Social group - it is an objectively existing stable community, a set of individuals interacting in a certain way based on several characteristics, in particular the shared expectations of each group member regarding others.

The concept of a group as independent, along with the concepts of personality (individual) and society, is already found in Aristotle. In modern times, T. Hobbes was the first to define a group as “a certain number of people united by a common interest or a common cause.”

Under social group it is necessary to understand any objectively existing stable set of people connected by a system of relations regulated by formal or informal social institutions. Society in sociology is considered not as a monolithic entity, but as a collection of many social groups that interact and are in a certain dependence on each other. Each person during his life belongs to many such groups, including family, friendly group, student group, nation, etc. The creation of groups is facilitated by similar interests and goals of people, as well as by the awareness of the fact that by combining actions one can achieve significantly greater results than with individual action. Moreover, the social activity of each person is largely determined by the activities of the groups in which he is included, as well as by the interaction within groups and between groups. It can be stated with complete confidence that only in a group a person becomes an individual and is able to find full self-expression.

Signs

presence of internal organization;

general (group) goal of the activity;

group forms of social control;

samples (models) of group activities;

intense group interactions;

a sense of group belonging or membership;

role-coordinated participation of group members in common activities or complicity;

role expectations of group members relative to each other.

Group-forming processes. –

16. Social communities: national-ethnic, socio-territorial.

Society how an integral sociocultural system consists of many subsystems with various system-forming integral qualities. One of the most important types of social subsystems are social communities. As a rule, in general people unite having similar interests, goals, functions and statuses determined by them, social roles, cultural needs.

Classification of social communities

Systematization of the views of modern sociologists on this issue allows us to identify a number of potential and real, necessary and sufficient grounds for identifying a community:

similarity, proximity of living conditions people (as a potential prerequisite for the emergence of an association);

community of people's needs, their subjective awareness similarities their interests (the real prerequisite for the emergence of solidarity);

the presence of interaction, joint activity, interconnected exchange of activities (direct in the community, indirect in modern society);

formation of one’s own culture: a system of internal norms of relationships, ideas about the goals of the community, morality, etc.;

strengthening community organization, creating a system of management and self-government;

social identification of members of a community, their self-ascription to this community.

Social community - is a collection of individuals united identical living conditions, values, interests, norms, social connection and awareness of social identity, acting in as a subject of social life.

Mass social communities include:

ethnic communities (races, nations, nationalities, tribes);

socio-territorial communities are collections of people permanently residing in a certain territory, formed on the basis of socio-territorial differences, having a similar way of life,

social classes and social strata(these are collections of people who have common social characteristics and perform similar functions in the system of social division of labor). Classes are distinguished in connection with the attitude towards ownership of the means of production and the nature of the appropriation of goods.

Social layers (or strata) are distinguished on the basis of differences in the nature of work and lifestyle (differences in lifestyle are most obvious).

Social group - an association of people connected by common relations, which are regulated by special social institutions, and who have common norms, values ​​and traditions. A social group is one of the main components of social structure. The bonding factor for a group is a common interest, that is, spiritual, economic or political needs.

Belonging to a group presupposes that a person possesses certain characteristics that, from the point of view of the group, are valuable and significant. From this point of view, the “core” of the group is identified - those of its members who possess these characteristics to the greatest extent. The remaining members of the group form its periphery.

A specific personality cannot be reduced to membership in one group, since it certainly belongs to a sufficiently large number of groups at once. Indeed, we can classify people into groups in many different ways: by religious affiliation; by income level; from the point of view of their attitude to sports, to art, etc.

Groups are:

Formal (formalized) and informal.

In formal groups, relationships and interactions are established and regulated by special legal acts (laws, regulations, instructions, etc.). The formality of groups is manifested not only in the presence of a more or less rigid hierarchy; it usually manifests itself in a clear specialization of members performing their special functions.

Informal groups develop spontaneously and do not have regulating legal acts; their consolidation is carried out mainly due to authority, as well as the figure of the leader.

At the same time, in any formal group, informal relationships arise between members, and such a group breaks up into several informal groups. This factor plays an important role in holding the group together.

Small, medium and large.

Small groups (family, group of friends, sports team) are characterized by the fact that their members are in direct contact with each other, have common goals and interests: the connection between group members is so strong that a change in one of its parts will certainly entail a change in the group in in general. The lower limit for a small group is 2 people. There are different opinions about what figure should be considered the upper limit for a small group: 5-7 or approximately 20 people; Statistical studies show that the size of most small groups does not exceed 7 people. If this limit is exceeded, the group splits into subgroups (“factions”). Obviously, this is caused by the following relationship: the smaller the group, the closer connections are established between its members, and therefore, the less likely it is that it will break up. There are also two main types of small groups: dyad (two people) and triad (three people).

Medium groups are relatively stable groups of people who also have common goals and interests, connected by one activity, but at the same time not in close contact with each other. An example of medium groups can be a work collective, a collection of residents of a yard, street, district, or settlement.

Large groups are collections of people who are usually united by one socially significant feature (for example, religion, professional affiliation, nationality, etc.).

Primary and secondary.

Primary groups are usually small groups characterized by close ties between members and, as a result, have a great influence on the individual. The last feature plays a decisive role in determining the primary group. Primary groups are necessarily small groups.

In secondary groups, there are practically no close relationships between individuals, and the integrity of the group is ensured by the presence of common goals and interests. Close contacts between members of the secondary group are also not observed, although such a group - provided that the individual has assimilated group values ​​- can have a strong influence on him. Secondary groups usually include medium and large groups.

Real and social.

Real groups are distinguished according to some characteristic that actually exists in reality and is recognized by the bearer of this characteristic. So, a real indicator can be income level, age, gender, etc.

Three types are sometimes distinguished into an independent subclass of real groups and they are called main:

Stratification - slavery, castes, estates, classes;

Ethnic – races, nations, peoples, nationalities, tribes, classes;

Territorial - people from the same area (countrymen), city dwellers, villagers.

Social groups (social categories) are groups that are identified, as a rule, for the purposes of sociological research on the basis of random characteristics that do not have particular social significance. For example, a social group would be the entire set of people who know how to use a computer; the entire population of public transport passengers, etc.

Interactive and nominal.

Interactive groups are those whose members interact directly and take part in collective decision-making. Examples of interactive groups are groups of friends, formations such as commissions, etc.

A nominal group is one in which each member acts independently of the others. Indirect interaction is more typical for them.

Particular attention should be paid to the concept of a reference group. A reference group is a group that, due to its authority for an individual, is capable of exerting a strong influence on him. In other words, this group can be called a reference group. An individual may strive to become a member of this group, and his activities are usually aimed at becoming more like its representative. This phenomenon is called anticipatory socialization. In the usual case, socialization occurs in the process of direct interaction within the primary group. In this case, the individual adopts the characteristics and methods of action characteristic of the group even before interacting with its members.

Particularly in social communication are the so-called aggregates (quasi-groups) - a collection of people who unite on the basis of a behavioral characteristic. An aggregate, for example, is the audience of a television program (that is, people who watch this television program), the audience of a newspaper (that is, people who buy and read this newspaper), etc. Typically, aggregates include the audience, the public, as well as a crowd of onlookers.

Social structure is often viewed as a set of relations between social groups. From this point of view, the elements of society are not social statuses, but small and large social groups. The totality of social relations between all social groups, or more precisely, the overall result of all relations determines the general state of society, that is, what atmosphere reigns in it - agreement, trust and tolerance or distrust and intolerance.

1) parents 2) Buddhists 3) French 4) lawyers

A8. As a good family man, Alexander should spend his evenings at home, with his family, and his position as the head of an enterprise obliges him to stay late at work. There is a mismatch between personal needs and production requirements. This is an example of social conflict

1) with the external environment 2) intergroup 3) intrapersonal 4) interpersonal

A9. Are the following statements about the social structure of society correct?

A.The social structure of a society is based on the specific values ​​and norms of different social groups.

B. The social structure of society is based on the specific needs and interests of various social groups.

A10.Are the following judgments about deviant behavior correct?

A. Deviant behavior can manifest itself in a person’s special talents and abilities.

B. Deviant behavior may be associated with criminal acts.

1) only A is true 2) only B is true 3) both judgments are correct 4) both judgments are incorrect

A11. The structure of society is represented by a set of social communities and groups. What social group is identified on a territorial basis?

1) peasants 2) Ryazan residents 3) Russians 4) passengers

Social sphere (OSE)

Option 4

A1. Which of the following terms unites and generalizes the others?

1) nation 2) tribe 3) nationality 4) ethnic group

A2. Friends Nikolai and Pavel quarreled over who would be the disc jockey at the school disco. What additional information would lead us to conclude that this is an interpersonal conflict?

1) caused by a clash of needs, interests, values

2) characterized by disagreements between two or more people of one or more groups

3) is a form of relations between subjects of social action

4) promotes a better understanding of the aspirations, desires, goals of its participants

A3. Are the following statements about social values ​​true?

A. Social values ​​are determined by the characteristics of the lifestyle.

B. All social values ​​become social norms.

1) only A is true 2) only B is true 3) both judgments are correct 4) both judgments are incorrect

A4. They belong to the territorial group

1) programmers 2) Astrakhan residents 3) entrepreneurs 4) Ukrainians

A5. At the Yuventa company, a conflict arose between a manager and a subordinate: the subordinate is convinced that the boss makes unreasonable demands on him, and the manager believes that the subordinate does not want to work at full capacity. This is an example of social conflict

1) intrapersonal 2) interpersonal 3) intergroup 4) with the external environment

A6. Are judgments about the social role of a teenager correct?

A, A teenager has one social role.

B. The teenager plays the social role of a consumer.

A7. Slaves, feudal lords, bourgeoisie form a social group

1) professional 2) class 3) confessional 4) class

A8. At the Meridian enterprise, a conflict arose between the administration and the trade union over shortcomings in the labor protection of workers. This is an example of social conflict

1) with the external environment 2) intrapersonal 3) interpersonal 4) intergroup

A9. Are judgments about social role in adolescence correct?

A. Social role in adolescence is what is expected of every teenager in a given society.

B. Social role in adolescence is a certain position of a teenager in a social group or society.

1) only A is true 2) only B is true 3) both judgments are correct 4) both judgments are incorrect

A10. To identify a social group, a significant feature is

1) religion 2) neurodynamics 3) temperament 4) will

A11 In a protracted conflict between two banks, General Director A. expressed his readiness to solve the problem that had arisen, offering his opponent the necessary information and assistance. What behavior during conflict does this example illustrate?

1) psychological violence 2) pressure 3) physical violence 4) friendliness

A12. Are judgments about deviant behavior correct?

A. Deviant behavior is behavior that always causes harm to a person and society.

B. Deviant behavior may be determined by a person’s living conditions.

1) only A is true 2) only B is true 3) both judgments are correct 4) both judgments are incorrect

Concept of social group

Society is a collection of very different groups. A social group is the foundation of 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 can be a member of several groups at once.

A social group is usually understood as any collection of people who have a common social characteristic.

A social group is a kind of intermediary between an individual and society as a whole. Not only society as a whole, but also an individual lives according to the laws of a social group. Many human characteristics - the ability to think abstractly, speech, language, self-discipline and morality - are the result of group activity. In the group, norms, rules, customs, traditions, rituals, ceremonies are born, and the foundation of social life is laid.

A person needs a group and depends on it: people survive only together. Already in primitive society, people lived in social groups: mobile communities of primitive hunters and gatherers of 20-30 people, leading a nomadic lifestyle, moved across the surface of the planet in search of food.

Types of social groups

All the diversity of social groups can be classified on various grounds.

Social groups are divided into:

nominal and real;

big and small;

formal and informal;

primary and secondary.

A nominal group is an artificially selected set of people based on some characteristic who actually have no connections with each other: voters, buyers of a certain brand of washing powder, people with higher education, etc. Nominal groups are identified to solve both scientific and practical problems. Large nominal groups, identified according to socially significant characteristics (gender, age, profession, etc.), are called social categories. They are allocated for the purposes of statistical population accounting and solving major socio-economic problems.

A real group is a really existing community of people in which there are connections and relationships between members and which interacts with other groups. Family, class, sports team, party, nation - all these are real groups. Members of a real group clearly identify themselves with it, feel they belong to the group and are aware of their difference from other groups.

An intermediate position between nominal and real groups is occupied by aggregate groups that combine the features of both. The queue, train passengers are groups-aggregates. Such groups are characterized by blurred boundaries, spontaneity of formation, short-term and unstable interactions. A special place is occupied by such aggregate groups as the audience and the crowd. An audience is a collection of people united by interaction (usually one-way) with a source of information: lecturer - students, TV channel - viewers. A crowd is a collection of people united within space-time boundaries by some common interest.

Depending on their size, large and small social groups are distinguished.

A large group is a large collection of people who do not have direct contacts with each other, but are united by the awareness of belonging to the group, way of life, general psychology, customs and traditions: nation, class, estate, ethnic community.

A small group is a small (2-10 people) community of people united by joint activities and in direct personal communication: family, friendly company, production team.

G. Simmel believed that the size of a group closely correlates with the degree of development of the individuality of its representatives. The size of the group is directly proportional to the degree of freedom that its members enjoy: the smaller the group, the more united it should act, the closer it should keep its members in order to protect its own integrity from the hostile influences of the external environment. As the group grows quantitatively, the permissible boundaries for identifying its members as such expand, and therefore the degree of individual freedom increases. An increase in the number of individuals in a group, accompanied by differentiation of its elements, gives rise to the mental ability of association. This is how intelligence, the ability of consciousness, is born.

According to the nature of intragroup relations, social groups are divided into formal and informal.

In a formal group, the status of its members and intra-group relations are regulated by official rules, interactions are impersonal and functional, and the purpose of the activity is clearly defined. All types of social organizations are formal groups.

In an informal group, the status of members and the purpose of activity are not always clearly defined; interactions are interpersonal and based on mutual sympathy, common interest or habit. Neighbors, friends, “party people” are informal groups. Informal groups can exist both within formal groups and separately and independently of them. If the goal of a formal group is to satisfy some social need, then an informal group satisfies the need of its members for communication.

C. Cooley (1864-1929) proposed to distinguish between primary and secondary social groups.

Ch. Cooley calls the primary group the cooperation and association of individuals directly interacting with each other face to face. This is a small circle of people who maintain stable close relationships, which, as a rule, are characterized by intimacy, mutual sympathy and understanding. The primary group includes persons about whom one can say: “We.” Primary groups are characterized by the emotional closeness of their members, the duration of their existence, and direct interactions. Family, company of friends are primary groups. In primary groups, the initial socialization of the individual occurs, and social values ​​and norms are most effectively absorbed in them. It is here that the individual first gains a sense of social belonging and internalizes common ideals. Primary groups “are not independent of the larger society, but to some extent reflect its spirit”; in them there is not only harmony, but also rivalry, competition, and enmity. Primary groups constitute the basis of what is universal in human nature and human ideals, and their “primacy” consists “first of all in the fact that they play a decisive role in the formation of the social nature and ideals of the individual.”

In secondary groups there are no direct interpersonal relationships; its members are connected indirectly with each other through activities to achieve a common goal. But even within secondary groups, people form primary groups. For example, for a schoolchild, a class may be a primary group, and the school team may be a secondary group.

Over the past two hundred years, sociologists have noted a trend toward a weakening role of primary groups in society. This process is expressed in the concepts of “mass society” and “decline of the community.” In the modern world, there is a dominance of secondary groups, but primary groups have also proven to be quite stable and have become an important link between the individual and the more formal, organizational side of life.

• 1. The instrumental role of the group: groups are formed for the sake of performing a specific job, these are work groups, teams. In a social group, a “synergetic effect” arises—the effect of multiplying efforts.
• 2. Expressive role of the group: Groups have opportunities to satisfy group members' desires for social approval, respect and trust. Such groups form spontaneously with relatively little outside influence. These are groups of friends spending leisure time together. Instrumental groups often also perform expressive functions, and expressive groups in a certain sense can also be considered instrumental, since they are created for a specific purpose - to gain pleasure from human communication.

social group personality role

In the process of exchange - interaction, social relationships are formalized and social groups are formed.

Social group is a collective or many individuals limited by informal or formal membership criteria. A social group exists when its members are involved in social interactions - interactions that include mutual roles and connections. R. Merton identified three main characteristics of the group. The first is a certain way of interaction between its members. The second is membership—the feeling of belonging to a given group. The third is group identity from the point of view of significant others.

Society is a collection of very different groups. According to experts, the number of groups exceeds the Earth's population by 1.5-2 times. And all this because one individual can be a member of 5-6 groups at once.

What are the functions of a social group?

Both society and the individual live according to the laws of the group. Many human characteristics, such as the ability to think abstractly, speak, control oneself, and behave according to moral standards, were formed under the influence of groups. Consequently, the group plays a decisive role in the socialization of the individual.

The group is the main factor contributing to survival. By sharing roles, group members can forage for food and defend against enemies more effectively than going it alone.

People form groups to do a specific job (example: an organization) and to satisfy group members' desires for social approval, respect, and trust (the company of friends).

All groups can be typologized depending on the characteristics of intragroup interaction, socially significant criteria, and the characteristics of individual identification with the group.

Classification of social communities:

On based on the characteristics of intragroup interaction primary, secondary and minor groups are distinguished. Primary group consists of a small number of people between whom relationships are established based on their individual characteristics. Charles Cooley first introduced the concept of the primary group in relation to the family, between whose members stable emotional relationships develop. The family is primary because it is the first socializing group in a person’s life. Subsequently, sociologists began to use this term when studying any group in which close personal relationships were formed, for example, friends, lovers, neighbors, etc. Secondary group is formed from people between whom there are almost no emotional relationships; their interaction is determined by the desire to achieve certain goals. In these groups, the main importance is attached not to personal qualities, but to the ability to perform certain functions. An example of a secondary group is an organization - a company, a football club, a government, etc.

TO small groups refers to small groups of people united by common goals, interests, values, norms and rules of behavior, as well as interaction at the personal level. A small group includes friendly companies, small production teams, sports teams, etc. Sociologists identify the following characteristics of a small group:

1. Limited number of group members- from 2 to 20 people. Most small groups have 5-7 people;

2. Stability composition, based on the individual uniqueness and irreplaceability of the participants;

3. Group structure - consists of a system of informal roles, statuses, includes a mechanism of social control;

4. The smaller the group, the more intense the interaction, the more personal it is;

5. The number of connections between its members grows exponentially; if the number of members increases arithmetically, in a group of three people four relationships are possible, in a group of seven people - 120 connections;

6. The size of the group depends on the nature of the group’s activity: specific action groups consist of 6-7 people, groups engaged in theoretical work, for example, parliamentary committees, include 14-15 people;

7. Satisfying the greatest number of vital human needs;

8. Each group member must make his maximum contribution to its activities.

The initial forms of a small group are dyad and triad.

Dyad, consisting of two people, is based on emotional interpersonal interactions - love, friendship, goodwill, jealousy, etc. The exchange of services is equivalent, there is reciprocity of feelings and relationships.

Triad- active interaction of three people. Unlike a dyad, the majority opinion first appears in it, and with it a social relationship is born. In it, a division of labor arises, roles are exchanged, and as a result, no one dominates.

A small group is built from dyads and triads and can be a very complex dynamic formation. It should be noted that this group can be both primary and secondary.

The processes of group dynamics include management and leadership, the formation of group opinion, group cohesion, conflicts, group pressure and other ways of regulating the behavior of group members.

On based on socially significant criteria(gender, age, nationality, profession, race, place of residence, income, etc.) the following are distinguished: groups:

Demographic (men, women, children, adolescents, adults, elderly);

Stratification (slavery, castes, estates, classes);

Consanguineous (clan, nation, people, tribe, race);

Territorial (city dwellers, villagers, people from the same area); sometimes these groups are called social communities;

Formal groups - organizations (industrial enterprises, cooperatives, banks, schools, etc.);

Professional, etc.

According to the characteristics of identification with the group ingroups, outgroups, and reference groups are distinguished.

Ingroups- groups whose members regard each other as “we”. For members of these groups, all other communities will be outgroups - "others". The concepts of in- and out-groups are important because the self-attribution of each individual to them has a significant impact on the behavior of individuals in groups. Outgroups are usually perceived by individuals in the form of stereotypes shared by the ingroup. Thus, common ethnic stereotypes are the idea that the French are frivolous, the British are reserved, and the Germans are disciplined and cruel. “We”, as a rule, are kind, brave, stubborn, “they” are evil, stupid, cowardly. Rudolf Hess, commandant of Auschwitz, where 700 thousand Jews were exterminated, called this massacre “the removal of alien racial-biological bodies.” In- and out-group identification in this case led to unimaginable cruelty and cynicism.

Reference groups- mean a real or conditional social community with which the individual relates himself as a standard. Sometimes the ingroup and the reference group coincide - family, ethnicity, friends for a teenager. But an outgroup, for example, a rock band for its fanatical fan, can also be a reference.

In addition to social groups, sociologists identify quasigroups(“as if” groups) are unstable social formations that arise spontaneously. They can become groups if relationships of solidarity and control are established between participants during interactions. Quasigroups include audience - complex, heterogeneous social formations with one-sided influence (speaker ® ​​listeners) with weak feedback. A quasigroup is crowd - a temporary meeting of people united in a physically limited space by a community of interests. A crowd is characterized by the following features: suggestibility, spontaneity of behavior based on emotions, anonymity and invulnerability (in a crowd, individual members feel unrecognizable and uncontrollable). Crowds can be divided into several types:

- random crowd, united by either an insignificant goal or an aimless pastime (for example, a crowd of onlookers gathered around colliding cars);

- conditioned crowd- a gathering of people that is planned in advance and relatively structured (for example, a crowd of football fans in a stadium);

- expressive crowd- a meeting organized for the personal pleasure of its members (for example, a crowd at a disco, rock festival);

- active crowd- this is a community with extreme types of behavior (a gathering of lynch mobs, rebels, etc.), the most dangerous type of crowd. The forms of behavior of the active crowd are mass hysteria (a state of general nervousness), gossip (information from unknown sources, disseminated unofficially), panic (uncoordinated reactions of crowd members), pogroms (collective acts of mob violence against person or property), riots, insurrections, uprisings .

The type of quasi-groups closest to stable social groups are social circles - free unions based on contacts with a very loosely established connection, devoid of stable relationships between members. Interaction in them is aimed almost entirely at the exchange of information. The following types of social circles are distinguished:

- contact circles- arise among people constantly meeting at stadiums, in transport, in queues;

- professional circles(circles of colleagues) - members of these communities gather to exchange information on a professional basis;

- friendly circles- friendly companies that gather from time to time;

- status social circles- communities formed for the exchange of information among individuals who have the same or similar statuses (for example, the elite, women's circle, circle of homeless people, etc.).

In social circles, public opinion is formed; in addition, they can become the basis for the formation of purposeful, rational, active groups - organizations, as well as social institutions.

So, a social group is a kind of intermediary between an individual and society as a whole. Belonging to a group can be real, conscious and designated by the individual, but it can also not be realized in any way, but used by sociologists as a criterion for classifying people into social categories.