Social Groups

Social Groups• A set of people who identify with one another and interact in

structured ways based on shared values/norms. • Generally informal- are not designed to achieve a specific goal (which a team etc… might be)

What are they?

• Social Groups link our lives to larger society: • provide us with security and support, • shape our values and behaviors, • organize us to achieve tasks, • control deviance.

• How we act in a group is not necessarily our personality- people have different roles they play in groups.

Group Characteristics

• People in one place are not necessarily a “group” they are an aggregate. To become a group you need• Regular interaction• Structured interaction • Agreement on norms/values• Sense of shared identity

Group Dynamics

• Reoccurring patterns of social interactions in a group. • Influenced by several factors

Size• Adding people to a group changes

the way it works. Smaller groups are generally more balanced and more intimate.

• As groups grow, they become increasingly specialized, with internal divisions that limit the amount and quality of communication, and unit of members. It can however, also increase resources and problem solving ability

Conformity and Control• Acceptance of shared norms allows pressure for

conformity- but conformity is rarely permanent• What is originally based on agreement/consensus

may giveway to control by aggression/force

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHZmXlayxzs

Leadership

• Power relationships also change as groups face new situations.• Groups need leaders to • Direct tasks in a group (instrumental leadership)• Maintain relations within group (expressive leadership)

Decision Making• 4 stages• Orientation: analyze task to be done,

exchange info, suggest solutions• Evaluating Possibilities• Eliminate less desirable choices: choose one• Restore equilibrium:

• Groupthink: Sometimes so focused on maintaining the group that you don’t realize you are making a bad decision, you rationalize and suppress doubts

Types of GroupsIn groups/Out groups• In groups: a group in which you feel comfortable “we”• Out groups: one in which you do NOT feel comfortable “them”• Everyone has them- and we position ourselves based on these

views• It draws attention to boundaries, keep insiders in and outsiders

out.• Create group symbols (team), slang/vocab, and create a common

“enemy” (which emphasizes “we-ness”)

Primary/Secondary Groups• Primary Groups: Close knit (often smaller) with continuous

interaction, strong identity, multifaceted relationships which are long lasting.• Most of us will be a part of only a few groups like this in our

lifetime. Tie to people’s emotional needs for recognition and companionship, provide anchors in our lives

• Secondary Groups: opposite- Limited interaction, modest identity, limited relationships, not very enduring• Most groups in our lives will be this type. May get very important

and be very involved for a time, but then fade.

Reference Groups• Groups that we may not belong to- but that we use to

reference our behavior (a high school sports team uses a college/pro team as a model etc, we compare ourselves to celebrities, people drive along a “wealthy” street and compare the houses to their own )

• Provide standards for evaluating ourselves and our life situation- shape outlook, appearance, style

• Also provide a normative function- • define “successful” behavior

Group Survival• Some groups last decades, even centuries-

others come and go very quickly• What level of commitment does the group inspire• Greedy Group- make an all encompassing claim on your

heart/mind/loyalty. Want the WHOLE person• Require

• Sacrifice: give up something to join• Investment: must contribute your resources to the group• Renunciation: give up relationships which are not part of the group• Communion: Do EVERYTHING together• Transcendence: feel a special power b/c they are part of the group

Social Stratification• Our chances in life are

based primarily on the social class into which we are born.

• Our actions can create a change is class- but what group you are born into is one of the most enduring features of life

What is it?

• Attempts to explain institutionalized patterns of social inequality- who has what and why• Every civilization has one (Hindu caste probably most

rigid)• We all differ in personal characteristics, but social

stratifications divide us into layers in which people have unequal amounts of resources and social influence. (wealth, power, prestige)• US prides itself on being an open system with achieved

status- but birth status is the most common predictor of what happens in your life.

Class Structure

• Social Class: a group which occupy similar positions (generally based on econ as adults, skills as youth)• Our modern structure evolved with capitalism during the

Industrial Revolution. (working, middle, upper)• Factors involving culture must be taken into

consideration as well (jobs considered “women’s work” are less valued)• Prestige: social esteem given to certain attributes that

are considered socially desirable. Bring us “cultural capital”.

High Prestige Low Prestige• Doctor• Lawyer• College Professor• Physicist• Architect• Firefighter• Psychologist• Clergy• Pharmacist• Athlete• Elementary School Teacher• Pilot• Actor/Director

• Plumber• Bank Teller• Bricklayer• File clerk• Prison guard• Bus driver• Retail Salesperson• Truck Driver• Garbage Collector• Taxi driver• Waitress• Bartender• Gas Station attendant

Inequality and Social Mobility• US values equality- but accepts inequality as

legitimate/inevitable.• You can change your social class, and we seek opportunity for

all, but resent opportunities given in certain situations

American Class Structure• Most Americans call ourselves “middle class”: able to support

themselves with their work. “Poor”: are people who need social assistance. “Rich”: people who don’t need to work (esp. if inherited $$)

• In reality- things are much more varied and complicated• Upper Class: Own major businesses/property- often inherited• Corporate Class: Have “important” jobs with high prestige and

big salaries, but don’t own company• Middle Class: Own small business or work in salaried jobs with

good prestige • Subdivided into Upper (doctors/lawyers) and Lower (office clerks,

salespeople)• Working Class: Hourly Wage, less prestige• Lower Class: Poor

Distribution of Wealth• Lopsided- lower/middle class may be only a couple of

paychecks from financial ruin.• Median net worth of richest 1% is 22x the net worth of the

other 99%• Richest 1% controls 35-40% of American wealth- bottom 50%

has 5%• 3.1 million “millionaires” in US (10 mil worldwide)• 403 billionaires (1210 worldwide)

Social Mobility• Movement from one social group to another. Americans love

a rags to riches story, but it can go the other way too….• Economic “booms” allow people to rise- “busts” force people

down to survive.• Most of the time “steps” are small, factory worker has a kid

who finishes school and becomes a foreman, who’s kid goes to college and becomes a manager etc…

• Structural mobility: changes to the number and type of jobs available in society.

Patterns• Historically, upward mobility has been a part of the allure of

the US- the American Dream is that you come here, work hard, and succeed. Immigrants have always fueled American growth by being willing to work the bottom rung of jobs while others move up.

• Since 1900 the number of jobs in the US has doubled, and the percentage of those jobs that are “white collar” has tripled.

• Deindustrialization: beginning in the 1970s- the number factory jobs (the heart of blue collar employment) began shrinking.

• There are lots of hourly jobs out there- but not many that pay a living wage, even with full time work.

Who gets ahead?• So who is likely to do well, or poorly?• Social class origin is the biggest indicator of potential success,

primarily because it predicts the amount of education a person is likely to receive, and that is the greatest factor in success.

• However, once you finish school- your birth background is no longer a factor

Poverty• Poverty is relative. People are starving around the world,

that’s not poverty by the US standard• Poverty model: Gov’t defines poverty as those without means

to purchase a “balanced” diet if they spend 1/3 of their income on food. In 2011 that was $22,350 for a family of 4.

• Tricky- gov’t model does not account for regional differences• 1960 20%• 1980 10%• 2000 12%• 2010 14%

Working Poor• An American Stereotype is that people are poor because they

are too “lazy” to work- the reality is, you can have a job (or two) and still be poor.

• 22% of people receiving gov’t assistance work full time, 41% work part time- so 63% are working poor

• Especially common in rural areas where opportunities are more limited (map)

• Comes in part from change in econ structure- fewer high paying jobs available for people with low ed levels- most will be hourly, at or near min. wage with few benefits and little job security.

Urban poverty• Urban area have had pockets of poverty for 100s of years. • “Ghettos” first used to describe immigrant areas at the turn of

the century- which were often quite poor. • Today Americans tend to think of those same “ghettos” as

African-American areas, and unlike immigrants, the people who live in these poor areas may stay for generations (cycle of poverty) Again- hard hit by econ change- factory jobs were often the first step up the ladder of social mobility.

• Culture of poverty: poor econ opportunity, chronic underemployment, early families, welfare dependency, gangs, crime. Those who rise- leave. No support for those still there.

Homelessness• Again, not a new problem- there have been “beggars” in every

civilization• In the US, there have been significant increases in the

homeless rate since the 1980s due to four main factors• 1. Increases in poverty overall• 2. Less low cost housing available (stopped building “projects”)• 3. Cuts in gov’t assistance• 4. Decrease in number of residency programs for mental illness:

up to ¼ of homeless have mental issues