Social groups

Why do we need to be
with a group?

Importance of groups
It is a major source of solidarity and
cohesion.
It reinforces and strengthens our
integration into society.
It shares basic survival and problem solving techniques to satisfy
personal and emotional needs; and
It gives meaning and support to an
individual.

What is a social group?

It is a unit of interacting personalities
with interdependence of roles and
statuses existing between and
among themselves(San Juan, et.al. ,
2007).
It is a collection of people who
interact with each other in
accordance with the position they
occupy in the society (San Juan, et.al.
,2007)..

Why do we need to study a social

group?
To understand human behavior

How is a social group different

from other collections of people?

Aggregates
People who may be on close physical
proximity but do not interact with
one another.
They may be clustered together on
the same location, look at each other
occasionally brushed shoulders or
any part of their bodies
unintentionally, but they are not
really concerned with one another.

Example # 1 - Aggregates

People gathered in an unstructured manner in a

bus or jeepney

Example # 2 - Aggregates

People sharing an escalator

Example # 3 - Aggregates

People lining up to buy their movie

tickets

Collectivity
A cluster of people interacting with
one another in a passing or short
lived manner.
They are temporary collections of
people who may disperse
immediately upon satisfaction of
their individual or collective interests.
They are characterized by
spontaneity, fleeting interaction,
anonymity, lack of structure and

Example # 1 - Collectivity

Crowd

Example # 2 - Collectivity

Public

Example # 3 - Collectivity

Mob

Social category
A collection of people who are classified or
categorized in accordance with some status
characteristics like sex, race, age, religion,
political affiliation, occupation or profession,
income, social class and ethnicity.
Since members belonging to the same
category share common status
characteristics, they may be transformed
into social groups whenever their collective
interest is at stake.

Example # 1 Social
category

Teachers, being the largest group of professionals in the

bureaucracy, may form an alliance and be a pressure group
and a force to reckon with in the Philippine society

Example # 2 Social
category

Dorm residents

Example # 3 Social
category

Gays

What are the characteristics of a

social group?
Group members interact on a fairly regular basis
through communication. They affect and influence
each other.
The members of the group develop a structure
where each member assumes a specific status and
adopts a particular role: Each member accepts
certain duties and responsibilities and is entitled to
certain privileges.
The members of the group feel a sense of identity.
They think of themselves as united and
interdependent, somewhat apart from other
people.

Why are social groups

formed?
The desire to achieve an objective.
To meet the needs of an individual
member.
People are treated alike by others

Types of Social Groups

According to social ties

a. Primary group
-The most fundamental unit of human
society.
-Small in size
-A long-lasting group whose members
have informal, intimate, personal,
continuous face-to-face relationships.
-Usually characterized by strong ties
of love and affection, personal identity
with group, mutuality of interest,
cooperation and a we feeling

Example of primary groups

Family
Gangs
Cliques
Friendship
groups

Functions of primary groups

Emotional support
Socialization
Encourage conformity

b. Secondary group

-The group with which the individual

comes in contact later in life.
- opposite of primary groups
- characterized by formal,
impersonal, business like,
contractual and casual relationship
-Usually large size, not enduring and
with limited relationships, weak ties
of affection, weak personal identity
with group and limited face to
face interaction

Examples of secondary
groups
Faculty staff
Industrial
workers
Company
employees
Business
associates

Functions of secondary
groups
To satisfy peoples complex needs
Certain obligations as in business

According to self identification

a. In- group
- a social unit in which individuals feel
at home and which they identify.
- produces the we feeling for
members are similar in certain ways,
such as being poor or rich or other
categories

b. Out- group
- a social unit to which individuals do
not belong due to differences in
certain social categories and with
which they do not identify.
- they
- Examples: if we are the law abiders,
then the out group is the law
violators

c. Reference groups
- the groups which we consciously or
unconsciously refer to when we try to
evaluate our own life situations and
behavior, but to which we do not
necessarily belong
- Example: we may feel fortunate if
we belong to the middle class in
comparison to the poor class

According to purpose
a. Special interest groups
-

Groups which are organized to meet

the special interest of the members
Example: hobby groups

b. Task group
- groups assigned to accomplish jobs
which cannot be done by a single
person.
- Example: working committee,
construction
workers

c. Influence/ pressure groups

-

Groups organized to support or

influence social actions
Example: social movements, campaign
groups, political parties

According to geographical location

or quality of relationship
a. Gemeinschaft
-

Social system in which most

relationships are personal or traditional.
A community of intimate, private, and
exclusive living and familialism.
The activities, interests and personalities
of the members center around the large
family groups and neighbors
Example: tribal groups, agricultural and
fishing villages

b. Gesselschaft
- social system in which most
relationships are impersonal, formal,
contractual or bargain like.
- relationship is individualistic,
business-like, secondary and
rationalized
- example: city or urban groups

According to form of
organization
a. Formal groups
-

Also called social organizations

Deliberately formed and their purpose and
objectives are explicitly defined.
Goals are clearly stated and the division of
labor is based on members ability or merit.
Has certain type of administrative
machinery (bureaucracy) which aimed to
enable members meet their goals.
Example: government

b. Informal groups
- arises spontaneously out of
interactions of two or more persons.
- unplanned; has no explicit rules for
membership, and does not have
specific objectives to be attained.
- has the characteristics of primary
groups and members are bound to
emotions and sentiments
- example: barkadas and gangs

How are they formed?

Peoples need to be with a group.
A Forming
What was the task?
Did you all share the same expectations of the task?
Did you all have the same attitude to working in a group?
Did you feel any anxiety at the outset of the activity?
B Storming
Was there any conflict in the group?
Did you all agree on the means of carrying out the task?
Did you have a leader and was his/her authority challenged?
Did any group members withdraw from the group?
C Norming
Did you move on to agree methods of working?
Did you have a common goal?
Did you cooperate with each other?
Did you work out how to proceed at all? (If not, you were
probably still storming.)

 D Performing
Did everyone take on a functional role to achieve the task?
Did you work constructively and efficiently?
Did the group's activity focus on fulfilling the task?
Did you experience a sense of achievement?
E Retiring/Adjourning
Did you stop abruptly and all go your separate ways or did you
finish the task and then go off together and socialize?
Did you talk about the group and your experience of it?
What sort of issues did you discuss or think about after the group
activity?
Was it more or less acceptable to give and receive feedback in a
relaxed atmosphere when adjourning?

F Mourning/Grieving
Have you experienced the mourning stage following the completion
of a show or project?
Have you ever felt empty or sad when a group activity has finished
Why might some people feel the mourning stage more acutely than
others?
How do you deal with your own feelings after the project or show?

Why sometimes groups are

dissolved?
No unity, commitment and clear
goals and good human relations
The task has already ended.

How can social groups survive and

be maintained?
Unity and good human relations
It depends upon how they function

How do groups affect

society?
It depends upon how a social group
effectively functions
It depends upon group dynamics
processes or recurrent patterns of
interactions in a group.

Assignment
Bring a piece of candy next meeting
Please do not forget your task
because you will need for next
meetings activity
Thank you!!!