Download two minutes - Ms. Erickson

Primary versus Secondary Groups
Primary Groups
Secondary Groups
Examples
Family, friendship
group, work group,
gang
Corporation, city, university, nation,
sociology class
Size
Tends to be small
Can be very large
Nature of
members’
attachment
Socio-emotional
(gemeinschaft),
personal
Instrumental (gesellschaft), impersonal
Duration
Long term
Long term or very short term
Demands on
members
Greedy; want to
take in entire
individual
Limited demands, only requires performance
of a specific role
Nature of social
control
Informal
Formal
Boundaries
Relatively closed;
Relatively open, easier to enter and exit
harder to enter and
exit
Task 1: Individually, complete the following
in your notebook.
Think of a PRIMARY group to which you belong. Which of the
characteristics of primary groups does your primary group have?
a) What is the name of your group?
b) How big is your group?
c) What is the nature of members’ attachment (motive for staying
in group)?
d) How long has the group been in existence?
e) What are the demands on the individual members?
f) What is the nature of social control? That is, if a member gets
out of line what kinds of sanctions might be expected?
g) What are the groups’ boundaries? How easy is it for a new
person to join or an established group member to leave?
Now, STAND UP, form trios and
share your responses.
Each person has two minutes to
share.
Then, return to your seat.
Task 2: Individually, complete the following
in your notebook.
Now, think of a SECONDARY group to which you belong. Which of
the characteristics of secondary groups does your secondary
group have?
a) What is the name of your group?
b) How big is your group?
c) What is the nature of members’ attachment (motive for staying
in group)?
d) How long has the group been in existence?
e) What are the demands on the individual members?
f) What is the nature of social control? That is, if a member gets
out of line what kinds of sanctions might be expected?
g) What are the groups’ boundaries? How easy is it for a new
person to join or an established group member to leave?
Now, STAND UP, form trios WITH
DIFFERENT PEOPLE and share your
responses.
Each person has two minutes to share.
Then, return to your seat.
Discuss as a class:
• Sociologists distinguish between ascribed and
achieved social statuses. Examples.
• But do these different types of statuses have
different or similar origins? To what extent
can we claim these for ourselves, and to what
extent are they awarded or assigned by
others?
• Select two of your ascribed statuses and two
of your achieved statuses and discuss their
origins. Are some more important than
others?
Individual reflection:
• Complete this on a half sheet of paper and
turn in to Ms. Erickson’s In-box:
– At this stage of your life, what is your master
status? What will your master status be in 10
years? In 20 years? Describe what, if any,
consequences your master status will have on
how you live your life.