A social group is
two or more humans who interact with one another, share similar characteristics
, and collectively have a sense of unity.
- Primary Group.
- Secondary Group.
- In-group.
- Out-group.
- Formal Group.
- Informal Group.
- Involuntary Group.
- Voluntary Group.
Social group,
any set of human beings who either are, recently have been, or anticipate being in some kind of interrelation
. The term group, or social group, has been used to designate many kinds of aggregations of humans.
Social groups
form the foundation of human society
—without groups, there would be no human culture. … Most groups that we belong to provide us with a positive social identity—the part of the self-concept that results from our membership in social groups.
Sociologists differentiate between several different types of social groups. In this lesson, we’ll discuss
primary groups, secondary groups, and reference groups
.
Social groups tend to
form based on certain principles of attraction, that draw individuals to affiliate with each other
, eventually forming a group. The Similarity Principle – the tendency for individuals to affiliate with or prefer individuals who share their attitudes, values, demographic characteristics, etc.
The main characteristics of social groups are as follows:
Collection of Individuals
: Social group consists of people without individuals there can be no groups. … Mutual awareness: Group life involves mutual awareness. Group members are aware of one another and their behaviour is determined by this mutual recognition.
Examples of groups include:
families, companies, circles of friends, clubs, local chapters of fraternities and sororities, and local religious congregations
. Renowned social psychologist Muzafer Sherif formulated a technical definition of a social group.
Social interactions include a large number of behaviors, so many that in sociology, interaction is usually divided into five categories. These are:
exchange, competition, cooperation, conflict and coercion
. Let’s examine these five types with a bit more detail.
It has assigned the quintiles from lowest to highest as lower class, lower middle class, middle class, upper middle class, and upper class.
- Function # 2. Group Norms and Conformity:
- Function # 3. Group Cohesiveness:
- Function # 4. Group Decision-Making:
- Function # 5. Group Communication:
- Function # 6. Informal Leadership:
Examples of formal social control include
the government
. The government uses laws and courts to exercise social control. The government tries to protect those following the rules and capture and punish those who do not. Governmental social control goes beyond the legal system.
| caste class | social hierarchy social stratum | social status social rank | societal group standing in society | range denomination |
|---|
Social groups act as a great support system when needed.
Groups can identify problems and unify to help solve them
or increase the members’ quality of life. … Social groups may be especially important for disenfranchised members of society since they provide a sense of safety and belonging.
To find social groups
your local library
is a good place to start. Libraries often host events around books and recreational topics. Your local community center will also have resources for finding social groups and clubs.
Social influence takes a number of forms. One type of such influence is
conformity
, when a person adopts the opinions or behaviors of others. … An individual may conform to the opinions and values of a group. They express support for views accepted by the group and will withhold criticism of group norms.
