Groups and organizations chp6 Flashcards
(37 cards)
Sociologists study groups from both a
macro and a micro level of analysis and differentiate between groups based on:
- size
- closeness of members
- duration the group stays together
- purpose
- organizational structure
Social categories
-are not groups when the people involved do not necessarily know each other.
-They engage in similar behavior rather than meeting or hanging out together.
Examples:
-Truck drivers
-Teenagers
-People over 75 years old
dyad
A dyad is a group of two people.
triad
A triad is a three-person group.
George Simmel (1902)
discovered the group size effect; he observed how group size influences the behavior of the members.
-Tension often builds when a third person is introduced into a two-person group; the group may splinter into 2 + 1.
diad, triad, four, five, six, seven
how many relationships
diad-1 triad-3 four-6 five-10 six-15 seven-21
Primary groups consist of:
- intimate, face-to-face interaction
- relatively long-lasting relationships
- serve members’ emotional needs
Primary groups have a_______ ________ on its members _______ _________
powerful influence on their members
and affect individuals’ personalities and identities.
-ex: family and peers
Secondary groups are:
- larger in size than primary groups
- less intimate
- have a shorter duration
- less significant to members’ emotions and lives
- serve instrumental needs (getting something out of it)
In specific circumstances, such as catastrophes, secondary groups often take on the characteristics of a primary group.
Primary group characteristics
- total personality involvement
- emotional warmth
- spontaneity, informality
- direct (face-to-face) contact
- smaller size
- valued as end (intrinsic rewards-psychological reward)
Secondary group characteristics
- segmented personality involvement
- emotional coolness
- patterning, formality
- indirect (non-face-to-face) contact
- larger size
- valued as means to end (extrinsic rewards-tangible reward)
Reference groups
- provide standards for evaluating your values, attitudes, and behaviors
- You may or may not belong to this group.
- Strongly influence one’s aspirations, self-evaluation, and self-esteem
- Examples include: major league sports teams, popular bands and/or classical musicians and super models.
In-Groups
are social groups which you belong to. It provides a sense of identity as “us.”
Out-groups
are complementary and are referred to as “them”; you are not a member of that group.
Social Networks
are links between individuals, groups, or other social units
- The strength of network links varies, yet ones that are weak still connect us to other networks.
- Networks help us achieve many of our objectives.
Social groups
exert tremendous influence on our behavior/identity.
- Even when we overtly deny the connection, the influence still exists.
- The not-me syndrome: The gulf between what people think they will do and what they actually do.
The Asch Conformity Experiment
- Solomon Asch showed that even simple objective facts cannot withstand the distorting pressure of group influence.
- Which line on the right is more nearly equal in length to the line on the left (line S)? Line B, obviously.
- Asch discovered that social pressure of a rather gentle sort was sufficient to cause an astonishing rise in the number of wrong answers.
The Milgram Obedience Studies
Stanley Milgram discovered that people are disturbingly likely to obey when an authority figure demands compliance.
-70% of subjects were willing to obey completely and shock a stranger with dangerous shocks against his will.
Groupthink:
group decision making, associated with unintended and disastrous consequences.
-People are unwilling to offer a differing view out of fear of being disloyal
Risky shift:
when people in a group are more likely to make risky decisions than if they are alone
Polarization shift
occurs when group discussion leads to a shift to more or less risk-taking.
Deindividuation
is a willingness to do together what we would not do alone.
A formal organization:
- is a large secondary group
- is highly organized to do a complex task(s)
- achieves goals efficiently
- has activities that are regulated/defined in advance
- Is a place where conformity is expected/formally enforced
Examples: schools, churches, political parties, and governments
normative organizations:
- voluntary organizations
- participants share like values and moral standards
- group activities are worthwhile
Examples: PTA, choirs, bull-fighting clubs, monasteries
