Transcript (i) In-group

Social group
 No man normally lives alone.
 Man does not live in isolation for a long time.
He is basically a social creature.
 The great Greek Philosopher-Aristotle said
long back that man is a social animal.
 He further remarked that he who does not live
in society is either a beast or an angel.
Definition
 Harry M. Johnson says that ‘A social group is a
system of social interaction.’
 Marshal Jones is of the opinion that a social
group is ‘two or more people between whom there
is an established pattern of interaction.’
 R. M. MacIver and Page define social group as
‘any collection of human beings who are brought
into human relationships with one another.’
 Ogbum and Nimkoff “Whenever two or
more individuals come together and
influence one another, they may be said to
constitute a social group.”
 Emory S.Bogardus defines 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 group
 (1) Collection of individuals:
 Social group consists of people. Without individuals there
can be no group.
 Such as college, or university-without students and
teachers cannot group.
 (2) Interaction among members
 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
 (3) Mutual awareness:
 Group life involves mutual awareness. Group members
are aware of one another and their behaviour is
determined by this mutual recognition. This may be
due to what Giddings calls, "Consciousness of kind".
 (4) We-feeling:
 We-feeling refers to the tendency on the part of the
members to identify themselves with the groups. It
represents group unity. We feeling creates sympathy
and fosters co-operation among members.
 (5) Group unity and solidarity:
 Group members are tied by a sense of unity. The
solidarity or integration of a group is largely depends
upon the frequency, the variety, and the emotional
quality of the interactions of its members.
 (6) Common interests:
 The interests and ideals of groups are common. In fact
men not only join groups but also form groups for the
realisation of their objectives or interests. Form of the
groups differ depending upon the common interests of
the group. Hence, there are political groups, religious
groups, economic groups etc.
 (7) Group norms:
 Every group has its own rules and 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.
 (8) Similar behaviour:
 The members of group behave in more or less similar
way for the pursuit of common interests. Social groups
represent collective behaviour.
 (9) Size of the group:
 Every group involves an idea of size. A group may be as
small as that of 'two-members group e.g. husband and
wife or as big as that of a political party having lakhs of
members. Size will have its own impact on the
character of the group.
 (10) 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.
How to classify social group in
sociology?
 Different sociologists have classified social groups in
different ways. The chief base of these classifications is
functions, scope and stability. Following are the
important classifications of social groups.
 1. Dwight Sanderson's classification:
 Dwight Sanderson has classified social group into
three types, namely (i) Involuntary group, (ii)
Voluntary group and (iii) Delegate group
 (i) Involuntary groups: - Involuntary groups are
those, which are based on blood relationship or
kinship. Family is an involuntary group.
 (ii) Voluntary groups: - Voluntary groups are those
groups the membership of which depends upon the
sweet will of the individuals. Their membership is not
compulsory rather voluntary. Cricket Association is an
example of voluntary group.
 (iii) Delegate groups: - Delegated groups are those in
which a man joins as a representative or a number of
people elected rather by them or nominated by some
authority. The Bangladesh Parliament and the State
Legislative Assembly are the bright examples of
delegate groups.
 2. Ferdinand Tonnies' classification:
 According to Ferdinand Tonnies, social groups are of
two types such as: (i) Gemeinschaft or community and
(ii) Geselleschaft or society.
 (i )Gemeinschaft or community: - Gemeinschaft is
that type of group whose relationship is characterised
by close, intimate and personalities, mutual trust and
co-operation. Family is an example of Gemeinschaft.
 (ii) Geselleschaft or society: - Geselleschaft is that
group which is characterized by competition, selfinterest, efficiency, progress and specialization of
relationship. The bureaucratic corporation is the ideal
example of geselleschaft.
 3. F.H. Gidding's classification:
 F.H. Giddings classifies social groups into four types,
namely: (i) Genetic group, (ii) Congregate group, (iii)
Disjunctive group and (iv) Overlapping group.
 (i) Genetic group: - Genetic group is the family in
which a man is born involuntarily.
 (ii) Congregate group: - Congregate group is the
voluntary group into which an individual moves or in
which he joins vountarily.
 (iii) Disjunctive group: - A disjunctive group is one,
which does not allow a person to be a member of other
groups at the same time. A college or a nation is the
bright example of disjunctive group.
 (iv) Overlapping group:- An overlapping group is
one whose members may belong to other groups at the
same time, The Indian Sociological Association or All
Orissa Sociological Association is an example of
overlapping.
 4. George Hassen's classification:
 According George Hassen, social groups are classified
into four types such as (i) Un-social group, (ii) Pseudosocial group, (iii) Anti-social group and (iv), Pro-social
group.
 (i) Un-social group: - Un-social group is one, which
does not mix up with other groups and remains aloof
from them.
 (ii) Pseudo-social group: - A pseudo-social group is
mat group, which participates, in the larger social life
mainly for its own gain not for the gain of society.
 (iii) Anti-social group:- An anti-social group which
acts against the interest of society. A group, of
vagabonds that destroy public property is an example
of anti-social group. Similarly, a political party that
plan to overthrow a popular government is an antisocial group.
 (iv) Pro-social group:- A pro-social group is the
opposite of anti-social group. It works for the larger
interests of society. It does aim the constructive works
for the welfare of society.
 5. D. Miller's classification:
 D. Miller has classified social groups into two type’s
namely (i) Horizontal group and (ii) Vertical group.
 (i) Horizontal group: - A horizontal group consists
mainly all members from one social class. A group of
doctors, engineers, teachers, electricians, etc. is some
of the examples of horizontal group.
 (ii) Vertical group: - A vertical group is a larger group
consisting of large number of people such as nation,
religious organisations, caste groups, political parties
and so on.
 6. Charles A. Ellwood's classification:
 Social groups have been classified by Charles A. Elwood
into four types such as (i) Voluntary group, (ii) Involuntary group, (iii) Permanent group and (iv) Temporary
group.
 (i) Voluntary group: - A voluntary group is one in which a
person joins according to his own wish. The membership of
this group is not compulsory rather voluntary and one can
withdraw one's memberships at any time without any
reason. The recreational club is an example of voluntary
group.
 (ii) Involuntary group: - An involuntary group is one,
which is based on blood relationship such as, family,
kinship, tribe, clan etc. The membership of this group is
compulsory because man is born in it and also die in it.
 (iii) Permanent group: - Permanent group is that
type of group in which the relationship among the
members continues for a longer period. The family is a
permanent group. This group is more stable than the
other groups.
 (iv) Temporary group: - The temporary group is just
the opposite of permanent group. In this group, the
relationship among the members does not continue
for a longer period. A mob or a crowd is a temporary
group.
 7. Park and Burgess’ classification:
 Park and Burgess has classified social groups into two
types such as : (i) Territorial group and (ii) Nonterritorial group.
 (i) Territorial group: - A territorial group is one,
which has its own definite territory. The village, citystate, nation etc. are the examples of territorial group.
 (ii) Non-territorial group: - A non-territorial group
is one, which does not possess any territory of its own.
A Trade Union or a Kissan Union is a non-territorial
group.
 8. Gillin and Giflin's classification:
 Lewis Gillin and Philip Gillin have classified social
groups in the following types,
 (i) On the basis of blood relationship.
 (ii) On the basis of bodily characteristics.
 (iii) On the basis of physical proximity.
 (iv) On the basis of culturally derived interests.
 9. C.H. Cooley's classification:
 According to C.H. Cooley, the famous American
sociologists, there are two types of social groups. They
are,
 (1) Primary group whose relation is direct, intimate
and personal.
 (ii) Secondary group whose relation is indirect, less
intimate, impersonal and formal.
 10. W.G. Summer's classification:
 W.G. Summer, an eminent American sociologist, has
classified social groups into two types in his book
'Folkways'. These are:
 (i) In-group to which individual belongs.
 (ii) Out-group to which individual does not belong.
Importance of Social Groups
 The study of human society is essentially the study of
human groups. Society consists of groups of
innumerable kinds and variety.
 No man exists without a society and no society exists
without groups. Groups have become a part and parcel
of our life.
 Out of necessity and inevitability human beings are
made to live in groups.
 Knowingly or unknowingly or unwillingly, with
pleasure or contempt, people live in groups and
societies. Man’s life is to an enormous extent lived and
controlled by groups of different kinds.
 Survival Becomes Problematic without
Groups:
 Groups have become so necessary that our very
survival becomes problematic and doubtful in
their absence.
 Groups are complementary to the development
of human faculties, traits and human nature.
 Man by birth itself has the biological
potentiality of becoming man – the social
being.
 Man Becomes Man Only Among Men:
 Man becomes man only among men.
 Various studies have convincingly proved that man
fails to develop human qualities in the absence of
human environment.
 The famous case of Kasper Hauser, a youth who was
bereft of human contacts because of political
mechanisation, the most interesting feral case of the
two Hindu female children Kamala and her sister
found in an wolfs den and the pitiable case of Anna,
an illegitimate American child which was kept away
from human contacts for more than five years and
several other instances have proved beyond doubts
that only a human environment makes a man; a
biological animal, a human being.
 The biological potentiality of man to become a ‘person’
does not happen on its own automatically, even in the
absence of a human environment.
 The biological potentiality blossoms only in social
situation, to be more precise, only in the context of
groups.
 Added to this, the prolonged human infancy and the
helplessness of new born baby have almost made it a
prisoner of the most elementary social group that is
family.
 Groups Help Social Survival Also:
 Not only from the point of view of survival but also
from the viewpoint of leading a successful life has man
depended on groves. By engaging himself in constant
relations with others he learns things and mends his
ways.
 He keeps his eyes wide open, lends his ears to what
others say, and tries to keep his memory ever fresh to
remember the good things of the past and to refrain
from repeating the blunders of the past.
 In brief, from birth to death, man is engaged in
the process of socialisation. Socialisation or the
process of humanisation helps man to develop a
personality of his own.
 Groups Contribute to the Development of
Personality:
 Personality is the product of the group life. The ‘self
that every individual develops, though’. Unique, is it a
product of the group? No ‘self arises in isolation.
 Groups provide scope for the individuals to
express their real nature, their talents and
abilities.
 Hidden potentialities can find their expression only in
the context of social groups. What is latent in man
becomes manifest only in groups. The groups shape
man’s attributes, his beliefs, his morals and his ideals.
 Emotional developments, intellectual maturity,
satisfaction of physical and social needs are
unthinkable without groups.
 Group is a part of our mental equipment and we are
a part of group.