Chapter 5

(2nd Quarter)

How Society is Organized

 A group is where people have the
chance to interact with other people and
think of themselves as belonging
together. The group exists as long as
individuals are interested in belonging to
it. Each society is made up of smaller
groups and associations that are built on
social class, personal interest, or
common goals.
MuzaferSherif, a well-known social Psychologist, proposed to define a social
group as a number of individuals interacting with each other with respect to:

 Common motives and goals

 An accepted division of labor, i.e. roles
 Established status (social rank, dominance) relationships
 Accepted norms and values with reference to matters relevant to
the group
 Development of accepted sanctions if and when norms were
respected or violated
According to Charles Horton Cooley, a primary group is a small
social group whose members share personal and lasting relationships.

There are some primary groups:

 Family – families spend a significant amount of time together,
allowing the members to support, comfort and encourage one another.
Families are connected for a lifetime and are significant to each
member’s personal growth.
 Friends – They often spend a lot of time experiencing different
adventures together, chatting about personal stories and simply
enjoying each – others’ company.
 Love Relationships – A couple in a love relationship is first brought
together as a result of a mutual physical and emotional attraction. They
spend a significant amount of time together, whether that involves
learning about one another or collectively sharing new experiences.
Secondary groups are large clusters of people who have a
mutually shared purpose, often aiming to complete tasks. They
are much less likely to be an influence to an individual’s identity.

 Examples of secondary groups are:


 School/Class – A classroom consists of students and a teacher,
in which the teacher is in charge of creating a structure and
environment that help the students learn. Much less of being
emotional with each other.
 Workplace or Place of Employment – The goal of the
structured environment in the workplace is to fulfill a
predetermined assignment.
 Informal reference groups – It is based on the groups shared
interests and goals. Members react on a personal level. Examples
are family and friends.
 Formal reference groups – have a specific goal or mission.
Examples are Employee Union.
 Membership reference groups – groups that are in agreement
with in regards to attitude, norms, and behaviors.
 Disclaimant reference groups – group we do not agree with in
regards to attitudes, norms, and behaviors.
 Aspirational reference group – a group an individual doesn’t
belong to but aspires to become a part in the future.
 Dissociative reference group – a group an individual doesn’t
belong to and disapproves of inn regards to attitudes, norms, and
behaviors.
IN - GROUPS AND OUT GROUPS
 An in – group is a group wherein people feel
that they are part of the social group group. It is a
social category or group with which you identify
strongly. On the other hand, the out – group is
the complete opposite. It is where a social group
with which an individual does not identify to be
part of. It is a social category or group with
which you do not identify.
There are lot of factors which create the identify
if a n individual is in the in – group or out –
group. These are some:
 Race: Asians vs. Africans
 Culture: Filipinos vs. Chinese
 Gender: Males vs. Females
 Age: Teenagers vs. Senior Citizens
 Religion: Muslims vs. Infidels
 REFERENCE GROUPS
 A reference group to which we compare ourselves. It serves as a
standard to which we measure our behaviors and attitudes.
Reference groups are used in order to guide our behavior and
attitudes and help us to identify social norms.

 Reference groups are used in order to evaluate and determine the

nature of given individual or other group’s characteristics and
sociological attributes It is a group to which the individual relates
or aspires to relate themselves psychologically. It acts as a frame
of reference if an individual want to be part of the norms of the
group.