Social Groups and Group

Interaction

The Concept of Group

-composed of two or more persons
interacting with each other, guided by a set
of norms.
-specified number of individuals where each
recognizes members as distinct from nonmembers; each has a sense of what other
do and think as well as well as what the
purpose of the association or grouping is.

The concept of a social

group

-a social group consists of two or more

people who interact recurrently in a
patterned way and who recognize that they
constitute a distinct social unit.

-for a social group to exist, the individuals

must interact with other individuals and
with one another according to established
patterns in terms of statuses and roles they
recognize.

Characteristics of Social
Groups
Generally,
1. Permanence beyond meetings and
members that is even when members are
dispersed.
2. Means for identifying members
3. Mechanisms for recruiting new members
4. Goals or purposes
5.Social statuses and roles, i.e. norms of
behavior
6. Means of controlling members behaviour.

Joseph Fichter identified some

characteristics of a social group as
follows

1. must be identifiable (recognizable existence);

2.
has social structure (each member, or
person, has a position related to other positions,
thus social stratification or ranking of social status,
is present even in the smallest informal groups);
3. there are individual roles in the group (this is
what group participation signifies, and it is the
aspect under which participation is studied);
4. there must be reciprocal relations (contact
and communication);

5. every group has norms of behaviour that

influence the way in which the roles are
enacted;
6. members have certain common interests
and values;
7. group activity must be directed towards
some social goal or goals;
8. must have relative permanence that is
measurable duration over a period of time.

Groups influence on the

Individual
1. Individuals become aroused or motivated
to perform some kinds of physical and
social skills at higher levels of excellence
(social facilitation)
2.
Presence of others may inhibit the
learning of new subject matter; individuals
can assimilate information more rapidly by
themselves (social inhibition)
3. Group pressure exerts a powerful
influence on the members opinions.

4. Group discussion also pays an important

role in shaping ones attitude and
behaviour.

Basic Classification of Social

Groups
1. Primary group

-characterized by intimate face-to-face

relationships and close association and
cooperation. (family, childrens play group,
neighbourhood or community groups)

2. Secondary groups

-relationships are impersonal and widely

separate; characterized by much less intimacy
among members.

Criteria

Primary Group

Secondary Group

Physical Conditions

Small number
Long duration

Big number
Short duration

Social
Characteristics

Intrinsic valuation
of the relation

Extrinsic valuation
of the relation

Intrinsic valuation
of other persons

Extrinsic valuation
of other persons

Inclusive
knowledge of other
persons

Specialized and
limited knowledge
of other persons
Feeling of external
constraints
Operation of formal
controls

Feeling of freedom
and spontaneity
Operation of
informal controls

Sample
Relationships

Sample groups

Primary Group

Secondary Group

Friend-friend
Husband-wife
Parent-child
Teacher-pupil

Clerk-customer
Announcer-listener
Performerspectator
Officer-subordinate

Play group
Family
Village or
neighbourhood
Work-team

Nation
Church hierarchy
Professional
association
corporation

Formal Structure:
BUREAUCRACY
Bureaucracy formal, rationally organized
and highly organized social structure which
clearly defined patterns of activity in which,
ideally,
every
series
of
actions
is
fundamentally related to the organizations
purpose.
Bureaucratic patterns are found in the
government, schools, corporations and
other big and formal set-ups.

Features are:
1. Specialization
2. Merit appointment
3. Impersonality
4. Chain of command to see that orders are
faithfully followed

Max Webers Model of Bureaucracy

1. A clear-cut division of labour.
2.
Hierarchical delegation of power and
responsibility.
3. Rules and regulations are clearly stated.
4.
Impartiality-positions
belong
to
the
organization itself, they cannot become the
personal property of those who occupy them.
5. Employment based on technical qualifications.
6. Distinction between public and private spheres
(family life has no place in the work setting).

Bureaucracy TODAY!

Assignment # 5-Midterm Period. Due

August 16, 2016.

Based on your own readings, observation,

experience-write a two page paragraph
about the bureaucracy today. Justify with
documents/personal examples..etc..

Reminder: Handwritten on a white bond

paper.

Process of Social Group

Interaction

Social interaction
process by which people act and react in relation to others.
In this process, language, gestures and symbols are used.
-process whereby people accomplish some aim and is always
directed towards specific other people.
Major components of social interaction:
(What influences social interaction?)
1. Goals
2. Motivations
3. Situation or context
- refers to the condition under which an action takes place.
4. Norms or rules

There are three (3) elements that define the

context of social interaction:
1. the physical setting or place
2. the social environment
3. the activities or events surrounding the
interaction, whether preceding it, happening
simultaneously with it, or coming after it.

Norms are specific rules of behaviour that

are agreed upon and shared and prescribe
limits
of
acceptable
behaviour.
(ex:
speaking loudly in public is not acceptable
way or interacting especially in formal
gathering).

Types of Social Interaction

1. Non-verbal behaviour

-using body language-the study of which is

known as kinesics.
2. Unfocused and focused interaction

- unfocused interaction interaction that

takes place simply because two or more
people happen to be in each others presence.

- focused interaction a purposeful

interaction between individuals who have
particular goals in mind.

There are four (4) types of focused

interaction:
1. Exchange-ex: employee-employer;
neighbours exchange favours
2. Cooperation teamwork
3. Conflict people in conflict struggle with
one another
4. Competition common form of interaction
in the modern world.

SOCIALIZATION

Socialization
long and complicated process of social
interaction through which a child learns the
intellectual, physical and social skills needed
to function as a member of a society.
- process of mutual influence between a
person and his fellowmen, a process that
results in an acceptance of, adaptation to,
the patterns of social behaviour.

Can be described as:

Objective socialization society is acting

upon the child

Subjective socialization process by

which the society transmits its culture from
one generation to the next and adapts the
individual to the accepted and approved
ways of organized social life.

Functions of Socialization
1. to develop the skills and disciplines which
are needed by the individual;
2. to instil the aspirations and values and
the design for living for which the society
possesses
3. to teach the social roles which individuals
must enact in society

Importance of socialization
1. Vital link to culture knowledge, symbols,
values, norms, beliefs and others.
2. Vital to personality develop social
attachments
3. Vital to sex-role differentiation
determines behavioural differences
between men and women

Agencies of Socialization
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

the family
peer groups
the media
the school
the workplace
the church
the neighborhood

Assignment No. 2 Midterm Due

August 19, 2016 ( Friday)
A. Undertake a rough survey of your
neighbourhood. Observe how the process of
socialization takes place in the following:
(20 pts).
1. home
2. play group
3. neighbourhood
4. whole barangay

B. In the Philippines, what are the major

agents of socialization? Explain and
illustrate by citing concrete examples. (20
points)