▸ Social group refers to two or more people who interact with

one another and refer to themselves as a social unit. It is

human nature to relate with people. It is our way of making
connections that satisfy an important need: sense of
belonging, acceptance, and affiliations. You will encounter
many different groups as you expand your social network.
Each group will have its own characteristics which you need
to be aware so you can interact with the members well and
establish good relationships with them. You will be part of a
number of groups in your lifetime, each will be unique in
terms of the group members importance and effects on you.
PRIMARY GROUP

▸ This group is personal or intimate in nature, the interaction in

a primary group is regular, and the bond usually lasts for a
long time. It is not so much concerned with tasks; rather, it
looks after deep emotional connection and sense of security
of its members. You connect your identity with this kind of
group. A family is an example of a primary group. Your peers
of barkada are also considered a primary group. Why do you
think so?
THE NORM

▸ This is the reference group to which you base you

assessment. It holds the relative standard that indicates what
is typically or average. The group has its rules of behavior
which the members follow. For example, classroom norms in
grade school and in high school are different. Thus, students
class-room behavior will depend significantly on which
reference group they belong to.
FRIENDSHIP

▸ As you grow, your social ties also expand and deepen.

Friendship is one of the most important and meaningful
interpersonal connections you have. At this point, you are
growing through and with your friends. Your friends are the
people you often spend time with. You share a lot of
experiences that bind you together for a long time.
▸ Based on your experience, how will you personally define
friendship?
As you establish friendship with people, you find yourself part of
a group (“barkada”) who would spend time together and share
common interests and activities. Friendship has its own beauty
and meaning that has inspired a lot of artists to create songs,
poems, and art works to celebrate this special bond. Apo Hiking
Society’s “Awit ng Barkada” is an original Filipino song that talks
about typical shared experiences (pinagsamahan) among
friends and what friends can do for each other. Other timeless
songs include “In May Life” by the Beatles and “I’ll Be There For
You” by the Rembrandts.
There is also another kind of grouping that is characteristically
more tight and intense than friendship. It is called Cliques. A
clique is an exclusive or tight group whose members interact
more intensely to the relative exclusion of others who are
nonmembers. During adolescent period, cliques are prevalent in
social setting like the school. It is common to hear social
groupings called norms, and it’s interplay with group pressure.
The structure of a clique is not quite the usual friendship circle
as it seems more predisposed to peer pressure, and exerts
stronger social influence among members. There is an
acknowledged leader within the group.
“Queen Bee” is a typical label to a leader of a clique with female
members. She has the charisma, status, “power”, and popularity
that can exert influence on the members. Males also have
cliques, and also have a recognized leader. Cliques are not
necessarily gender exclusive. There can also be a mix of males
and females in this kind of grouping, especially an adolescents
tend to associate with a variety of people as they transition to
adulthood. Cliques tend to be transitory in nature since more
personal relationships are established as an individual matures.