Group, Croup Characteristics, and Perspectives Notes

Group Notes:
1. Aggregate: a number of people who happen to be in the same place, but do not interact with one another, ex: mall shoppers
2. Social Network: webs of social relationships that link individuals or groups to one another, ex: cliques, groups of friends (old school); facebook, twitter (new school)
3. Group: two or more people come together with a distinctive pattern of interaction, indentify with one another and share a feeling of unity, ex: a group of “best friends”

Different Classification of Groups:
A. Primary Group- individuals interact informally, small size, personal and long lasting relationships, individuals define themselves by who they are (ex: friends, family)
B. Secondary Group- individuals interact formally, large size, impersonal relationships, based on specific interests, individuals define themselves by what they are (ex: co-workers)
C. In Group- group to which an individual belongs
D. Out Group- group to which an individual does NOT belong.
Ex: Muzafer Sherif experiment at Robber’s Cave Park: boys formed two groups (Rattlers and Eagles). Loyalty to In Group generates hostility toward and Out Group and divisions between groups form. Usually members of In Group view themselves with positive types and the Out Group members create stereotypes.
E. Reference Group- a group that is used as the frame of referencing and formulating one’s own behavior


Group Characteristics and Perspectives

A. Leadership Status
Autocratic Leaders: achieve group’s goals by getting others to focus on task, serve as overseers, most effective leadership.
Democratic Leaders: achieve group’s goals by making sure everyone is happy with their roles, a kind of partnership
Laissez Faire Leaders: let others work more or less on their own, provides little oversight, probably least effective form of leadership.
B. Group Size- when group size is increased, personal relationships weaken. Also, increasing group strengthens groups durability, However, greater group size leads to social loafing (where each member in the group has to do less work
C. Group Conformity- individuals in group expected to conform to group’s norms, (pressure to conform is so powerful, many go along with the majority even if they privately disagree, illustrated by Asch Lane experiment and Milgram shock experiment.)
D. Sociological Perspective on Social Groups
Functional Perspective: groups are important to cooperate and achieve a common goal as a whole
Conflict Perspective: power flows from the bottom up in groups
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective: groups culture and changes result from the interaction of those within (and even outside) the group.