Social Groups

Chandima Jayasena
NISD
 Introduction
• Society consists of groups. Society starts with an
aggregate of people. But the mere congregation of
people in a physical area does not make them a
social group.
• A social group exists when two or more people are in
direct or indirect contact and communication.
• The members of the group stimulate and respond to
one another in some meaningful way. his mutual
stimulation and response of individuals and groups is
social interaction.
• Society is rooted in social interaction. It
represents the conditioned behaviour of
persons and groups.
• Both society and culture are the products of
social interaction.
• Social interaction is the most elemental social
phenomenon from which spring all other
social phenomena.
• Social relations may be friendly or unfriendly,
intimate or non-intimate, inclusive or non-
inclusive, specialised or non-specialised in
character.
• The nature and character of social relationships
underlie different forms of social groups such
as primary and secondary groups, in –groups
and out-groups, organized groups, formal and
informal groups or organizations and so on.
 Definitions of groups
• Harry M. Johnson says that A social group is a
system of social interaction.
• MarshalJones is of the opinion that a social
group is two or more people between whom
there is an established pattern of interaction.
• R.M. Maclver and Page define social group as
any collection of human beings who are
brought into human relationships with one
another.
• Ogburn and Nimkoff,
• Whenever two or more individuals come together
and influence one another, they may be said to
constitute a social groups
• Emory S.Bogardus
• Social group as a number of persons, two or more
who have common objects of attention who are
stimulating to each other, who have common
loyalty and participate in similar activities
 Characteristics of Social Groups
• Collection of Individuals
Social groups consists of people. Without
individuals there can be no group. Just as we
cannot have a college or a university without
students and teachers we cannot have a group
in the absence of people.
• Interaction Among Members
Social interaction is the very basis of group life.
Hence mere collection of individuals does not
make a group. The members must have
interaction. A social group, is in fact a system
of social interaction. The limits of social
groups are marked by the limits of social
interaction.
• Mutual Awareness
• Group life involves mutual awareness. Group
members are aware of one another and their
behaviour is determined by this mutual recognition.
• We feeling
• We feeling refers to the tendency on the part of the
members to identify themselves with the group. It
represents group members to defend their interests
collectively.
Group Unity and Solidarity
Group members are tied by a sense of unity. The
solidarity or integration of a group is largely
dependent upon the frequency, the variety and the
emotional quality of the interactions of its members.
A family or a friends’ group, or religious group is
highly united and integrated because its members
are related by several common interests and have
frequent social contacts with one another and
express a high degree of morale and of loyalty.
• Common Interests
The interests and ideals of group are common.
Groups are mostly formed or established for
the fulfillment of certain interests. In fact, men
not only join groups but also form group for
the realization of their objectives or interests.
Political groups, racial groups, religious groups,
economic groups
• Similar Behavior
• The members of group behave in more or less
similar way for the pursuit of common
interests. Social groups represent collective
behaviour.
• Group Norms
• Every group has its own rules or norms which the
members are supposed to follow. These norms may
be in the form of customs, folkways, mores,
traditions, conventions, laws, etc. They may be
written or unwritten norms or standards. Every
group has its own ways and means of punishing or
correcting those who go against the rules. The
continued group-life of man practically becomes
impossible without some norms.
• Size of the Group
• Every group involves an idea of size. Social
groups vary in size. A group may be as small as
that of dyad (two members’ group e.g.
husband and wife family )or as big as that of a
political party having lakhs of members.size
will have its own impact on the characteer of
the group.
• Groups are Dynamic
• Social groups are not static but dynamic. They are subject
to changes whether slow or rapid. old members die and
new members are born. Whether due to internal or
external pressures or forces, groups undergo changes.
• Stability
• Groups are stable or unstable permanent or temporary in
character. Some groups like the crowd, mob, audience,
spectators group etc. But many groups are relatively
permanent and stable in character.
 Social bonds
• Man becomes Man only Among Men
• It is true that man everywhere lives in groups.
Group life is almost inevitable for him. Man
fails to develop human qualities in the absence
of a human environment. Man can become
man only among men. The one who fails to live
in human groups fails to develop human traits.
One or two instances may corroborate this
point.
 Case 01
• The case of the wolf chidren
• In 1920 two hindu children were traced out in a wolf den. One at the
age of eight abd the other under two. The younger child died within a
few months of discovery. But the elder one called Kamala survived
until 1929. Kamala had developed no human qualities when she was
dsicovered. She could walk only on fours, possessed no language and
was shy to meet or face people. After some sympathetic training she
was taught basic social habits. Before her death she had slowly
learned some simple speech, human eating and dressing habits and
the like. This wolf child had no sense of human selfhood, when she
was discovered but it emerged grdaually. The emgergence of
individuality was altogether dependent upon her membership in
hamn group or society.
 The case of Anna
• Another such example is that of Anna, an illegitimate
American child who had been placed in a room at the age of
six months. She was isolated there until her discovery five
years later in 1938. during her confinement Anna was fed but
received no training and had no contacts with other human
beings. After five years of this cruel social isolation Anna was
allowed to go out. But she could not walk or speak. She was
completely indifferent to people around her. As in the case of
Kamala, Anna was given some training to which she
responded. She became humanized much more rapidly before
she died in 1942. here improvement showed that socialization
could do a great deal towards making her a person.
 The factors of Group life
• 1. Psychological factors
• 2. biological factors
• 3. Kinship Bond
• 4. Geographic factor
• 5. Cultural Factor
• 6. Economic factors
• 7. Religious factors
• 8. Political factors
• 9. Other Factors
 Importance of Social Groups
• Survival Becomes Problematic without Groups
• Man Becomes Man Only Among Men
• Groups Help Social Survival Also
• Groups contribute to the Development of
persoanlity
 Classification of social Groups
• Social groups are not only innumerable but also
diverse. It is not possible to study all the groups. A
systematic study of groups demands a scientific
classification. But such a classification is difficult to
be made because of the very complex nature of the
group. Sociologists have not been successful in
providing a satisfactory classification of groups. We
have not one but several classifications. Some
thinkers have given simple classification while others
have given as elaborate classificatory scheme.
• Influence on personality
• Social groups directly or indirectly shape the
personality of their members. They also
provide opportunities for the expression of
individuality
 The Classifications
• 1. In-Groups and Out-Group
• 2. Involuntary and Voluntary Groups
• 3.Horizonal Groups and Vertical Groups
• 3. Instituttional and Non-institutional Groups
• 4. Temporary and Permanent groups
• 5. Territorial groups and Non- Territorial Groups
• 6. Crowds, Groups and collectives
• 7. Primary and Secondary group
• 8. Reference Group
 Reference Groups
• The concept of reference group arises
essentially from the fact that any person
acting in any situation may be influenced not
only by his membership groups but also by his
conception of other groups of which he is not
a members. These other groups exert their
influence as reference as reference groups in a
purely passive or silent way, that is, simply by
being thought of.