Chapter 5 Social Groups and Formal Organizations Groups

Chapter 5 Social Groups and Formal Organizations

Groups Within Society • Definition of Group: People who think of themselves as belonging together and who interact with one another. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups Within Society • Aggregate: Individuals who temporarily share the same physical space but do not see themselves as belonging together. • Category: People who have similar characteristics. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups Within Society • Primary Groups: A group characterized by intimate, long-term, face-to-face association and cooperation. – The Family – Friends © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups Within Society • Secondary Groups: These groups are larger, more anonymous, more formal, and impersonal and are based on some interest or activity. – Larger, More Anonymous – Members Interact Based on Statuses – Fail to Satisfy Need for Intimate Association © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups Within Society • Voluntary Associations – Definition: A group made up of volunteers who organize on the basis of some mutual interest. – Combine features of primary and secondary groups – Include national organizations such as girl and boy scouts, AA, NA, and local citizen and other groups (e. g. sports leagues) © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups Within Society • Iron Law of Oligarchy (Robert Michels) – How organizations come to be dominated by a small, self-perpetuating elite. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups Within Society • Clique: A cluster of people within a larger group who choose to interact with one another. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups Within Society • In-Groups and Out-Groups – In-Groups: Groups toward which people feel loyalty. – Out-Groups: Groups toward which people feel antagonism. – Loyalty to In-Groups – Antagonism Towards Out-Groups © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups Within Society • Reference Groups – Definition: Group whose standards we refer to as we evaluate ourselves. – Evaluating ourselves – Expose us to contradictory standards © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups Within Society • Social Networks – Definition: The social ties radiating outward from the self that link people together • Interaction takes place within social networks that connect us to the larger society. – The Small World Phenomenon • Milgram his study led to the phrase “six degrees of separation”—meaning that, on average, everyone in the United States is separated by just six individuals. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups Within Society FORMULA FOR DETERMINING TOTAL NUMBER OF DYADS N/2 (N – 1) N = Total Number of Individuals Estimate total number when N = 12 12/2 (12 – 1) 6 x (11) 66 possible dyads © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Bureaucracies • Definition: A formal organization with a hierarchy of authority and a clear division of labor; emphasis on impersonality of positions and written rules, communications, and records. • Rationalization of Society: Term coined by Weber to describe the process of how bureaucracies would increasingly dominate our lives. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Bureaucracies • Five Characteristics of Bureaucracies – Clear cut levels – Division of Labor – Written rules – Written communication and records – Impersonality © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Dysfunctions of Bureaucracies • Peter Principle: The members of an organization are promoted for their accomplishments until they reach their level of incompetence; there they cease to be promoted, remaining at the level at which they can no longer do good work. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Group Dynamics • Group size affects stability and intimacy – Dyad: Consists of two persons. – Triad: Consists of three persons. – Coalitions: Formed when two group members align themselves against one in a triad. • As size increases, so does stability • As size increases, intensity and intimacy decrease © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Group Dynamics • Effects of group size on attitudes and behavior • The larger the group… – Greater diffusion of responsibility – Increase in formality – Division into smaller groups © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Leadership • Leader: Someone who influences the behaviors, opinions, or attitudes of others • Who becomes a leader? • Types of leaders – Instrumental: An individual who tries to keep the group moving toward its goals; also known as a task-oriented leader. – Expressive: An individual who increases harmony and minimizes conflict in a group; also known as a socioemotional leader. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Leadership • Leadership Styles – Authoritarian: A leader who gives orders. – Democratic: An individual who leads by trying to reach a consensus. – Laissez-Faire: An individual who leads by being highly permissive. • Leadership Styles in Changing Situations © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Group Dynamics • • Power of peer pressure Asch experiment Study on conformity Power of authority - Milgram experiment – Administering shocks; turning up voltage • Recent replications consistent with earlier © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Asch’s Cards © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Milgram and Obedience Stanley Milgram (1933 -1984) • Ground-breaking research conducted at Yale in the 1950 s • Participants acted as the teacher; the “learner” was a confederate • “Teacher” administered increasingly intense shocks as instructed by experimenter when learner gave wrong answer • 65% of participants continued to the end of the experiment © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Milgram and Obedience (continued) Milgram’s research scenario maximized obedience: • Participants were volunteers • Participants were alone with experimenter • Experimenter was highly credible authority figure • Setting was highly credible university © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Group Dynamics • Groupthink: A narrowing of thought by a group of people, leading to the perception that there is only one correct answer, in which to even suggest alternatives becomes a sign of disloyalty. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.