Download Groups Within Society

Groups Within Society
Chapter 4, Section 4
Major features of primary and secondary groups
Purposes of groups
4 Major Features of a
Group
• Must consist of 2 or more people
• Must be interaction among members
• Members of the group must have
shared expectations
• Members must possess some sense of
common identity
“Groups” that are NOT
groups
• Aggregate: people who gather in the same
place at the same time but lack organization
or lasting patterns of interaction. Ex: people
on an airplane
• Social category: a method of classifying
people according to a shared trait or
common status. Ex: teenagers
Groups come in all shapes
and sizes
• Dyad: smallest group possible- only 2
members
• Triad: 3 members- group takes on a life of its
own
• Small group: all members can have face to
face interaction. Sociologists have found that
15 is the largest # of people that can work
well in one group.
Types of Groups
• Primary group: small group of people who
interact over a relatively long period of time
on a direct and personal basis (Family
relationships)
• Secondary group: a group in which
interaction is impersonal and temporary in
nature. Often casual and limited in personal
involvement, tend to be organized around
specific goals (Classroom)
More Groups
• Reference group: any group with whom
individuals identify and whose attitudes and
values they adopt (friends, family, team)
• In-group: the group a person belongs to and
identifies with
• Out-group: any group that the person does
not belong to or identify with
Networks and Leaders
• Social network: direct and indirect
relationships, no clear boundaries, provides
a sense of community
– FaceBook networks, “good ol’ boys” club
• Two types of leaders: expressive and
instrumental
– Expressive: charismatic
– Instrumental: organized, goal oriented