SOCIAL GROUPS

Group No. 5

Social Groups

Definition: A social group can be defined as any two or more people

in social interaction who share expectations and responsibilities to the group and who share a unifying characteristic or sense of purpose. The study of social groups is conducted by sociologists who analyze behavior and interactions among people and show how these interactions shape societies.

Factors that Influence Groups

In 1958, Harvard psychologist, Herbert Kelman identified three broad varieties of social influence:

Compliance is when people appear to agree with others, but actually keep their dissenting opinions private.

Identification is when people are influenced by someone who is liked and respected, such as a famous celebrity.

Internalization is when people accept a belief or behavior and agree both publicly and privately.

Concept of Groups

Man cannot live alone. He is born into a family and then joins in a neighborhood, a school group, church group, association and other social groups. The sociologist observes the regularities, informalities and analysis of a person’s behavior on how it is affected by the patterned ways of the group. By this, the sociologist is able to predict the behavior of the individual and the group.

In short, a group is defined as an aggregate or collection of persons who have common interest, who are stimulating to each other, who have common loyalty, and who participate in common activities, while society is the broadest grouping of people who share common set of habits, ideas, and attitudes, live in a definite territory, and consider themselves as a social unity. i.e. an aggregate of persons riding in a bus bound for a certain place is a group, while Philippine society is a typical illustration of the latter principle.

Classifications of Social Groups

the terms "primary" and "secondary" in references to social groups function as classifications of human interactions and their importance within groups. Sociologist Charles Horton Cooley defined the term "primary group" and laid the groundwork for sociologists to continue study of human interaction and social organization. Contemporary sociologists have built upon Cooley's theories and defined the term "secondary group" to further detail classifications of social organization.

Primary Groups

Cooley defined primary groups as close relationships that directly aid in a child's development, such as the family unit, childrens' play groups, and the neighborhood in which the child lives. Cooley states that a member of a primary group will usually commit selfless acts and sacrifices for the comfort of other members in their group, or for the benefit of the group as a whole. Such actions would be exclusive to primary groups; that individual may perform such acts for those outside the primary group, but expect compensation

Secondary Groups

Secondary groups are defined by impersonal, emotionless and impermanent interactions. Interactions are often based upon tasks or reciprocity, such as the temporary relationship between salesperson and customer. Numerous employees within a large corporation, or a university with thousands of students can be considered as a secondary group, as these interactions would be impermanent, have a specific function, and interactions will often be anonymous. Cooley never used this term himself to describe these interactions; the term "secondary group" is used by other sociologists and stemmed from his classification of the relationships between members of primary groups.

Charles Cooley

Charles Horton Cooley (born August 17, 1864, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. died May 8, 1929, Ann Arbor) was an American sociologist and the son of Thomas M. Cooley. He studied and went on to teach economics and sociology at the University of Michigan, and he was a founding member and the eighth president of the American Sociological Association. He is perhaps most well known for his concept of the looking glass self, which is the concept that a person's self grows out of society's interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others.

Charles Horton Cooley was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on August 17, 1864, to Mary Elizabeth Horton and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas M. Cooley. He was the fourth of six children.

EducationCooley grave in front of Cooley family obelisk, Forest Hill Cemetery, Ann Arbor

Cooley graduated from University of Michigan in 1887, and continued with a year's training in mechanical engineering at the same school. In 1888, he returned for a Master's degree in political economics, with a minor in sociology. He began teaching economics and sociology at the University in the fall of 1892. Cooley went on to receive a PhD in 1894. His doctoral thesis was The Theory of Transportation in economics. He began teaching sociology in the academic year of 1894-95.

Family Life

Cooley's marriage in 1890 to Elsie Jones, the daughter of a professor of medicine at the University of Michigan, enabled him to concentrate fully on scholarly work and the contemplative life he prized above all. A highly cultivated woman, Mrs. Cooley differed from her husband in that she was outgoing, energetic, and hence capable of ordering their common lives in such a manner that mundane cares were not to weigh very heavily on her husband. The couple had three children, a boy and two girls, and lived quietly and fairly withdrawn in a house close to the campus. The children served Cooley as a kind of domestic laboratory for his study of the genesis and growth of the self. Hence, even when he was not engaged in the observation of his own self but wished to observe others, he did not need to leave the domestic circle.

Other types of groups include the following:

Peer group

A peer group is a group with members of approximately the same age, social status, and interests. Generally, people are relatively equal in terms of power when they interact with peers.

Clique

A group of people that have many of the same interests & commonly found in a High School/College setting; most of the time they have a name & rules for themselves.

Club

A club is a group, which usually requires one to apply to become a member. Such clubs may be dedicated to particular activities: sporting clubs, for example.

Household

All individuals who live in the same home. anglophone culture may include various models of household, including the family, blended families, share housing, and group homes.

Community

A community is a group of people with a commonality or sometimes a complex net of overlapping commonalities, often–but not always–in proximity with one another with some degree of continuity over time.

Franchise

An organization which runs several instances of a business in many locations.

Gang

A gang is usually an urban group that gathers in a particular area. It is a group of people that often hang around each other. They can be like some clubs, but much less formal.[citation needed]They are usually known in many countries to cause social unrest and also have negative influence on the members and may be a target for the law enforcers in case of any social vices

Mob

A mob is usually a group of people that has taken the law into their own hands. Mobs are usually groups which gather temporarily for a particular reason.

Posse

A posse was originally found in English common law. It is generally obsolete, and survives only in America, where it is the law enforcement equivalent of summoning the militia for military purposes. However, it can also refer to a street group.

Squad

This is usually a small group, of around 3 to 15 people, who work as a team to accomplish their goals.

Team

similar to a squad, though a team may contain many more members. A team works in a similar way to a squad.

In group

A group to which we do belong.

It is a group that an individual identifies in positive direction.

Out group

A group to which we do not belong

It is a group that an individual identifies in negative direction.

Importance of Social Groups Social Groups are needed to survive.

Belonging

~>Social groups fulfill one of the basic psychological needs for survival, belonging. Feeling needed and wanted psychological motivates a person to stride forward and stay mentally healthy. An example of belonging is found in Maslow's psychological hierarchy of needs.

Friends make a social group.

• Friendship

~>A social group is not always made up of friends, however, friendships may form within a group. Spending a lot of time with people builds relationships and friendships. All members of a group have at least one thing in common otherwise the group wouldn't form.

Communicating promotes well being.

• Communication

~>Social groups is a form of communication amongst friends or peers. Communication plays an essential and vital role in life. Communication has many forms and is used on a daily basis in one form or another. Again, it is not mentally healthy to be alone all the time as it often leads to inverted personality traits and depression.

Families are a form of social groups.

• Family

~>Social groups do not just consist of friends. Families are also a form of social groups. Families play a vital role by teaching other family members acceptable behavior and beliefs to live by.

Social groups take many forms.

• Support

~>Social groups act as a great support system when needed. Groups can identify and unify to help solve another members problems or anguish. A good example of a support group is any addiction rehabilitation program.

Society has many social groups in coexistence.

• Society

~>In society social groups exist for many reasons. Take protesters for example; they unite to express personal beliefs towards an opposing group or force. The purpose of the protest is to accomplish a unified goal. Accomplishing goals resonates in all occupations.