HUMAN GROUP

1/C ROSARIO, RAINER JOHN R.

1/C SON LOURJIE KYLE E.
S3 CHARLIE MAR-E
 WHAT IS HUMAN GROUP IN SOCIOLOGY

• In the social sciences, a social group is two or

more humans who interact with one another, share
similar characteristics, and have a collective sense of
unity. This is a very broad definition, as it
includes groups of all sizes, from dyads to whole
societies.

• Humans are fundamentally social. They form societies

which consist of hierarchically layered nested groups of
various quality, size, and structure. The anthropologic
literature has classified these groups as support cliques,
sympathygroups, bands, cognitive groups, tribes,
linguistic groups, and so on.
 PRIMARY GROUPS

• A primary group is typically a small social group whose members

share close, personal, enduring relationships.
• Primary groups are marked by concern for one another, shared
activities and culture, and long periods of time spent together. They
are psychologically comforting and quite influential in developing
personal identity.
• The goal of primary groups is actually the relationships themselves
rather than achieving some other purpose.
• The concept of the primary group was introduced by Charles Cooley
in his book, Social Organization : A Study of the Larger Mind.
FUNCTIONS OF PRIMARY GROUPS

• A primary group is a group in which one exchanges implicit items, such as love, caring,
concern, support, etc. Examples of these would be family groups, love relationships,
crisis support groups, and church groups. Relationships formed in primary groups are
often long lasting and goals in themselves. They also are often psychologically
comforting to the individuals involved and provide a source of support and
encouragement
 SECONDARY GROUPS

• Secondary groups are large groups whose relationships are

impersonal and goal oriented; their relationships are
temporary.
• Secondary relationships involve weak emotional ties and
little personal knowledge of one another. In contrast to
primary groups, secondary groups don’t have the goal of
maintaining and developing the relationships themselves.
• Secondary groups include groups in which one exchanges
explicit commodities, such as labor for wages, services for
payments, and such. They also include university classes,
athletic teams, and groups of co-workers.
 FUNCTIONS SECONDARY GROUP

• Since secondary groups are established to perform functions,

people’s roles are more interchangeable. A secondary group is one
you have chosen to be a part of. They are based on interests and
activities. They are where many people can meet close friends or
people they would just call acquaintances. Secondary groups are
also groups in which one exchanges explicit commodities, such as
labor for wages, services for payments, etc. Examples of these
would be employment, vendor-to-client relationships, a doctor, a
mechanic, an accountant, and such. A university class, an athletic
team, and workers in an office all likely form secondary groups.
Primary groups can form within secondary groups as relationships
become more personal and close.
 IN-GROUPS AND OUT-GROUPS
IN-GROUPS ARE SOCIAL GROUPS TO WHICH AN INDIVIDUAL FEELS HE OR SHE BELONGS,
WHILE AN INDIVIDUAL DOESN’T IDENTIFY WITH THE OUT-GROUP.

• IN GROUP • OUT GROUP

• In- group favoritism refers to a preference and affinity for
one’s in-group over the out-group, or anyone viewed as
outside the in-group.
• One of the key determinants of group biases is the need to
improve self-esteem. That is individuals will find a reason,
no matter how insignificant, to prove to themselves why
their group is superior.
• Intergroup aggression is any behavior intended to harm
another person, because he or she is a member of an out-
group, the behavior being viewed by its targets as
undesirable.
• The out-group homogeneity effect is one’s
perception of out-group members as more similar to
one another than are in-group members (e.g., “they
are alike; we are diverse”).
• Prejudice is a hostile or negative attitude toward
people in a distinct group, based solely on their
membership within that group.
• A stereotype is a generalization about a group of
people in which identical characteristics are assigned
to virtually all members of the group, regardless of
actual variation among the members.
HENRI TAJFEL

• Henri Tajfel: The in-group and out-group concepts originate from social identity theory,
which grew out of the work of social psychologists Henri Tajfel and John Turner.
 REFERENCE GROUPS

• Sociologists call any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their
own behavior a reference group.
• Social comparison theory argues that individuals use comparisons with others to gain accurate self-
evaluations and learn how to define the self. A reference group is a concept referring to a group to
which an individual or another group is compared.
• Reference groups provide the benchmarks and contrast needed for comparison and evaluation of
group and personal characteristics.
• Robert K. Merton hypothesized that individuals compare themselves with reference groups of
people who occupy the social role to which the individual aspires.
 Reference group: Reference groups become the
individual’s frame of reference and source for ordering
his or her experiences, perceptions, cognition, and
ideas of self.
Reference group: Reference groups provide the  
benchmarks and contrast needed for comparison and
evaluation of group and personal characteristics.
THE END
TO GOD BE THE GLORY