Social groups are divided into. The concept of a social group. Types of social groups
Social groups and their classification
The most important elements of the social structure of society are social groups and social communities. Being forms of social interaction, they are such associations of people whose joint, solidarity actions are aimed at meeting their needs.
social group- ϶ᴛᴏ a set of people with common social characteristics, performing public necessary function in the structure of the social division of labor and activity. Social groups are characterized by:
- sustainable interaction, contributing to the strength and stability of their existence;
- a relatively high degree of unity and cohesion;
- clearly expressed homogeneity of the composition, suggesting the presence of signs inherent in all members of the group;
The possibility of entering into wider social communities as structural units.
Since each person in the course of his life is a member of a wide variety of social groups that differ in size, nature of interaction, degree of organization and many other features, it becomes extremely important to classify them according to certain criteria.
There are the following types of social groups:
1. Given the dependence on the nature of the interaction - primary and secondary.
primary group is a group in which the interaction between members is direct, interpersonal and differs high level emotionality (family, school class, peer group, etc.). Carrying out the socialization of the individual, the primary group acts as a link between the individual and society.
secondary group- this is a larger group in which interaction is subordinated to the achievement of a certain goal and is formal, impersonal.
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In these groups, the focus is not on the personal, unique qualities of the members of the group, but on their ability to perform certain functions. Organizations (industrial, political, religious, etc.) can serve as examples of such groups.
2. Taking into account the dependence on the method of organization and regulation of interaction - formal and informal.
formal group- ϶ᴛᴏ a group with a legal status, interaction in which is regulated by a system of formalized norms, rules, laws. These groups have a consciously set goal, a normatively fixed hierarchical structure and act according to the administrative established order(organizations, enterprises, etc.).
informal group arises spontaneously, on the basis of common views, interests and interpersonal interactions. It is devoid of official regulation and legal status. These groups are usually led by informal leaders. Examples are friendly companies, informal associations among young people, rock music lovers, etc.
3. Taking into account the dependence on the belonging of individuals to them - ingroups and outgroups.
Ingroup- ϶ᴛᴏ a group to which the individual feels a direct belonging and identifies it as ʼʼmyʼʼ, ʼʼourʼʼ (for example, ʼʼmy familyʼʼ, ʼʼmy classʼʼ, ʼʼmy companyʼʼ, etc.).
Outgroup- ϶ᴛᴏ a group to which this individual does not belong and therefore evaluates it as ʼʼalienʼʼ, not one's own (other families, another religious group, another ethnic group, etc.). Each ingroup individual has his own outgroup rating scale: from indifferent to aggressive-hostile. For this reason, sociologists propose to measure the degree of acceptance or closeness towards other groups according to the so-called Bogardus ʼʼscale of social distanceʼʼ.
Reference group- ϶ᴛᴏ real or imaginary social group, the system of values, norms and evaluations of which serves as a standard for the individual. The term was first proposed by the American social psychologist Hyman. The reference group in the system of relations "personality - society" performs two important functions: normative, being for the individual a source of norms of behavior, social attitudes and value orientations; comparative, acting as a standard for the individual, allows him to determine his place in the social structure of society, evaluate himself and others.
4. Taking into account the dependence on the quantitative composition and the form of the implementation of ties - small and large.
small group- ϶ᴛᴏ directly contacting a small group of people united to carry out joint activities.
The small group can take many forms, but the initial ones are ʼʼdyadʼʼ and ʼʼtriadʼʼ, they are called the simplest molecules of the small group. A dyad consists of two people and is considered an extremely fragile association; three people actively interact in a triad, it is more stable.
The characteristic features of a small group are:
- small and stable composition (as a rule, from 2 to 15 people);
- spatial proximity of group members;
- stability and duration of existence:
- a high degree of coincidence of group values, norms and patterns of behavior;
- the intensity of interpersonal relationships;
- developed sense of belonging to the group;
- Informal control and information richness in the group.
large group- ϶ᴛᴏ a large group in its composition, which is created for a specific purpose and the interaction in which is mainly indirect in nature (labor collectives, enterprises, etc.). This also includes numerous groups of people who have common interests and occupy the same position in the social structure of society. For example, social-class, professional, political and other organizations.
Team(lat. collectivus) is a social group in which all vital connections between people are mediated through socially important goals.
Characteristic features of the team:
- a combination of the interests of the individual and society;
- a commonality of goals and principles that act for the members of the team as value orientations and norms of activity. The team performs the following functions:
- objective - the solution of the problem for which it is created;
- social and educational - a combination of the interests of the individual and society.
5. Given the dependence on socially significant features - real and nominal.
Real groups- these are groups allocated according to socially significant criteria:
- gender - men and women;
- age - children, youth, adults, the elderly;
- income - rich, poor, prosperous;
- nationality - Russians, French, Americans;
- marital status - married, single, divorced;
- profession (occupation) - doctors, economists, managers;
- place of residence - townspeople, rural residents.
Nominal (conditional) groups, sometimes called social categories, are distinguished for the purpose of conducting a sociological study or statistical accounting of the population (for example, to find out the number of passengers-benefits, single mothers, students receiving nominal scholarships, etc.).
Along with social groups in sociology, the concept of ʼʼ quasigroupʼʼ.
Quasigroup- ϶ᴛᴏ informal, spontaneous, unstable social community that does not have a definite structure and system of values, the interaction of people in which, as a rule, is external and short-term.
The main types of quasigroups are:
Audience is a social community united by interaction with a communicator and receiving information from him. The heterogeneity of this social education, due to the difference in personal qualities, as well as cultural values and norms of the people included in it, determines and varying degrees perception and evaluation of the information received.
Crowd- a temporary, relatively unorganized, unstructured accumulation of people united in a closed physical space by a common interest, but at the same time devoid of a clearly perceived goal and interconnected by the similarity of their emotional state. Allocate General characteristics crowds:
- suggestibility - people in the crowd are usually more suggestible than outside it;
- anonymity - an individual, being in the crowd, as if merges with it, becomes unrecognizable, believing that it is difficult to "calculate" him;
- spontaneity (contagiousness) - people in the crowd are subject to rapid transmission and change of emotional state;
- unconsciousness - the individual feels invulnerable in the crowd, outside social control, in connection with this, his actions are ʼʼimpregnatedʼʼ with collective unconscious instincts and become unpredictable.
Given the dependence on the method of crowd formation and the behavior of people in it, the following varieties are distinguished:
- a random crowd - an indefinite set of individuals formed spontaneously without any purpose (to watch a celebrity suddenly appear or a traffic accident);
- Conventional crowd - a relatively structured collection of people under the influence of planned predetermined norms (spectators in the theater, fans in the stadium, etc.);
- expressive crowd - a social quasi-group formed for the personal pleasure of its members, which in itself is already a goal and result (discotheques, rock festivals, etc.);
- an active (active) crowd - a group that produces some kind of action, which can act in the form of: a gathering - an emotionally excited crowd gravitating towards violent actions, and an insurgent crowd - a group characterized by particular aggressiveness and destructive actions.
Social groups and their classification - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Social groups and their classification" 2017, 2018.
One of the general forms of social interaction is a social group in which the behavior of each member is tangibly conditioned by the activities and existence of other members.
Merton defines a group as a set of people who interact with each other in a certain way, are aware of their belonging to this group and are perceived by its members from the point of view of other people. The group has its own identity from the point of view of outsiders.
Consist of a small number of people between whom there are stable emotional relationships, personal relationships based on their individual characteristics. Secondary groups are formed from people between whom there is almost no emotional relationship, their interaction is due to the desire to achieve certain goals, their social roles, business relationships and ways of communication are clearly defined. In critical and emergency situations, people prefer the primary group, show loyalty to the members of the primary group.
People join groups for a variety of reasons. The group performs:
as a means of biological survival;
as a means of socialization and formation of the human psyche (one of the main functions of the group is the function of socialization);
as a way to do certain work, which cannot be performed by one person (instrumental function of the group);
as a means of satisfying a person's need for communication, in an affectionate and benevolent attitude towards oneself, in obtaining social approval, respect, recognition, trust (an expressive function of the group);
as a means of reducing unpleasant feelings of fear, anxiety (supportive function of the group);
as a source of norms of behavior, social attitudes and value orientations of a person (the normative function of a group);
as a source of a standard by which a person can evaluate himself and other people (comparative function of the group) I as a means of information, material and other exchange. “The totality of individuals who are in mental interaction constitutes a social group, and this interaction comes down to the exchange of various ideas, feelings, desires, mental experiences” (P. Sorokin).
There are several types of groups:
1) conditional and real;
2) permanent and temporary;
3) big and small.
Conditional groups of people are united on a certain basis (sex, age, profession, etc.). Real individuals included in such a group do not have direct interpersonal relationships, may not know anything about each other, even never meet each other.
Real groups of people that really exist as communities in a certain space and time are characterized by the fact that its members are interconnected by objective relationships. Real human groups differ in size, external and internal organization, purpose and social significance. The contact group brings together people who have common goals and interests in a particular area of life and activity. A small group is a fairly stable association of people connected by mutual contacts.
Small group - a small group of people (from 3 to 15 people) who are united by common social activities, are in direct communication, contribute to the emergence of emotional relationships, the development of group norms and the development of group processes.
With a large number of people, the group, as a rule, is divided into subgroups. Features small group: spatial and temporal co-presence of people. This co-presence of people enables contacts that include interactive, informational, perceptual aspects of communication and interaction. Perceptual aspects allow a person to perceive the individuality of all other people in the group, and only in this case can one speak of a small group.
Interaction is the activity of everyone, it is both a stimulus and a reaction to everyone else.
Joint activity implies the presence of a permanent goal. The realization of a common goal as a kind of anticipated result of any activity contributes in a certain sense to the realization of the needs of everyone and at the same time corresponds to the general needs. The goal as a prototype of the result and the initial moment of joint activity determines the dynamics of the functioning of a small group. There are three types of goals:
1) near prospects, goals that are quickly realized in time and express the needs of this group;
2) secondary goals are longer in time and lead the group to the interests of the secondary team (the interests of the enterprise or the school as a whole);
3) long-term perspectives unite the primary group with the problems of the functioning of the social whole. The socially valuable content of joint activities should become personally significant for each member of the group. What is important is not so much the objective goal of the group as its image, that is, how it is perceived by the members of the group. Goals, characteristics of joint activities "cement" the group into one whole, determine the external formal-target structure of the group.
The presence of an organizing beginning in the group is provided. It may or may not be personified in one of the members of the group (leader, head), but this does not mean that there is no organizing principle. It's just that in this case the leadership function is distributed among the members of the group, and leadership is situation-specific (in a certain situation, a person who is more advanced in this area than others assumes the functions of a leader).
Separation and differentiation of personal roles (division and cooperation of labor, power division, i.e., the activity of group members is not homogeneous, they make their own, different contribution to joint activities, play different roles).
The presence of emotional relationships between members of the group that affect group activity, can lead to the division of the group into subgroups, form the internal structure of interpersonal relations in the group.
The development of a specific group culture - norms, rules, standards of life, behavior that determine the expectations of group members in relation to each other and determine group dynamics. These norms are the most important sign of group integrity. It is possible to speak about the formed norm if it determines the behavior of the majority of the members of the group, despite all the differences between the members of the group. Deviation from group standards, norms, as a rule, is allowed only to the leader.
The group has the following psychological characteristics: group interests, group needs, etc. (Fig. 9).
The group has the following general patterns:
1) the group will inevitably be structured;
2) the group develops (progress or regression, but dynamic processes occur in the group);
3) fluctuation - a change in a person's place in a group can occur repeatedly.
According to psychological characteristics, there are:
1) membership groups;
2) reference groups (reference), the norms and rules of which serve as a model for the individual.
Reference groups may be real or imagined, positive or negative, may or may not coincide with membership, but they do:
1) the function of social comparison, since the reference group is the source of positive and negative samples;
2) a normative function, since the reference group is the source of norms, rules, to which a person seeks to join.
According to the nature and forms of organization of activities, the following levels of development are distinguished contact groups(Table 5).
Unorganized (nominal groups, conglomerates) or randomly organized groups (viewers in the cinema, random members of excursion groups, etc.) are characterized by a voluntary temporary association of people based on the similarity of interests or common space.
Association - a group in which relationships are mediated only by personally significant goals (a group of friends, acquaintances).
Cooperation is a group that is distinguished by a really operating organizational structure, interpersonal relations are of a business nature, subordinated to the achievement of the required result in the performance of a specific task in a certain type of activity.
A corporation is a group united only by internal goals that do not go beyond its scope, striving to achieve its corporate goals at any cost, including at the expense of other groups. Sometimes a corporate spirit can take place in work or study groups, when the group acquires the features of group egoism.
The team is a time-stable organizational group of interacting people with specific governing bodies, united by the goals of joint socially useful activities and the complex dynamics of formal (business) and informal relationships between group members.
Thus, real human groups differ in size, external and internal organization, purpose and social significance. As the size of the group increases, the role of its leader increases.
The interdependence of the parties, members of the group in the process of interaction may be equal, or one of the parties may have a stronger influence on the other. Therefore, one- and two-way interaction can be distinguished. Interaction can cover both all spheres of human life - total interaction, and only one specific form or sector of activity. In independent sectors, people may not have any influence on each other.
The direction of the relationship can be solidary, antagonistic or mixed. With solidary interaction, the aspirations and efforts of the parties coincide. If the desires and efforts of the parties are in conflict, then this is an antagonistic form of interaction, if they coincide only partially, this is a mixed type of direction of interaction.
It is possible to distinguish between organized and unorganized interactions. Interaction is organized if the relations of the parties, their actions have developed into a certain structure of rights, duties, functions and are based on a certain system of values.
Unorganized interactions - when relationships and values are in an amorphous state, therefore, rights, duties, functions, social positions are not defined.
Sorokin, combining various interactions, identifies the following types of social interaction:
- organized-antagonistic system of interaction based on coercion;
- an organized solidarity system of interaction based on voluntary membership;
- an organized-mixed, solidary-antagonistic system, which is partly controlled by coercion, and partly by voluntary support for an established system of relationships and values.
“Most organized socially interactive systems, from the family to church and state,” Sorokin notes, “belong to the organized-mixed type. And they can also be disorganized and antagonistic; unorganized solidarity; unorganized-mixed type of interactions.
In long-term organized groups, Sorokin identified 3 types of relationships: family type (interactions are total, extensive, intense, solidary in direction and long-lasting, internal unity of group members); contractual type (the limited time of action of the parties interacting within the framework of the contractual sector, the solidarity of relations is selfish and aimed at obtaining mutual benefit, pleasure, or even getting “as much as possible for less”, while the other side is considered not as an ally, but as a certain “tool” that can provide a service, make a profit, etc.); coercive type (antagonism of relations, various forms of coercion: psychological coercion, economic, physical, ideological, military).
The transition from one type to another can be gradual or unpredictable. Mixed types of social interactions are often observed: partly contractual, familial, coercive.
Sorokin emphasizes that social interactions act as socio-cultural ones: 3 processes proceed simultaneously - the interaction of norms, values, standards contained in the minds of a person and a group; interaction of specific people and groups; interaction of materialized values of social life.
Depending on the unifying values, we can distinguish:
- unilateral groups built on the same set of core values (biosocial groups: racial, gender, age; sociocultural groups: gender, language group, religious group, trade union, political or scientific union);
- multi-stakeholder groups built around a combination of several sets of values: family, community, nation, social class.
It is possible to classify groups in terms of the specifics of the dissemination of information and the organization of interaction between members of the group.
So the pyramidal group is:
a) a closed system;
b) is built hierarchically, i.e. the higher the place, the higher the rights and influence;
c) information goes mainly vertically, from bottom to top (reports) and top to bottom (orders);
d) each person knows his hard place;
e) traditions are valued in the group;
f) the head of this group must take care of subordinates, in return they unquestioningly obey;
g) such groups are found in the army, in established production, as well as in extreme situations.
A random group where everyone makes decisions independently, people are relatively independent, moving in different directions, but something unites them. Such groups are found in creative teams, as well as in a situation of market uncertainty, are typical for new commercial structures.
An open group, where everyone has the right to take the initiative, everyone openly discusses issues together. The main thing for them is a common cause. There is a change of roles freely, emotional openness is inherent, informal communication of people is growing.
A group of a synchronous type, when all people are in different places, but everyone is moving in the same direction, since everyone knows what to do, everyone has one image, one model, and although everyone moves by himself, everything is synchronously in one direction, even without discussion or agreement. If any obstacle is encountered, each group enhances its distinctive feature:
- pyramidal - enhances order, discipline, control;
- random - its success depends on the abilities, potential of each member of the group;
- open - its success depends on the ability to reach agreement, negotiate, and its leader must have high communicative qualities to be able to listen, understand, agree;
- synchronous - its success depends on the talent, the authority of the "prophet", who convinced, led people, and people endlessly believe and obey him. It is generally accepted that the most optimal group in terms of size should consist of 7 + 2 (i.e. 5, 7, 9 people). It is also known that a group functions well when it has an odd number of people, since in an even number two warring halves can form. The team functions better if its members differ from each other in age and gender. On the other hand, some management psychologists argue that groups of 12 people work most effectively. The fact is that groups of large numbers are poorly managed, and teams of 7-8 people are the most conflicted, since they usually break up into two warring informal subgroups; with a larger number of people, conflicts, as a rule, are smoothed out.
The conflict of a small group (if it is not formed by people close in spirit) is not least due to the fact that in any labor collective there are 8, and if there are not enough employees, then someone has to play not only for themselves, but also for “that guy ", which creates conflict situation. The team leader (manager) needs to know these roles well. This:
1) a coordinator who is respected and knows how to work with people;
2) a generator of ideas, striving to dig to the truth. He is most often not able to translate his ideas into practice;
3) an enthusiast who takes on a new business himself and inspires others;
4) a controller-analyst who is able to soberly assess the idea put forward. He is dutiful, but more often avoids people;
5) a profit-seeker who is interested in the external side of the matter. Executive and can be a good intermediary between people, since he is usually the most popular member of the team;
6) a performer who knows how to bring an idea to life, is capable of painstaking work, but often “drowns” in trifles;
7) a hard worker who does not seek to take anyone's place;
8) grinder - it is necessary so that the last line is not crossed.
Thus, in order for the team to successfully cope with the work, it must not only consist of good specialists. The members of this collective, as individuals, must in their totality correspond to required set roles. And in the distribution of official positions, one must proceed from the suitability of individuals to perform a particular role, and not from the personal likes or dislikes of the manager.
The category of a social group is one of the most important for sociology, and therefore it can be compared with such sociological categories as social structure and social institution. At the same time, the widespread use of this concept makes it very vague. It is used in various senses, which cannot always be reduced to a single denominator. Nevertheless, one can try to give this phenomenon the following definition: a social group is an association of people who are connected by common relations, regulated by special social institutions, and have common goals, norms, values and traditions, and are also united by common activities.
A social group has a number of characteristics that are very important in terms of its integrity:
In a social group, a more or less stable interaction should take place, thanks to which the ties between members of the group become stronger and last for a long time;
The social group must be sufficiently homogeneous in composition, that is, all its members must have a certain set of features that are valuable from the point of view of the group and allow its members to feel more united;
Finally, the social group in the overwhelming majority of cases belongs to wider social groups and communities.
According to N. Smelser, groups perform various functions:
They participate in socialization, that is, they contribute to the fact that a person learns the skills of social life, as well as the norms and values \u200b\u200bshared by the group and society as a whole;
They contribute to the organization of joint activities of people, that is, they perform an instrumental function;
They can also perform a supportive function - in the event that people unite in a difficult situation or to solve a problem that they cannot solve alone;
Finally, groups perform an emotional function, giving their members the opportunity to satisfy emotional needs (for respect, understanding, trust, communication, etc.).
The social group is one of the main components of the social structure. From this point of view, the elements of society are not social statuses and small and large groups. The totality of social relations between all social groups, more precisely, the overall result of all relations, determines general state society, that is, what kind of atmosphere reigns in it: consent, trust and tolerance or distrust and intolerance.
A particularly important role in this consideration is played by large social groups: national, religious, professional, gender and age groups, classes, races, political parties and public organizations, between which there are certain social relations that are both negative and positive.
From the standpoint of large social groups, the structure of society can have several independent and complementary ideas. In other words, class, national, religious, professional, gender, age, stratification and other structures of society can be studied independently and independently of each other.
The bonding factor for the group is a common interest, which may include spiritual, economic, or political needs. Groups are created to help achieve certain goals that are desirable for all of their members.
The group is very important for a person. First of all, it is the group that provides the link between the individual and society. He learns values through the fact that his life is connected with other people - members of those groups in which he is included. Even if a person opposes himself to society, this usually happens because he has adopted the values of his group.
In addition, the group also influences personal qualities a person who, it would seem, are purely individual and have nothing to do with the social dimension human existence: interests, character, speech, thinking. The child forms these qualities by communicating with parents, friends, relatives.
At the same time, a specific person, of course, cannot be reduced to membership in one group, since he certainly belongs immediately to a sufficient a large number groups. And indeed, we can classify people into groups in so many ways: by belonging to a confession, by income level, by their attitude to sports, to art, etc.
Belonging to a group implies that a person has some characteristics that are valuable and significant for this group. From this point of view, the "core" of the group is distinguished - those of its members in whom these characteristics are expressed to the greatest extent. The remaining members of the group form its periphery.
Man is part of society. Therefore, throughout his life he contacts or is a member of many groups. But despite their huge number, sociologists distinguish several main types of social groups, which will be discussed in this article.
Definition of social group
First of all, you need to have a clear understanding of the meaning of this term. Social group - a set of people who have one or more unifying features that have social significance. Participation in any activity becomes another factor of unification. It must be understood that society is not seen as an indivisible whole, but as an association of social groups that constantly interact and influence each other. Any person is a member of at least several of them: family, work team, etc.
The reasons for creating such groups may be the similarity of interests or goals pursued, as well as the understanding that when creating such a group, you can achieve more results in less time than one by one.
One of the important concepts when considering the main types of social groups is the reference group. This is a really existing or imaginary association of people, which is an ideal for a person. The term was first used by the American sociologist Hyman. The reference group is so important because it influences the individual:
- Regulatory. The reference group is an example of the norms of an individual's behavior, social attitudes and values.
- Comparative. It helps a person to determine what place he occupies in society, to evaluate his own and other people's activities.
Social groups and quasi-groups
Quasi-groups are randomly formed and short-lived communities. Another name is mass communities. Accordingly, several differences can be identified:
- There is regular interaction in social groups that leads to their sustainability.
- High percent cohesion of people.
- Members of a group share at least one characteristic in common.
- Small social groups can be a structural unit of larger groups.
Types of social groups in society
Man as a social being interacts with a large number of social groups. Moreover, they are completely diverse in composition, organization and pursued goals. Therefore, it became necessary to identify which types of social groups belong to the main ones:
- Primary and secondary - the selection depends on how a person interacts with group members emotionally.
- Formal and informal - the allocation depends on how the group is organized and how relationships are regulated.
- Ingroup and outgroup - the definition of which depends on the degree of belonging to them a person.
- Small and large - allocation depending on the number of participants.
- Real and nominal - the selection depends on the signs that are significant in the social aspect.
All these types of social groups of people will be considered in detail separately.
Primary and secondary groups
The primary group is one in which communication between people is of a high emotional nature. Usually it consists of a small number of participants. It is the link that connects the individual directly with society. For example, family, friends.
A secondary group is one in which there are many more participants than the previous group, and where interactions between people are needed to achieve a certain task. Relations here, as a rule, are impersonal in nature, since the main emphasis is on the ability to perform the necessary actions, and not on character traits and emotional ties. For example, a political party, a work collective.
Formal and informal groups
A formal group is one that has a certain legal status. Relations between people are regulated by a certain system of norms and rules. There is a clearly fixed goal and there is hierarchical structure. Any action is taken in accordance with established order. For example, the scientific community sports group.
An informal group, as a rule, arises spontaneously. The reason may be a commonality of interests or views. Compared to a formal group, it has no official rules and no legal status in society. Also, there is no formal leader among the participants. For example, a friendly company, lovers of classical music.
Ingroup and outgroup
Ingroup - a person feels a direct belonging to this group and perceives it as his own. For example, "my family", "my friends".
An outgroup is a group to which a person is not related, respectively, there is an identification as “foreign”, “other”. Absolutely every person has their own outgroup evaluation system: from a neutral attitude to an aggressive-hostile one. Most sociologists prefer to use the grading system, the social distance scale, created by the American sociologist Emory Bogardus. Examples: "someone else's family", "not my friends".
Small and large groups
Small group is not large group people who come together to achieve some result. For example, a student group, a school class.
The fundamental forms of this group are the forms "diad" and "triad". They can be called bricks of this group. A dyad is an association in which 2 people participate, and a triad consists of three people. The latter is considered more stable than the dyad.
Features of a small group:
- A small number of participants (up to 30 people) and their permanent composition.
- Close relationships between people.
- Similar ideas about values, norms and patterns of behavior in society.
- Identify the group as "mine".
- Control is not governed by administrative rules.
A large group is one that has a large number of members. The purpose of the association and interaction of people, as a rule, is clearly fixed and clear to each member of the group. It is not limited by the number of people included in it. Also, there is no constant personal contact and mutual influence between individuals. For example, the peasant class, the working class.
Real and nominal
Real groups are groups that stand out according to some socially important criteria. For example:
- age;
- income;
- nationality;
- Family status;
- profession;
- location.
Nominal groups are allocated one at a time common ground for various sociological research or statistical accounting of a certain category of the population. For example, find out the number of mothers raising children alone.
Based on these examples of types of social groups, one can clearly see that absolutely every person has a connection with them or interacts in them.
social structure
social structure- a set of interrelated elements that make up the internal structure of society. The concept of "social structure" is used both in ideas about society as a social system in which the social structure provides internal order connection of elements, and environment establishes the external boundaries of the system, and when describing society through the category of social space. IN last case social structure is understood as the unity of functionally interconnected social positions and social fields.
Apparently, the first to use the term "social structure" was Alexis Tocqueville, a French thinker, politician and statesman, one of the founders of liberal political theory. Later, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, Max Weber, Ferdinand Tönnies and Emile Durkheim contributed greatly to the creation of the structural concept in sociology.
One of the earliest and most comprehensive analyzes of the social structure was carried out by K. Marx, who showed the dependence of the political, cultural, and religious aspects of life on the mode of production (the basic structure of society). Marx argued that the economic basis determines to a large extent the cultural and political superstructure of society. Subsequent Marxist theorists, such as L. Althusser, proposed more complicated relationship, believing that cultural and political institutions are relatively autonomous and dependent on economic factors only in the final analysis ("in the last resort"). But the Marxist view of the social structure of society was not the only one. Emile Durkheim introduced the idea that various social institutions and practices played an important role in ensuring the functional integration of society into a social structure that unites various parts into a single whole. In this context, Durkheim identified two forms of structural relationships: mechanical and organic solidarities.
The structure of the social system
The structure of a social system is a way of interconnecting the subsystems, components and elements interacting in it, ensuring its integrity. The main elements (social units) of the social structure of society are social communities, social institutions, social groups and social organizations.
The social system, according to T. Parsons, must meet certain requirements (AGIL), namely:
A. - must be adapted to the environment (adaptation);
G. - she must have goals (goal achievement);
I. - all its elements must be coordinated (integration);
L. - the values in it must be preserved (maintenance of the sample).
T. Parsons believes that society is a special type of social system with high specialization and self-sufficiency. Its functional unity is provided by social subsystems. To the social subsystems of society, as a system, T. Parsons refers to the following: economics (adaptation), politics (goal achievement), culture (maintenance of the model). The function of the integration of society is performed by the system of "societal community", which mainly contains the structures of norms.
social group
social group- an association of people who have a common significant social attribute based on their participation in some activity related to a system of relations that are regulated by formal or informal social institutions.
The word "group" entered the Russian language at the beginning of the 19th century. from Italian (it. groppo, or gruppo - knot) as a technical term for painters, used to refer to several figures that make up a composition. That's how the dictionary explains it. foreign words the beginning of the 19th century, where, among other overseas “curiosities”, the word “group” is also contained as an ensemble, a composition of “figures that make up the whole, and so adapted that the eye looks at them at once.”
The first written appearance of the French word groupe, from which its English and German equivalents later derive, dates from 1668. Thanks to Moliere, a year later, this word penetrates into literary speech, while still retaining a technical coloring. The wide penetration of the term "group" into various fields of knowledge, its truly common character creates the appearance of its "transparency", that is, understandability and accessibility. It is most often used in relation to certain human communities as aggregates of people, united according to a number of characteristics by some kind of spiritual substance (interest, purpose, awareness of their community, etc.). Meanwhile, the sociological category "social group" is one of the most difficult to understand due to a significant divergence from everyday ideas. A social group is not just a collection of people united on formal or informal grounds, but a group social position that people occupy.
signs
Generality of needs.
Availability of joint activities.
Formation of own culture.
Social identification of community members, their self-assignment to this community.
Group types
There are large, medium and small groups.
IN large groups includes aggregates of people that exist on the scale of the whole society as a whole: these are social strata, professional groups, ethnic communities (nations, nationalities), age groups (youth, pensioners), etc. Awareness of belonging to a social group and, accordingly, its interests as one’s own occurs gradually, as organizations are formed that protect the interests of the group (for example, the struggle of workers for their rights and interests through workers' organizations).
TO middle groups include production associations of employees of enterprises, territorial communities (residents of the same village, city, district, etc.).
To the manifold small groups include such groups as family, friendly companies, neighborhood communities. They are distinguished by the presence of interpersonal relationships and personal contacts with each other.
One of the earliest and most famous classifications of small groups into primary and secondary was given by the American sociologist C.H. Cooley, where he distinguished between them. "Primary (basic) group" refers to those personal relationships that are direct, face-to-face, relatively permanent, and deep, such as family relationships, a group of close friends, and the like. "Secondary groups" (a phrase that Cooley did not actually use, but which appeared later) refers to all other face-to-face relationships, but especially to such groups or associations as industrial, in which a person relates to others through formal , often a legal or contractual relationship.
Structure of social groups
Structure is a structure, device, organization. The structure of the group is a way of interconnection, its mutual arrangement constituent parts, elements of a group that form a stable social structure, or a configuration of social relations.
An active large group has its own internal structure: a "core" and a "periphery" with a gradual weakening as the essential properties move away from the core, by which individuals identify themselves and this group is nominated, that is, by which it is separated from other groups distinguished by a certain criterion. .
Specific individuals may not have all the essential features of the subjects of a given community; they constantly move in their status complex (repertoire of roles) from one position to another. The core of any group is relatively stable, it consists of the bearers of these essential features - professionals of symbolic representation. In other words, the core of a group is a set of typical individuals who most consistently combine the nature of its activities, the structure of needs, norms, attitudes and motivations that people identify with a given social group. That is, position-holding agents must emerge as a social organization, social community, or social corps, with an identity (recognized self-images) and mobilized around a common interest.
Therefore, the core is a concentrated expression of all the social properties of the group, which determine its qualitative difference from all others. There is no such core - there is no group itself. At the same time, the composition of the individuals included in the “tail” of the group is constantly changing due to the fact that each individual occupies many social positions and can move from one position to another situationally, due to demographic movement (age, death, illness, etc.). or as a result of social mobility.
A real group has not only its own structure or construction, but also its own composition (and also decomposition). Composition– organization of social space and its perception. The composition of a group is a combination of its elements that form a harmonious unity that ensures the integrity of the image of its perception as a social group. The composition of the group is usually determined through indicators of social status.
Decomposition- the opposite operation or process of dividing a composition into elements, parts, indicators. The decomposition of a social group is carried out by projection onto various social fields and positions. Often the composition (decomposition) of a group is identified with a set of its demographic and professional parameters, which is not entirely true. It is not the parameters themselves that are important here, but to the extent that they characterize the status-role position of the group and act as social filters that allow it to exercise social distancing so as not to merge, not be "blurred" or absorbed by other positions.
Functions of social groups
Exist different approaches to the classification of the functions of social groups. The American sociologist N. Smelser identifies the following functions of groups:
Socialization: only in a group can a person ensure his survival and the upbringing of the younger generations;
instrumental: consists in the implementation of a particular activity of people;
Expressive: consists in meeting people's needs for approval, respect and trust;
supportive: consists in the fact that people tend to unite in difficult situations for them.
Social groups at present
A feature of social groups in countries with developed economies at present is their mobility, the openness of the transition from one social group to another. The convergence of the level of culture and education of various socio-professional groups leads to the formation of common socio-cultural needs and thereby creates conditions for the gradual integration of social groups, their value systems, their behavior and motivation. As a result, we can state the renewal and expansion of the most characteristic in modern world- middle class (middle class).
group dynamics
group dynamics- the processes of interaction between members of the group, as well as the scientific direction that studies these processes, the founder of which is Kurt Lewin. Kurt Lewin coined the term group dynamics to describe the positive and negative processes that take place in a social group. Group dynamics, in his opinion, should consider issues related to the nature of groups, the patterns of their development and improvement, the interaction of groups with individuals, other groups and institutional formations. In 1945, Levin founded the Group Dynamics Research Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Since the members of the group interact and influence each other, processes arise in the group that distinguish it from the totality of individuals. Among these processes:
-formation of subgroups according to interests;
-the emergence of leaders and their departure into the shadows;
- making group decisions;
-cohesion and conflicts in the group;
-changing the roles of group members;
- impact on behavior;
- the need for connection;
- disintegration of the group.
Group dynamics is used in business trainings, group therapy, using an agile software development methodology.
Quasigroup (sociology)
A quasi-group is a sociological term that refers to a social group characterized by unintentionality, in which there are no stable ties and social structure between members, no common values and norms, and relationships are one-sided. Quasi-groups exist for a short time, after which they either completely disintegrate or, under the influence of circumstances, turn into stable social groups, often being their transitional type.
Features of quasigroups
Anonymity
Suggestibility
Social contagion
unconsciousness
The spontaneity of education
Relationship instability
Lack of diversity in interaction (either it is only the reception / transmission of information, or only an expression of one's disagreement or delight)
The short duration of joint actions
Types of quasigroups
Audience
Fan group
social circles
The concept of a social group. Types of social groups.
Society is a collection of various groups. Social group - foundation human society, and society itself is also a social group, only the largest. The number of social groups on Earth exceeds the number of individuals, because one person is able to be in several groups at once. A social group is usually understood as any set of people who have a common social attribute.
