Essentials of Sociology - National Paralegal College

Essentials of Sociology 9 th Edition

Chapter 5: Social Groups and Formal Organizations Formal Organizations This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t1 Social Groups and Formal Organizations

Chapter Overview n What is not a group

n Group Dynamics

n Types of Groups

n Types of Leaders and

n Bureaucracies

Leadership Styles n Asch and

Milgram

Studies Studies

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t2 Social Groups and Formal Organizations

Aggregates and Categories (What is not a group) — Aggregate – People who temporarily share a space but don’t see themselves as belonging together — Category People Who share similar characteristics


Social Groups Ø Primary Groups – Charles Cooley referred to primary groups as “the springs of life” — Essential to our emotional well being — Tend to be smaller than other groups — Very impersonal — We can be our true self


Social Groups ØSecondary Groups — People come together on the basis of a mutual interest — More formal than primary groups — Members interact on the basis of statuses — Fail to meet the need for intimacy


Social Groups (Voluntary Associations) — Many different voluntary associations today in the United States — Organized on Basis of Mutual Interest — The Inner Circle and Iron Law of Oligarchy


Social Groups ØInGroups – People feel a loyalty towards their ingroups ØOutGroups – People of the ingroup dislike outgroups vPositive consequence of ingroups: People feel a sense of belonging vNegative consequence of ingroups and out groups: Intense rivalries can develop — “Us vs. Them” mentality Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t7 Social Groups and Formal Organizations

Social Groups ØReference Groups – Groups that we use to evaluate ourselves — Reference Groups will change as we go through the life course — Reference Groups sometimes contradict the values of other groups Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t8 Social Groups and Formal Organizations

Social Groups (Electronic Communities) Communities) — People Connect Online — Online Chat Rooms — Can be impersonal and fail to meet the needs of intimacy


Bureaucracies (Weber) Five Characteristics of Bureaucracies — Clear Cut Levels — Division of Labor — Written Rules — Written Communication and Records — Impersonality


Perpetuation of Bureaucracies — Take on a Life of their Own — Suffers from Goal Displacement –When the old goal is reached in a bureaucracy and a new goal is created to keep the bureaucracy running — Red Tape


Group Dynamics — Dyads – Two people — Triads – Three People — As a group increases in size it becomes more formal and more stable — Coalitions may begin to form — Greater Diffusion of Responsibility may occur in larger groups – “Someone else will take care of it” — As a group gets larger, smaller groups may form — Groupthink may occur collective tunnel vision Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t12 Social Groups and Formal Organizations

Figure 5.2 The Effects of Group Size on Relationships


Leadership – Two Types of Leaders — Leaders are People Who Influence Others’ Behaviors, Opinions, and Attitudes 1.Instrumental Leader – a leader who keeps the group on track towards meeting its goals 2.Expressive Leader – tries to life the group’s morale through motivation (can also be an instrumental leader)


Leadership – Three Leadership Styles 1) Authoritarian – Gives instructions with little to no information 2) Democratic – Tried to gain a group consensus 3) LaissezFaire – Totally hands off leader, lets the group lead v The leadership style will change as the situation changes Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t15 Social Groups and Formal Organizations

Asch and Milgram Studies — Asch study — Studied the effects of peer pressure — Used a set of cards — 6 stooges and a non stooge

— Milgram study — Studied the affects of authority figures — Teacher and a learner — Controversial experiment


Figure 5.3 Asch’s Cards Source: Asch 1953:452–453.

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