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Society and Groups
In a group, list all of the groups that
you might be a member of.
Society Defined
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For sociologists a society
is defined in terms of its
functions. There are
five:
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reproduction;
sustenance;
shelter;
management of its
membership;
defense.
Organizations Within
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There are three other types of organizations:
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Normative Organizations are organizations that people
join because they perceive their goals as being socially or
morally worthwhile (IE: Greenpeace);
Coercive Organizations are organizations that people
typically are forced into against their will (prison);
Utilitarian Organizations are organizations that people
typically join because of some tangible benefit which they
expect to receive (Girl Scouts, PTA, or a political party).
Technology and Society
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Technology availability greatly influenced the
size and durability of these societies.
Rocks, sticks, spears, axes, bows and arrows,
darts, plows, hand tools, dowels and nails, steam
engines, electricity, factories, watches, computer
chips, and other technological advances have
greatly changed the nature of societies over
time.
Types of Societies
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Hunting and Gathering Societies
Horticultural and Pastoral Societies
Agricultural Societies
Industrial Societies
Postindustrial Societies
Bioeconomic Societies
Why Do Societies Change or
Remain Stable?
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Auguste Comte:
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Social Statics, or the study of social structure and how it
influences social stability
Social Dynamics, or the study of social structure and
how it influences social change.
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A modern example of social statics might be the
official governmental intervention of US economic
recovery efforts; while social dynamics might be the
new “government bailout” manipulation of the
economy to establish economic security in volatile
markets.
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The Big Three: Family, Politics, and Education
Emile Durkheim’s Thoughts
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Emile Durkheim’s concept of Anomie: social
instability resulting from a breakdown of
standards and values
Mechanical Solidarity is a shared conscious
among society's members who each has a
similar form of livelihood.
Organic Solidarity, which is a sense of
interdependence on the specializations of
occupations in modern society.
Karl Marx
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Karl Marx argued the concept of Alienation,
which is the resulting influence of
industrialization on society’s members where
they feel disconnected and powerless in the final
direction of their destinies.
To Marx, the social systems people created in
turn controlled the pattern of their social life.
Ferdinand Tönnies
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Gemeinschaft (Guh-mine-shoft) means
"intimate community" and Gesellschaft (Guhzell-shoft) means" impersonal associations."
Gemeinschaft comes with a feeling of
community togetherness
Whereas, Gesellschaft comes with a feeling of
individuality
What Are Society’s
Component Parts?
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Social Cohesion - the degree to which
members of a group or a society feel united by
shared values and other social bonds.
Social Structure refers to the recurring patterns
of behavior in society which people create
through their interactions and relationships.
What Are Society’s
Component Parts?
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Group, which is a set of two or more people
who share common identity, interact regularly,
and have shared expectations (roles), and
function in their mutually agreed upon roles.
Aggregates, or the number of people in the
same place at the same time.
A Category is a number of people who share
common characteristics.
Types of Groups
 primary
group
 secondary group
 reference group
 in-group
 out-group
 social
network
 an electronic
community
Primary Groups
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Characterized by intimate face-to-face
association and those are fundamental in the
development and continued adjustment of their
members.
Three basic primary groups:
the family,
 the child's play group, and
 the neighborhoods or community among adults.
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Secondary Groups
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Characterized by anonymous, impersonal, and
instrumental relationships, have become much
more numerous.
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For example: a college class, the Democratic
Party
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Secondary groups tend to break down into
several primary groups
Reference Groups
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reference group is a concept referring to a
group to which an individual or another group is
compared.
Sociologists call any group that individuals use
as a standard for evaluating themselves and their
own behavior a reference group.
Reference groups provide the benchmarks
In-group / Out-group
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Loyal to In-group
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Antagonistic to Out-group
Social Network
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Cliques
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Would include family, friends, acquaintances, and
“friends of friends”
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Who could help you get your foot in the door?
The Electronic Community
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Newsgroups
Blogs
Facebook
Chat rooms
Game sites
Virtual Worlds (IMVU, RUNESCAPE)