LESSON 4:

HOW A SOCIETY IS
ORGANIZED

JAMESEL E. VILLARUZ
 Groups within Society
Beyond the individual, groups are the smaller units that compose
society. Societies can be as big as the members of a particular
organization or as small as a household. Regardless of size,
however, membership in groups constitutes a fundamental aspect
of our social existence and being.
 Social group
▫ collection of individuals who have relations
with one another that make them
interdependent to some significant degree.
 Interdependence
▫ is a necessary condition that exists within
social groups because it is what enables its
members to pursue shared goals or promote
common values and principles.
▫ “
Interdependence is also what differentiates a social group
from an aggregate, or a mere collection of people within
a particular place and time.
 PRIMARY
and
SECONDARY GROUP
 Primary group
▫ is a small, intimate, and less
specialized group whose
members engage in face-to-
face and emotion-based
interactions over an
extended period of time.
 Secondary groups

▫ are larger, less intimate, and

more specialized groups
where members engage in
an impersonal and
objective-oriented
relationship for a limited
time.
In-groups
and
Out-groups
 Self-categorization theory

It proposes that people's appreciation of their group

membership is influenced by their perception
towards people who are not members of their
groups.
An in-group is a group to which one belongs
and with which one feels a sense of identity.
An out-group, meanwhile, is a group to
which one does not belong and to which he
or she may feel a sense of competitiveness or
hostility.
 Reference group
▫ is a group to which an individual compares
himself or herself.
▫ Such groups strongly influence an individual's
behavior and social attitudes whether he or she is
a member of these groups.
  Networks
▫ refers to the structure of relationships between
social actors or groups.
▫ these are interconnections, ties, and linkages
between people, their groups, and the larger
social institutions to which they all belong to.