Groups

A group is a cluster, crowd, or throng; an assemblage, either of persons or things, collected without any regular form or arrangement.A group is two or more individuals who share a set of norms, have role relationships, Why is there a such thing as groups? We are all put into to groups or fit into different types of group, What group do you believe you are in ? Groups exist to have a sense of belonging and to reach the same goals.Some types of groups are social group,family group,secondary group,primary group ,social category and others.

People always put themselves into groups which they believe they belong in. Example : when children are at school , they might get pick on because of the way they look or the clothes they weir. if a child turns up to school with these trainers below they will get picked on in today's society.

Primary group and secondary group: American sociological theory has generally followed the dichotomy of primary and secondary groups on the basis of distinction drawn by C.H.Cooley. In a primary group, there is a face-to-face and intimate relationship. It refers to small groups like the family, the play group, the neighborhood and the like. The secondary group may be defined as a kind of associations which is characterised by indirect, impersonal or secondary relations. The trade union, the business corporation, the political party, and the state are examples of secondary groups.

In-groups, out-groups,
In the Sherifs' experiment, the youngsters also erected artificial boundaries between themselves. They formed ingroups (to which loyalty is expressed) and out-groups (to which antagonism is expressed). To some extent every social group creates boundaries between itself and other groups, but a cohesive in-group typically has three characteristics:

Members use titles, external symbols, and dress to distinguish themselves from the out-group. Members tend to clash or compete with members of the out-group. This competition with the other group can also strengthen the unity within each group.

Members apply positive stereotypes to their in-group and negative stereotypes to the out-group.

In the beginning, the Eagles and Rattlers were friendly, but soon their games evolved into intense competitions. The two groups began to call each other names, and they raided each other's cabins, hazed one another, and

started fights. In other words, loyalty to the in-group led to antagonism and aggression toward the out-group, including fierce competitions for the same resources. Later in the same experiment, though, Sherif had the boys work together to solve mutual problems. When they cooperated with one another, the Eagles and Rattlers became less divided, hostile, and competitive. People may form opinions or judge their own behaviors against those of areference group (a group used as a standard for self-appraisals). Parishioners at a particular church, for instance, may evaluate themselves by the standards of a denomination, and then feel good about adhering to those standards. Such positive self-evaluation reflects the normative effect that a reference group has on its own members, as well as those who compare themselves to the group. Still, reference groups can have a comparison effect on self-evaluations. If most parishioners shine in their spiritual accomplishments, then the others will probably compare themselves to them. Consequently, the not-so-spiritual parishioners may form a negative self-appraisal for not feeling up to par. Thus, reference groups can exert a powerful influence on behavior and attitudes.

Formal and Informal Groups There are some Social Groups that are classified according to their structure; these structures can either be of a formal or informal nature and are so termed Formal or Informal Groups.

Radial Diagram highlighting the characteristics of Formal Groups

If one was to use the radial diagram above to create a definition for Formal groups, then it would probably reads: Formal Groups: groups that have procedures dictating certain criteria for entry, clear line of authority with elected or appointed leaders, written rules that serves to control the behaviours of members and operates with clearly defined goals.

Radial Diagram highlighting the characteristics of Informal Groups