SYG 2000: Lecture 14. Chapter 5: Groups within Society
I. Difference between group, category, and aggregate
A. aggregate: individuals who temp share same phys space/don’t see belonging together
1. examples: people waiting in checkout line/drivers parked at a red light
B. category: is a statistic/people who share similar characteristics/eg men >6ft tall
C. group: interact with one another and think of themselves as belonging together
1. prevent anomie:
small groups give sense of meaning/purpose;buffer b/
a. anomie: Emile Durkheim saw as bewildering sense of not belonging create by soc
II. Primary groups: give intimate face-to-face interaction/give identity/feeling who we are
A. fundamental: in forming social nature/ideals of individual/we internalize their views
III. Secondary groups: larger/> anonomous/formal/impersonal/interact on basis spec roles
A. hunting & gathering & horticultural societies: entire society forms a primary group
B. tend break down into primary groups:since freq fail satis deep need for intimate assoc
1. eg: friendship cliques at work/serve as buffer between us and secondary groups
IV. Reference Groups: groups we use as standards to evaluate ourselves
V. Social Networks: links b/ people/their cliques/family/friends/acquaintances
A. small world
phenomenon: Stanley Milgram exp: conclude: all 6 deg sep in
1. established
targets: wife of divinity student Cambridge/stockbroker in
2. starters: not know targets/told to sent letter to first-name basis thought might know
a. repeat process: they asked to send letter to someone they knew who might know
4. conclusion Milgram: none senders knew receivers, yet target gets in avg 6 jumps!
5. popular myth: everyone sep by 6 individuals not replicate by Judith Kleinfeld (2002)
6. bias: Milgram mail list bias >income/starters invest in stocks/avg 30% reach targets
7. opposite conclusion:people who dk oneanother sep by social barriers: class/race/ethn
8. bowl lumpy oatmeal: many small worlds loosely connected/maybe some not connect
VI Group Dynamics: how groups influence us and how we affect groups
A. small group: few enough member that each can interact directly with all other mems
1. examples: workers take breaks together primary small group/2ndary: party guests
B. effects of group size on stability/intimacy: studied by George Simmel (1858-1918)
1. dyad: >intense/intimate; >unstable since both must commit/if not, dyad collapses
2. triad: 3rd fund change group/interaction 1st two decrease/can create strain/jeolousy
a. inherently stronger/stable: continue without participation of third member
b. yet inherently unstable: two may have >bond/form coalition/leave 3rd hurt/excluded
c. often produce mediator/arbiter: settle disagreements b/ other two
3. general principle: as small group grows larger, >stable but intensity/intimacy decrease
A. number of relationships: makes larger groups more stable
B. develop formal structure: as group grows, leaders emerge/>specialized roles emerge
1. examples: to accomplish goals, create president, secretary, treasurer