chapter 6. social groups the clusters of people with whom we interact in our daily lives formal...
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SOCIAL GROUPS The clusters of people with whom
we interact in our daily lives
FORMAL ORGANIZATIONS Huge corporations & other
bureaucracies
SOCIAL GROUPS
Two or more people who: Identify with one another And interact
People with shared experiences, loyalties, and interests
Not Groups Not every collection of
individuals forms a group
Category: People who share a status Women College Graduates Baptists
Crowds: Loosely formed collection of people
Crowd "A huge crowd
gathers outside The New York Times building in Times Square to hear play-by-play bulletins of the World Series between the Cleveland Indians and the Brooklyn Robins (Oct. 12, 1920)."
Primary & Secondary Groups Two types of social groups
1. PRIMARY GROUP: Small social group Personal Lasting relationships
2. SECONDARY GROUP Large Impersonal Pursue a specific goal or activity
Primary groups:
Personal
Spend time together
Tightly integrated
Group is an end in itself
View each other as unique & irreplaceable
Secondary Groups:
Goal Oriented
Weak emotional ties
Little personal knowledge
Do not think of themselves as “we”
Society: The Basics, 9th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2007 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
Group Leadership
Important element of group dynamics
TWO LEADERSHIP ROLES1. Instrumental Leadership2. Expressive Leadership
THREE LEADERSHIP STYLES
1) Authoritarian Leadership
2) Democratic Leadership
3) Laissez-faire Leadership
1. Authoritarian Leadership Provides clear expectations
for:
What needs to be done
When it should be done
How it should be done
Authoritarian Leadership
Clear division between leader and followers
Group members obey orders
Little affection from the group
Appreciated in a crisis
2. Democratic Leadership More expressive
Followers vote Time consuming
Best when followers knowledgeable
Identify new ways to do things
Less successful in a crisis situation
3. Laissez-faire Leadership “Hands-off¨ style
Provides little or no direction
Gives followers freedom & authority
Followers:
Determine goals
Make decisions
Resolve problems
Laissez-faire Leadership
Effective style when followers are:
Highly skilled
Experienced
Educated
Trustworthy
Group Conformity
Groups influence behavior of members
Change attitudes & beliefs
Identify legitimacy to lead (leader)
Member who fails to conform--loses
credibility
GROUPTHINK (Irving L. Janis)
Tendency of group members to conform Resulting in a narrow view of an issue
Example:
Challenger Space Shuttle disaster (1/28/86)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfnvFnzs91s
GROUPTHINK (Irving L. Janis)Example
Invasion of Iraq: War based on notion of disarming
Iraq of WMDs
Intelligence personnel perceived superiors wanted information confirming their suspicions--that's all they gathered
GROUPTHINK (Irving L. Janis)Other Examples
Titanic sinking Jonestown massacre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY3cx3U0gYE&feature=related
Charles Manson Family http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nOHJSFsJeIk&feature=fvwrel http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=cwqooUe0wC0&feature=related (2002)
Groupthink Members have sense of invulnerability
Reluctant to: Suggest alternatives Be critical of each other's ideas Express an unpopular opinion
Desire for group cohesion hinders: Critical thinking Good decision-making Problem solving
Groupthink Happens When There Is:
A strong, persuasive group leader
A high level of group cohesion
Intense pressure from the outside to make a good decision
Negative outcomes
Examine few alternatives
Not critical of each other's ideas
Do not seek expert opinions
Highly selective in gathering information
No contingency plans
Symptoms of Groupthink An illusion of invulnerability
Believing in the group's morality
Rationalizing poor decisions
Sharing stereotypes
Exercising direct pressure on others
Not expressing your true feelings
Maintaining an appearance of unanimity
Solutions to Groupthink
Use subgroup that reports to larger group
Divide into groups & discuss differences
Use outside experts
Use a “Devil's advocate” to question ideas
Hold a "second-chance meeting" to offer one last opportunity to choose another course of action
Reference Groups
Serve as a point of reference: In making evaluations and decisions Assessing our attitudes & behavior
Groups to which we belong
Groups to which we do not belong
Conforming to groups to which we do not belong is a strategy to win acceptance (used in marketing)
In-Groups Source of pride and self-esteem Sense of social identity Enhance the status of the group
For example: The U.S. is the best country in
the world!
Out-Groups
Increase self-image by:
Discriminating against out-group
Being prejudice against out-group
For example: The British, French etc. are
losers!
Group Size Influences interaction THE DYAD: Group with 2
members More intense interaction than
in larger groups
Unstable If either person leaves, group
disappears
THE TRIAD: Social group with 3 members
More stable than a dyad
Less intense interaction
Fewer personal attachments
More formal rules & regulations
Coalition formation
Power structure possible
The Effects of Group Size on Relationships
The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology, 2nd EditionCopyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company
Networks
A web of weak social ties
Includes people we know of or who know of us
With whom we rarely interact
Social Networks
The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology, 2nd EditionCopyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company
Social Networks Network ties may be weak, but
powerful resource
People’s colleges, clubs, neighborhoods, political parties, and personal interests
“Privileged” networks are a valuable source of “social capital” Ability to secure mutual benefits by
membership in social networks
Gendered Social Networks
Women’s ties not as powerful as typical “old boy” networks
As gender equality increases Male and female networks become
more alike
Formal Organizations Large secondary groups organized to
achieve goals efficiently
Impersonal
Formally planned atmosphere
Tasks of organizing members of U.S. society
Types of Formal Organizations
Based on reasons people participate
1) Utilitarian Organizations
2) Normative Organizations
3) Coercive Organizations
1. UTILITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS
Pays people for their efforts Members: Almost everyone who
works for income Joining: Usually by choice
Examples: Microsoft Bank of America Winthrop University
2. NORMATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
“Voluntary Organizations”
Join to pursue goals viewed as morally worthwhile
Examples: Amnesty International Sierra Club Peace Corp
3. COERCIVE ORGANIZATIONS Involuntary membership Forced to join as a form of
punishment or treatment Isolate people to change attitudes
and behaviors Examples:
Prisons Psychiatric hospitals
COMPARISON: SMALL GROUPS & FORMAL ORGANIZATIONS
Society: The Basics, 9th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2007 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.