He's an endocrinologist/anthropologist by profession I think, but his books are sort of more about anthropology and psychology.