2.

2 Cultural, Social, and Political Institutions, Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

Social Organizations: In-group and Out-Group

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

recognize the existence of in-groups and out-groups in one’s life and society,

compare different social groups of a social organization according to their manifest and latent
functions, and

discuss the issues surrounding in-groups and out-groups.

Is being a member of a particular group a matter of choice?

Find out the answer in this lesson!

Social Groups and Organizations

Sometimes, 'organization' refers to associational groups. It includes corporations, armies,
schools, and banks. Society is composed of many such organizations. A state is considered as
a political organization and school may represent an educational organization. They are all
social organizations.

Organization is a state of being or a condition in which the various institutions in society are
functioning by their recognized or implied purposes. (Elliott and Merrill, 1950)

A social organization or social system refers to the interdependence of parts in groups. These
groups may differ in size and nature. It makes possible the complex activities where members of
a complex society participate in.

Different Social Groups of Social Organization

Each community is made up of smaller groups and associations that are built on social class,
personal interest, or common goals.

The power elite is run by a small group representing the wealthiest, most powerful, and most
influential people in government, business, and the military.

Example:

A generous business person may make substantial contributions to a political candidate.

Voluntary associations are groups that people choose to join, wherein members are united by
the pursuit of a common goal.
Example:

a parent-teacher association at a particular school

Formal organizations are secondary groups organized to achieve specific goals. Legal
organizations tend to be larger and more impersonal than voluntary associations.

Example:

A corporation is usually a formal organization. The very specific goal of most companies is to
increase profits.

Bureaucracy is a type of formal organization in which a rational approach is used to handle

large tasks. The bureaucratic organization is highly organized with a high degree of formality in
the way it operates.

Examples:

colleges and universities

Groups within Society

People do not live in isolation. They live in groups. Social groups consist of two or more
individuals who identify with one another and regularly interact as a result of shared norms,
values, and expectations. Being in a group entails realizations of activities and events in one's
life that help people build and define their stories, interests, and contributions to society.

Different group categorization exists in society. Categories include primary and secondary
groups, in-group and out-group, and reference groups.

In-Group and Out-group

An in-group is an exclusive social group formed out of shared interest and identity. This is the
“we” group in society from which people’s loyalty is bestowed upon. This type of group satisfies
the old saying "birds of the same feather flock together.'' It is in this group where people feel
more comfortable and secured, with no threat, intimidation or conflict of interest. Members of
this group consist of those who share common experiences or ideas in life.

Examples include friendship groups, families, and religious groups.

An out-group, on the other hand, is a social group associated with competition or opposition as
its nature is different from one’s own. This is the “they” of society, where a person is not a part
of or does not belong to the group. The formation of out-groups is the result of perceived
differences.
One’s out-group includes those groups one dislikes or disregards. It is also that group where
one does not feel happy personality-, interest-, or ability-wise.

It should be noted that out-groups should not be given negative connotation as they only involve
non-membership to a certain group. After all, people are created differently. This should be
celebrated in the same regard as we give to shared interests. People should respect what
others can and cannot do. That is the very purpose of recognizing the existence of out-groups.

Issues Surrounding In-groups and Out-groups

In-groups and out-groups are formed as a result of the following:

Social groups, despite functioning actively in realizing tasks of society, draw a boundary
between people in the community. The concept of social group classification of in-groups and
out-groups brings defined and perceived differences to a different level. Lack of sense of
belongingness, isolation, rivalry, tension, and threat of violence may result from well-defined in-
groups and out-groups.

In-group favoritism happens when a person favors or offers special treatment to in-group
members over out-group members. This activity may disregard merit and result to serious social
situations such as corruption, crime, and padrino system.

Out-group homogeneity is the tendency of a person to classify those people who are not in their
in-group as being similar to one another. In short, people overgeneralize and label out-groups in
a negative manner.

Explore!
What are your in-groups and out-groups? How do you choose your in-groups? How do you
resolve conflicts with your out-groups?

Try it!
Write three measures or guidelines on how society and its people avoid the adverse effects of
the existence of in-groups and out-groups.

What do you think?

Without the boundaries caused by in-groups and out-groups, would the world be a better place?
Justify your answer.

Keypoints
Social groups are a specified number of individuals formed to interact with one another and
other people outside the group based on the statuses and roles assigned to them.

There are different social forms of social organization. These include The power elite, voluntary
associations, formal organizations, and bureaucracy.

An in-group is an exclusive social group formed out of shared interest and identity.

An out-group is a social group associated with competition or opposition as its nature is different
from one’s own.

In-group favoritism happens when a person favors or offers special treatment to in-group
members over out-group members.

Out-group homogeneity is the tendency of a person to classify people who are not in their in-
group as being similar to one another.