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Chapter 6
Outline What is a group?
Primary and Secondary Groups
Anomie
In-groups and Out-groups
Group Cohesion
Social Influence
Qualities of Leadership
What defines a group? Group-collection of people who share some attribute,
identify with one another, and interact with each other
Not groups:
Crowd-temporary gathering of people in a public place; might interact, but don’t identify w/ each other-won’t remain in contact
Aggregate-collection of people who share a physical location but do not have lasting social relations
Primary and Secondary Groups Primary groups-people
who are most important to our sense of self; relations characterized by:
Face-to-face interaction
High levels of cooperation
Intense feelings of belonging
Ex. Family
Secondary groups-larger and less intimate than primary groups;
*relationships usually organized around a specific goal
often temporary
Ex.: your job
Social Networks
Social ties directly and indirectly connect people
Social network-the web of direct and indirect ties connecting an individual to other people who may also affect her
Social ties-connections between individuals Direct or indirect Social networks
Sociologists study construction and influence of social networks Ex.: We may change our minds
whom we vote for if enough of our friends vote for other candidate
Separate from Groups: Anomie Anomie- normlessness; alienation and loss of purpose
that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change
Durkheim believed group membership keeps us from feeling anomie
More common with modernization?
In-Groups and Out-Groups In-group-a group that one identities with and feels
loyalty toward
Out-group-any group an individual feels opposition, rivalry, or hostility toward
Both can come from our ethnic, familial, professional, educational backgrounds
We may feel a sense of superiority towards those excluded from our in-group
At their worst in-group/out-group dynamics create the backdrop for social tragedies like slavery and genocide
Group Dynamics How do groups form, change, achieve goals,
disintegrate, etc…?
Group Dynamics-patterns of interaction between groups and individuals
Dyad-two-person social group
Intense, unstable
Triad-three-person social group
More stable because conflicts can be refereed
*The smaller a group is, the more likely it is to be based on personal ties; large groups are more likely to be based on rules and regulations
Reference Groups Reference group-group that provides a standard of
comparison against which we evaluate ourselves
can be crucial to our sense of self
Ex.: Family, celebrities, pro athletes etc…
Live up to its standards
Sometimes you may aspire to belong, but are not yet a part
Group Cohesion Group cohesion-the sense of solidarity or loyalty that
individuals feel toward a group to which they belong
Force that binds members together
Relies on shared values or demographic traits (race, age, gender…)
Excessive group cohesion can bring about negative consequences
Groupthink-in very cohesive groups, the tendency to enforce a high degree of conformity among members
May punish those who threaten to undermine consensus
Challenger explosion
Groupthink may have played a role in the Challenger shuttle explosion. Scientists may have not taken weaknesses in the shuttle’s design seriously.
Social Influence Social influence (peer pressure)-the influence of
one’s fellow group members
Part of being in groups
Can affect all ranges of behavior
We conform because we want to gain acceptance
Prescriptions-behaviors approved of by social group
Proscriptions-behaviors a particular social group wants members to avoid
Social Influence Social influence results in one of three kinds of
conformity
Compliance-mildest type of conformity, undertaken to gain rewards or avoid punishments
Identification-type of conformity stronger than compliance and weaker than internalization, caused by a desire to establish or maintain a relationship with a person or group
Internalization-strongest type of conformity; occurs when an individual adopts the beliefs or actions of a group and makes them her own
The Asch Experiment
Study on compliance conducted by Solomon Asch in 1951
Groups of 7-8 “students” each to participate in “visual perception”
Only one student in group was real research subject
Results: 33%: yielders-gave wrong answer
though they knew it was wrong Another 40% yielded less frequently Only 25% were independents
refusing to give in to majority
Qualities of Leadership Power-ability to control the actions of others; getting
people to do things they may or may not want to do
Quality of all leaders
Coercive-backed by the threat of force
Influential-supported by persuasion
Authority-legitimate right to wield power
Max Weber identified three types of authority found in social orgs.
Types of Authority Traditional authority-
based on custom, birthright, or divine right
Legal-rational authority-based on laws, rules, and procedures (not on heredity or personality)
Charismatic authority-based in the perception of remarkable personal qualities in a leader
3 types not necessarily mutually exclusive
Bureaucracies
Bureaucracies-secondary group designed to perform tasks efficiently
Specialization
Technical competence
Hierarchy
Rules and regulations
Impersonality
Formal written communications
McDonaldization of Society
McDonaldization-Ritzer’s term spread of bureaucratic rationalization and the accompanying increases in efficiency and dehumanization
Make us aware of “iron cage” of bureaucracy
Rationalization-implementation of formal rules in order to be more efficient w/out consideration of subjective concerns