Social Group
• Man is a social being who requires the
support and companionship of others
throughout life. In addition to learning, social
cooperation has played an essential part in
man’s survival as a species.
• In sociology, a group is defined as two or more
interacting and interdependent people who
come together to achieve particular
objectives. This broad definition encompasses
groups of many kinds and sizes. Generally,
sociologists have focused on macro aspects.
• In social psychology, on the other hand,
interest has focused on the micro aspects of
groups, especially on the interaction of how
individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
are influenced by the actual, imagined, or
implied presence of others. As an
interdisciplinary field, social psychology
bridges many of the knowledge gaps about
groups between sociology and psychology.
• In the social sciences, a social group can be
defined as two or more people who interact
with one another, share similar characteristics,
and collectively have a sense of unity.
• 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.
• A social group is not merely a simple
collection or aggregate of individuals but one
which exhibits some degree of social
cohesion. It, therefore, is any collection of
human beings who are brought into social
relationships having some degree of
reciprocity and some measure of mutual
awareness between those related.
• It is a plurality of persons who have a
common identity, at least some feeling of
unity, certain common goals and shared
norms and who recognize themselves as a
distinct social unit. The essence of the social
group is not physical closeness but a
consciousness of interaction. Groups are
among the most stable and enduring of social
units which are important both to their
members and to the society at large.
• According to MacIver, “By group, we mean any
collection of human beings who are brought
into social relationship with one another”.
According to Bottomore, “A social group is an
aggregate of individuals in which (i) definite
relations exist between the individuals
comprising it, and (ii) each individual is
conscious of the group itself and its symbols”.
• A particular social group is a group of persons
who share a common characteristic other
than their risk of being persecuted, or who are
perceived as a group by society.
• “Whenever two or more individuals come
together and influences one another they
may be said to constitute Social Group.”
(Ogburn and Nimkoff)
• Classification of social groups
• A society is made up of various types of
groups which are similar or different from
each other. Classification of these groups can
be done on the basis of i. Social interaction ii.
Degree of quality of interaction iii.Degree of
intimacy of contact iv.Range of group interests
v. Duration of interest vi. Degree of
organisation vii. Size
• 1.Primary group: The primary group is the
nucleus of all social organisations. It is a small
group in which a small number of persons
come into direct contact with one another.
They meet face to face for mutual help,
companionship and discussion of common
questions.
• C.H. Cooley, “By primary I mean those
characterised by intimate face-to-face
association and co-operation. These are
primary in several senses but chiefly in that
they are fundamental in framing the social
nature and ideals of the individual.
“Primary group” refers to those personal
relations that are direct, face-to-face,
relatively permanent, and intimate, such as
the relations in a family, a group of close
friends, and the like.
• The essential characteristics of a primary
group are:
• 1. Intimate feelings and
• 2. Close identification.
Intimacy of relationship depends upon the following
factors.
1. Physical proximity: In order that relations of the
people may be close, it is necessary that their contacts
also should be close. Seeing and talking with each
other makes exchange of ideas and opinions easy.
2. Small size: Relationship can become intimate only in
a small size. In small groups members can know one
another personally and develop a group character and
intimacy more quickly.
3. Stability: To promote intimacy of relationships, the
primary group should be stable to some extent.
• 4. Similarity of background: Each member in a primary
group should have something to give and take.
• 5. Limited self-interest: Though members join the
group with the motive of satisfying their own interest,
yet they should sub-ordinate their interests to the
central interests of the group. They must come
together in a spirit to participate co-operatively. The
common interest should predominate in their minds.
• 6. Intensity of shared interests: In a primary group the
common interest is shared by every member and by
being shared by all, the interest acquires a new
significance and a new valuation.
• 2. Secondary group: A secondary group is one which is large
in size where human contacts become superficial and
undefined.
• The relations of the members are limited in scope and
arrived at by trial and error and in terms of self-interest
calculations of the members.
• indirect influence over the other.
• knows personally only a very few of the other members
and functions as one among almost countless members.
• co-operation with his fellow workers is indirect.
• communicates with them by such indirect means as the
written word.
• lacking in intimacy are called secondary groups”.
• “Secondary group”refers to all other person-
to-person relations but especially to those
groups or associations, such as work groups,
in which the individual is related to others
through formal, often legalistic or contractual
ties.
• The main characteristics of secondary groups
are:
• i. Formal and impersonal relations: The relations
of members do not exercise influence over
others. There is no face-to-face interaction and
the relations are casual. ii. Large in size:
Secondary groups may be spread all over the
world. iii. Option of membership: The
membership of secondary groups is not
compulsory.
• iv. Active and inactive members: Due to
absence of intimate relations, some members
become inactive while others are active.
• v. Indirect relations: The members are
scattered throughout the length and breadth
of the country or the world and therefore
communicate with each other by indirect
means.
• vi. Formal rules: A secondary group is
regulated by formal rules set by a formal
authority where a clear cut division of labour
is made. vii. Status of individuals: In a
secondary group, the status of the members
depends upon their roles. viii. Goal-oriented:
The main purpose of a secondary group is to
fulfil a specific function.
• 3. Tertiary group: Any group accepted as
model or guide for shaping one’s attitude,
behaviour and evaluations is called a tertiary
group or reference group. For members of a
particular group another group is a tertiary
group if any of the following circumstances
prevail:
• i. When members of the first group aspire
membership in the second group, the second
group becomes the tertiary group.
• ii. When members of the first group strive to
be like members of the second group.
• iii. When the members of the first group gain
some satisfaction from being unlike the
members of the second group in some respect
and even strive to maintain the difference
between themselves and the members of the
second group.
Characteristics of a social group
• 1. Mutual Awareness:
• The members of a social group must be
mutually related to one another. A more
aggregate of individuals cannot constitute a
social group unless reciprocal awareness exist
among them. Mutual attachment, is
therefore, regarded as its important and
distinctive feature. It forms an essential
feature of a group.
• 2. One or more Common Interests:
• Groups are mostly formed for the fulfillment
of certain interests. The individuals who form
a group should possess one or more than one
common interests and ideals. It is for the
realization of common interests that they
meet together. Groups always originates,
starts and proceed with a common interests.
• 3. Sense of Unity:
• Each social group requires sense of unity and a
feeling of sympathy for the development of a
feeling or sense of belongingness. The
members of a social group develop common
loyalty or feeling of sympathy among
themselves in all matters because of this
sense of unity.
• 4. We-feeling:
• A sense of we-feeling refers to the tendency on
the part of the members to identify themselves
with the group. They treat the members of their
own group as friends and the members belonging
to other groups as outsiders. They cooperate with
those who belong to their groups and all of them
protect their interests unitedly. We-feeling
generates sympathy, loyalty and fosters
cooperation among members.
• 5. Similarity of Behaviour:
• For the fulfillment of common interest, the
members of a group behave in a similar way.
Social group represents collective behaviour.
The-modes of behaviour of the members on a
group are more or less similar.
• 6. Group Norms:
• Each and every group has its own ideals and
norms and the members are supposed to follow
these. He who deviates from the existing group-
norms is severely punished. These norms may be
in the form of customs, folk ways, mores,
traditions, laws etc. They may be written or
unwritten. The group exercises some control over
its members through the prevailing rules or
norms.
• 7. Relationship of group with external environments
• A group can be conceived in terms of its relationship to
its external environment. However, groups are parts of
larger social systems and, therefore, are in various
kinds and degrees of relationships with other groups.
Individuals can also simultaneously be members of
several real and virtual groups that may be networked.
These relationships, whether cooperative or
competitive, have significant effects on the stability
and durability of groups and the behavior of their
members.
• 8. Cohesion
• Social cohesion is a function of a member’s level and
type of group involvement. Cohesion can be a
continually changing or an enduring state of a group
dependent upon the member’s identification with and
commitment to group norms. Cohesiveness refers to
the value of rewards available in a group; the more
valuable the activities a member receives from other
members, the more cohesive the group. The stronger
the identification with a group’s norms and the higher
the value given to group rewards, the greater the
group cohesion.
• 9. Identification with the Group and
Membership Motives
• When people join a group they do so for a
social motive, especially belonging. The
motive of belonging appears to be universal
across cultures, but it is enacted and managed
differently in different cultures.There are
different rules for belonging to and surviving
in groups in different cultures.
• 10. Leadership Behavior
• The effects of different types of leadership behavior
have been shown to determine the climate of a group.
A member’s position in the group’s communication
network influences member behavior. Indeed, the
nature of a group’s communication network can affect
group productivity and individual satisfaction. Who
communicates with whom, about what, and with what
frequency, in what manner, in what circumstances, and
with what effects can characterize a group’s structure
and locate the status positions of various members of
the group.
• 11. Group Culture
• People join groups to share in similar values, beliefs,
and lifestyles as their own. Every group has a “web of
meaning” that frames the way members perceive the
world and behave in it The web of meaning includes
how members of a group collectively experience health
and health problems. An understanding of a group’s
collective web of meaning also provides a context for
understanding individual differences, which will occur
even in the most homogeneous of groups.
