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COURSE: GLOBAL STUDIES IIYEAR: 2015

University of South East- Asia

Chapter 2 Society and Social GroupsUNIT 3 GROUPS WITHIN SOCIETIES

Groups within SocietiesThe concept of society is huge and

overwhelming for individuals.It is a comfort people formed small

groups to prevent anomie.Anomie is the sense of not belonging.Some terms that separate from the

concept of groups: 1. aggregate2. category

Aggregate – individuals who temporarily share the same physical space but do not see themselves as belonging together.

Category- people who have similar characteristics

TYPES OF GROUPS THAT MAKE UP OUR SOCIETY:

1. Primary groups2. Secondary groups3. In-groups and out-groups4. Reference groups 5. Social networks

Primary groups

Primary groupsA group characterized by intimate, long-

term, face-to-face association and cooperation.

They provide a sense of belonging, a feeling of being appreciated, and sometimes even love.

Some primary groups can even fail, and we call them dysfunctional.

3 types of dysfunction: quarrelling and humiliating; setting itself against society (specific); and when essential primary group breaks down throughout society (general).

Secondary groups

Secondary groupsCompared with a primary group,

a larger, relatively temporary, more anonymous, formal, and impersonal group based on some interest or activity, whose members are likely to interact on the basis of specific roles.

Consequently, secondary groups tend to break down into primary groups.

In-groups and out-groups

In-groups and out-groupsIn-groups

- groups toward which one feels loyalty (your family, your friends, your classmates, your church members, your teammates, etc.)

Out-groups- groups toward which one feels antagonisms (e.g. your rival football team, your opponents at a debate, your enemies, your critics, etc.)

It imposes the concept of “we” versus “them” attitude.

Feelings associated with out-groups include fear and hatred, and xenophobia (fear of strangers). Consequences include attacks and destructive acts.

Reference groups

Reference groups When we want to achieve a certain

ideal status or accomplishment, we tend to look at certain people that serve as “guide” or reference on what we want to achieve.

Reference groups refer to the groups we use as standards to evaluate ourselves.

Social networks

Social networksIn a large group of people, certain individuals

chose to form their own small group. These clusters, or internal factions, are called

CLIQUES.The links between people– their cliques, as

well as their family, friends, acquaintances, and even “friends of friends”– are called social networks.

The term networking refers to using or even developing social networks, usually for career advancement.

A New Group: Technology and the Emergence of Electronic Communities

A New Group: Technology and the Emergence of Electronic Communities

With the advent of the Internet, another group has emerged: the usenets, or in more popular term nowadays: netizens

- these are people who communicate on almost any conceivable topic.