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