SOCIAL GROUPS
GROUPS: THE HEART OF INTERACTION
• Social aggregates a simple collection of
people who happened to be together in a
particular place but do not significantly
interact or identify with one another.
• Social categories – people who share a
common characteristic but do not necessarily
interact or identify with one another.
• But when the relationship starts to go beyond
mere “co-presence” or mere “co-category,” a
group starts to emerge.
• This situation then suggests that groups are
not just a collection of beings; they have some
common interests that necessitate the
“interaction” with to each other to across time
and space.
GROUP
• Can be described as a collection of individuals
who have a regular contact and frequent
interaction, mutual influence, and common
feeling of belongingness, and who work
together to achieve a common set of goals.
SOCIAL GROUP
• Can be defined as a collection of people who
regularly interact with one another on the
basis of shared expectations concerning
behavior and who share a sense of common
identity.
CATEGORIES OF GROUPS
• Primary group
• Secondary group
• Reference group
Primary Group
• This is typically a small social group whose
members share close, personal, and enduring
relationships.
• Are marked by the members’ concern for one
another and shared activities and culture.
• They are typically small-scale, include intimate
relationships, and are usually long-lasting.
• Example : family, childhood friends, and highly
influential groups.
Secondary Group
• This has the opposite characteristics of a primary
group.
• Can be a small or large and they are mostly
impersonal and usually short-term.
• These groups are typically found at work and school.
• Sometimes, it become pretty informal, and the
members get to know each other fairly well.
• Example : a committee organized to plan a holiday
party at work.
Reference Group
• This is a group to which we compare ourselves.
• Such as those of college freshmen, serve as a
standard against which behaviors and attitudes
are measured.
• We use reference groups in order to guide our
behavior and attitudes and to help us identify
social norms.
• May also be called as “identity association group”.
• May be classified as in-groups or out-groups.
Reference Group
• In-groups: social groups to which an individual
feels he or she belongs.
- one feels loyalty and respect for these groups.
• Out-groups: social groups that an individual
does not identify with.
– One feels antagonism and contempt for these
groups.
Group think
• A process by which the members of a group
ignore ways of thinking and plans of action that go
against the group consensus- is said to be taking
place.
• Is the psychological influence exerted over us by
our respective groups on moral, legal, scientific
and religious matters.
• Is normally evaluative in nature, hence it may
affect the relationships of groups with each other.