Transcript Chapter 6 – Groups and Formal Organizations

Chapter 6 – Groups
and Formal
Organizations
Group – at least two people
who have one or more goals
in common and share
common ways of thinking
and behaving
Social category – people who
share a social characteristic
example: high school seniors
Social aggregate – people
temporarily in the same place at
the same time
example: students waiting in
line for concert tickets
Primary group – people who are
emotionally close, know one
another well, and seek one
another’s company
characterized by:
primary relationship –
interactions that are intimate,
personal, caring, and fulfilling
How do primary groups
develop?
 small size – easier to establish
close ties
 face-to-face contact – nonverbal
communication – facial
expressions, tone of voice
 continuous contact – repeated
social contact
 proper social environment – seeing
someone every day does not create
a primary relationship
What are the functions of
primary groups?
 Emotional support – strong emotional
support
 Socialization – children = the family is
the primary group that teaches them how
to participate in social life – adult primary
groups promote socialization as they
prepare for college, new jobs, change
social classes, marry, and retire
 Encourage conformity – teach new
members the appropriate norms & values
Secondary group – people who
share only part of their lives
while focusing on a goal or task
examples: work groups,
volunteers during disasters,
environmental groups,
- members act impersonally =
secondary relationships
Reference group – used for selfevaluation and the formation of
attitudes, values, beliefs, and
norms
examples: families, teachers,
classmates, student government
leaders, social organizations,
professional hockey teams
In-group – exclusive group
demanding intense loyalty
Out-group – group targeted by
an in-group for opposition,
antagonism, or competition
Types of Social Interaction
Cooperation – interaction in which
individuals or groups combine
their efforts to reach a goal
examples: emergencies, children
agree to set rules for games,
couples agree to share
household chores
Conflict – interaction aimed at defeating an
opponent
Conformity – behavior that matches group
expectations
Groupthink – self-deceptive thinking that is
based on conformity to group beliefs,
and created by group pressure to
conform