Social Groups

1
Social Groups Formal Organizations

• Concepts related to groups

2
Groups

• Definition
• Primary groups
• Secondary groups
• Voluntary associations
• Iron Law of Oligarchy
• In-groups Out-groups
• Reference groups

3
Group

• Group
• People who regularly and consciously interact
  with one another (87)
• Aggregate
• Share same space temporarily
• Dont see themselves belonging together
• Category
• Share characteristics

4
Primary groups

• Cooleys concept
• Small, intimate, face-to-face interaction
• Emotionally close
• Know one another well
• Have a we feeling
• E.g., ??

5
Primary groups

• Functions
• Important in socialization
• Provide emotional support, sense of self-esteem
• Sense of belonging
• Appreciated as a whole person
• Contribute to social control, encourage
  conformity

6
Secondary groups

• Larger, more anonymous, impersonal, formal
• Task-oriented
• Interaction based on ones status/role
• Functions
• Essential to modern society to accomplish
  specialized activity
• Integrating mechanism
• E.g., ??
• Can break down into smaller primary group to meet
  needs for more intimate association, serve as
  buffer

7
Voluntary associations

• Volunteers who organize on the basis of some
  common interest
• Common in U.S.
• E.g., ??

8
Iron Law of Oligarchy

• Robert Michels concept
• Power becomes concentrated in the hands of a few
• Even in organizations intended to be democratic
• Majority of members are passive
• Those that have skills to organize work get
  power
• An elite keeps power by controlling elections,
  appointments, communication, resources
• Even in politics in a democracy

9
In-groups Out-groups

• In-group group feel sense of belonging
  loyalty to, even superiority
• Out-group group feel antagonistic toward
• Can produce rivalries usually not severe
• But can produce discrimination (favor in-group),
  even hatred, mass murder
• Merton
• Double standard regarding same quality
• E.g., aggressive males, females
• See we them danger for pluralistic society
• Consequences (of in-groups/out-groups) both
  functional dysfunctional

10
Reference groups

• Symbolic interactionist concept
• A group whose standards we use to evaluate
  ourselves
• E.g., ??
• Can be a group to which you aspire
• Functions
• Provide a yardstick
• Provide social control
• Provide socialization
• In diverse society, exposed to many standards
• Can create inner turmoil

11
New phenomenon

• Electronic community
• E.g., ??