f95cdSocial Groups

Social Groups Definition

Social group is a collection of human beings who are brought into social relationship with one another [MacIver].

Basic Premise

Human life is group life

Social interaction

Social relations

Social groups

Three Characteristics

Reciprocal stimulus,

Response and

Mutual awareness / consciousness of interaction.

Factors for Group Life

1. Psyc Psycho holo logi gica call Facto Factorr  !"onsciousness of #ind$ and %ear&

Herbert Spencer ' !(he fear of the living produced the state) the fear of the dead created religion.$

2. Biol Biolog ogic ical al Fact Factor or Se*ual impulse and desire for progen+&

3. c con onom omic ic Fact Factor orss *perience has taught human beings can be better fulfilled

 b+ being in groups than alone&

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!. "eligious Factors

#. Political Factors

State the basic political group is the most powerful o f all social groups.

Types of Social Groups

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George %asen

-. nsocial group does not mi* with other groups and remains aloof from them 0. 1seudo social group 'It participates in the larger social life but mainl+ for its own gain and not for the greater good 2. 3nt social ' acts against the interests of the societ+ 4. 1ro Social ' members of group wor# for the larger interests of the societ+

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Charles Cooley & Primary an' Secon'ary Groups

 Primary Groups

3 primar+ relationship according to "oole+ is one in which intimate face to face association and cooperation predominates. *. Husband ' wife, parentchild, teacher student, friends and so on.

$mportance of primary groups

(he+ are important both to the individual as well as the societ+. In the words of "oole+, 1rimar+ groups are the 5urseries of Human 5ature. It is trul+ in primar+ groups that we live and have our being. It meets the ph+sical and ps+chological needs of its members.

(he primar+ group is the chief molder of human personalit+. %reud, 3dler and other   ps+chologists have maintained that personalit+ of the child is developed in the famil+ and  peer group and does not change appreciabl+ onl+ it develops 0

(he primar+ groups are important for the following reasons  a& (he+ are important for the formation of habits and attitudes) b& development of the social self c& provides basic training in social solidarit+ and cooperation) d& pivotal role in sociali6ation) e& most efficient humani6er of 7animal drives8 se*, hunger, anger, etc.&) f& in the development of roles and statuses and g& It is an important source of social control and social cohesion.

 Secondary Groups

Secondar+ relationships are more formal, impersonal, segmental and utilitarian. *. 9abor unions, political parties, clubs and so o n.

$mportance of Secon'ary groups

a& (he impersonalit+ and formalit+ of the secondar+ groups allows members to focus on their s#ills and speciali6ed interests) b& (he secondar+ groups are necessar+ for the smooth functioning of primar+ groups.

"elation (et)een Primary Groups an' Secon'ary groups

-. It is mainl+ in the primar+ group that individual undergoes sociali6ation which will enable him to participate in secondar+ groups effectivel+ %or e*: an emotionall+ disturbed child or ;uvenile delineliberatel+ and artificiall+ created  5o speciali6ed interest More or less some speciali6ed interest Relationships end in itself Relationships goal directed Informal social control %ormal social control *.G. Sumner & $n&group an' +ut& group III.

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1eople tend to li#e their own group to which he termed as in- group over the competing or opposing group ' the out-group. In other words, an out-group  is a categor+ to which  people feel the+ do not belong.

!?irds of the same feather floc# together$

Sometimes it leads to ethnocentrism. It was defined b+ Sumner as !that view of things in which one8s own group is the center of ever+thing and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it$.

(his classification is important in understanding the group pre;udices

"haracteristics of Ingroups ' ph+sical pro*imit+/ smallness of group/ enduring relationship/ identit+ of ends/ intrinsic values of relationship / personal nature of relations and spontaneit+ of relations.

(he+ are fundamental in forming the social nature and ideals of the individual

thnocentrism is an assumption that the values attitude and wa+ of life of one8s own group are superior to those of other groups. It also involves double standards, one for  insiders and one for outsiders. 3ccording to Sumner the ethnocentrism of primitive  peoples differ from that of civil6ed peoples. In the civili6ed societies it assumes a more  peaceful form of e*pression. He maintained that in modern societies ethno ce ntrism is the sentiment of patriotism.

Sociological $mportance of in&groups an' out&groups

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(he in group tends to stereot+pe members of the out group and label them.

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3n+ threat real or imaginar+ from the outgroup tends to increase the cohesion and solidarit+ of the in group.

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(hese groups are also important because the+ affect our social behavior.

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1eople treat members of out groups as others or different from the in group. (he+ have feelings of antagonism,

suspicion, indifference, scorn, avoidance, @

competition and disgust towards them. It can lead to ethnocentrism, casteism, regionalism and communalism.

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Fer'inan' Tonnies & Gemeinschaft an' Gesellschaft

(he concept was developed b+ =erman Sociologist %erdinand (onnies to differentiate  between urban and rural life or communit+ and association.

=emeinschaft is an ideal t+pe characteristic of  rural life and it refers to !smallness, cohesion, long duration and emotional intensit+$.

=esellschaft is an ideal t+pe characteristic of modern urban life and its characteristics are !individualism, mobilit+, impersonalit+ and the pursuit of p rogress$.

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-uasi Groups

(he+ stand in between primar+ and secondar+ groups. In such groups some characteristics of both these groups are found. *. Social classes, racial groups, age groups, se* groups, crowds, audiences are some e*amples.

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"eference Groups

(he groups to which individuals relates themselves ps+chologicall+. =roups which individual use as standard for evaluating themselves.

(he group towards to which individuals turns in term of ideals, values, beliefs, ideolog+ and profession are called reference groups 1ositive Reference =roups ' those which one wants to identif+  5egative Reference =roups ' those which one wants to disassociate %unctions of Reference =roups '  5ormative %unction [%rame of Reference], "omparative %unction and 3nticipator+ %unction [Source of 3spiration]

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Reference groups ma+ be occupational, professional, religious, recreational, political group.

Reference =roups in Indian "onte*t

a& Sans#ritisation refers to attempt b+ low ran#ing castes to adopt the beliefs and rituals of higher castes such as ?rahmins

 b& Cesterni6ation refers to efforts made b+ individuals to ac