Module 7: Social Organization

Barkada
- is a term that most Filipinos in their youth use to refer to a group who share the same
social inclinations
- the fondest memories of one’s youth would often be of the experiences they shared with
their barkada

Social Group
- every age group in every society creates and subscribes to a social group
- consist of individuals who are united by their similar characteristics and these
characteristics serve as the bases of their constant interaction

Social Categories
- not all individuals who share similar characteristics interact with one another

Social Aggregate
- individuals gather in the same place but are neither interacting nor sharing similar
characteristics

Social Network
- consists of individuals who have dyadic relationships that are interacting with other
relationships within a structure
- is a social structure consisting of people who have varying degrees of relations and
interrelationships

Sociogram
- is a visual representation of the social networks present in one group or more
- developed by Jacob Moreno, a psychotherapist, in 1951 to understand the dynamics of
the intersections of social groups
- depicts the interrelationships, or the lack thereof, among the members of this social
structure
Sociogram consists of:
1. Clique
2. One-way Choice
3. Isolate

Clique
- an exclusive group that is separate from the existing unit

One-way Choice
- an individual who relates to another individual who does not reciprocate the affiliation

Isolate
- an individual who has chosen no one and is not chosen by anyone in the structure

☆ When individuals congregate in groups, they create rules, boundaries, and loyalties that
delineate them from others. This delineation is a crucial contributor to the formation of unity and
cohesion among the other members,

Three Types of Human Social Groupings

1. In-groups
2. Out-groups
3. Reference groups

In-group
- is the social group in which an individual directly affiliates and expresses loyalty to
- its three primary characteristics reinforce the boundary that it creates between its
members and those coming from other groups
Three Primary Characteristics of In-group
1. Members uses titles, external symbols, and dress to distinguish themselves from the out-
group (Shandra, 2007).
2. Members apply positive stereotypes of the majority who defines what is normal and
acceptable; individuals who don’t conform to the prescribed norm are considered past of
the out-group.
3. Members tend to clash or compete with members of the out-group. This competition with
the other group can also strengthen the unity within each group (Shandra, 2007).

Members uses titles, external symbols, and dress to distinguish themselves from the out-
groups (Shandra, 2007).
- jejemons – this group is popular for their dress code and language; males wear rainbow-
colored caps, loose shirts, and pants
- jejemons- alter words; “mztahhh” and “eowhsz phowsz”
- military groups – bonds are enhanced by their shared ideals, practices, and
experiences
- military groups – prescribed haircuts that everyone shares, symbol that everyone
upholds
- military groups – rigorous training, combat experiences

Members apply positive stereotypes of the majority who defines what is normal and
acceptable; individuals who don’t conform to the prescribed norm are considered past of
the out-group.
- just as deviance is often punished by ostracism and discrimination, individuals who fail to
meet the standards set by the in-group are bound to experience being socially
marginalized
- in-group favoritism – phenomenon of individuals preferring members and behaviors
practiced within an in-group as opposed to those from the out-group
- in-group favoritism – is crucial in reinforcing self-esteem within the group by creating
biases that makes the in-group the “superior” over the out-group

Members tend to clash or compete with members of the out-group. This competition with
the other group can also strengthen the unity within each group (Shandra, 2007).
- rivalries among schools such as sports, quiz bees, and rankings
- school spirit – is often intensified through common desire of individuals in a group to
succeed against the opposing group
- intergroup aggression – takes place as members of the in-group harm individuals from
the out-group’s due to their undesirable traits that clash with in-group’s prescribed norms
- intergroup aggression – bullying
- stereotypes and prejudice – are often created by members of the in-group against those
from the out-group due to the ethnocentric orientations of the members in an in-group
Out-group
- is the group that an individual is not a part of
- negative attributes are usually associated with individuals who are part of this group
- individuals from this group are usually considered malevolent even if they are not
- individuals from this group are prone to being stereotyped and, worse, dehumanized

Reference Groups
- the behavior of an individual can be shaped by the set of behavior and beliefs of a group
that such an individual considers as ideal
- ideal group
- is used by an individual as a standard to measure his or her actions
- can have an effect on an individual’s self-evaluation

Two Types of Self-Evaluation in Reference Groups

1. Normative Effect
2. Comparison Effect

Normative Effect
- when an individual receives a positive self-evaluation

Comparison Effect
- a negative self-evaluation
- an individual may attempt to alter his or her behavior to conform to the standard of the
reference group

Group Membership
- has been a key element in fostering the development of the social nature and ideals of an
individual

Primary Groups
- are the direct sources of an individual’s social skills and knowledge
- the bonds that an individual forms with the members of these groups extend over long
period of time
- family, friends, peers, classmates, and church
- primary relationships are formed from these social sets
- interaction and communication are often informal and holistic
Small and Traditional Societies
- promote primary relationships, as everyone in the village tends to be interrelated by
kinship, economic engagement, and religious orientation

Secondary Groups
- are more formal in context as the relationship and interactions in them are limited to a
particular role that an individual plays within the group
- this may consist of relationships that are temporary and practical
- in these types of relationships relating to the personal are often discouraged in this setting
- such detached forms of relationships are usually observed in highly industrialized societies
where individualism is given primacy over community engagements

Large Group
- tends to promote detachment through indirect interaction
- secondary relationships

Small Groups
- isolated members from large groups cope by creating this group that foster direct
interaction among its members
- direct interaction – this type of interaction forms exclusivity, as experiences and ideas
are strictly shares within the context of the small group

Triad
- a small group of three individuals
- has better cohesion than a dyad because of the lesser personal connection that each
individual has from the other members in the group

Dyad
- the most cohesive and directly interacting small groups
- consist of two individuals
- has potential for the formation of strong bonds due to constant interaction
- prone to ruin, as conflict between this group result the dissolution of the relationship

Free Riding
- individuals depending on others instead of performing tasks that are originally expected
of them
Group Behavior
- is another topic studied in the context of social groups

Conformity
- is the behavior of an individual that relates to following the prescribed norms of his or her
group due to pressure or influence that members of the group have on him or her

☆ Stricter compliance to norms can be observed in smaller groups due to the stronger pressure
to conform which is felt by the individual; larger groups are prone to have less strict compliance
to social norms.

☆ Smaller groups tend to practice group-think.

Group-think
- is united acceptance and practice of ideas that is believed as form of group loyalty
- this form of mentality is sometimes based on the majority’s perspective; the voice of
minority is silenced
- this form of solidarity becomes dangerous due to lack of perspective that it promotes

Leaders
- who exercise authority over its members

Two Types of Leaders in Small Groups

1. Instrumental
2. Expressive

Expressive Leaders
- is motivated by the relationships that he or she has with the members of the group
- this leader employs a cooperative style of management, wherein the opinions of the
members are accounted for as the main goal of group it to maintain its cohesion
Instrumental Leaders
- implements a directive style of management, wherein members of the group are directed
to perform tasks that lead to the achievement of the group goal
- this type of leader is achievement motivated
- unity is often a threatened concept under the leadership of this type of leader
- may experience resentment from members of his or her group

Organizations
- are created by individuals to foster a more direct relationship in secondary group setting

Formal Organization
- secondary group is directed by its goal
- political parties, academic and professional organizations
- driven by their goals that define their programs and activities

Informal Organization
- within formal organizations, are these type of organization
- are characterized by the informal relationship between members
- cater to the personal needs of individuals as opposed to the structure-oriented formal
organizations

Rational Planning
- this process implies identification of tasks, roles, implementations of programs, and
general policies
- this provides organizations a businesslike nature

Two Most Prominent Organizational Models in Sociology

1. Bureaucratic Organization
2. Collectivist Organization
Bureaucratic Organizational Model
- is lifted from Max Weber’s concept of Modern Western society
- operate within the frame of written rules and regulations that allow for a more efficient
implementation of organizational objectives
- authority figures are set in hierarchy; individuals are known as bureaucrats
- power is strictly regulated to bureaucrats only; dissolution of the bureaucratic office results
to removal of power
- task specialization – allowing individuals to operate within their capacity
- task specialization – create an impersonal relationship among the members of the
organization
- is too determinate in its understanding of organizations

Collectivist Organizational Model

- responded to the issues that confronted the bureaucratic model
- based on Karl Marx’s theory on the evolution of society, this model predicts the demise of
bureaucratic organizations within a shift from class-based to a classless society
- the hierarchy created in bureaucratic society is erased to the extent that the supervisors
and workers are collectively and harmoniously functioning toward the achievement of the
organization’s goals
- equality is a common theme in this model