Common Identity,Social Group - Sociological Imagination - Lecture Slides, Slides of Sociology

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CHAPTER 6: GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INSTITUTIONS docsity.com SOCIAL GROUPS • A social group consists of two or more people who interact with one another and who share a common identity. – Examples: family, friends, athletic team 1 docsity.com TABLE 6.1 Characteristics of Primary and Secondary Groups CHARACTERISTICS OF A SECONDARY GROUP Interaction Communication Relationships Individual Conformity Membership Examples CHARACTERISTICS OF A PRIMARY GROUP + Face to face + The group is usually small + Communication is emotional, personal, and satisfying. + Intimate, warm, and informal + Usually long-term + Valued for their own sake (expressive) + Individuals are relatively free to stray from norms and rules. + Members are not easily replaced. + Family, close friends, girlfriends and boyfriends, self-help groups, street gangs Face to face or indirect The group is usually large Communication is emotionally neutral and impersonal. Typically remote, cool, and formal Usually short-term Goal-oriented (instrumental) Individuals are expected to adhere to rules and regulations. Members are easily replaced. College classes, political parties, professional associations, religious organizations docsity.colh Application Identify each as a primary or secondary group: – A romantically involved couple – A chemistry lab group – A labor union – Three women who have been friends since high school docsity.com In-Groups and Out-Groups • Members of an in-group share a sense of identity that excludes outsiders. • Out-groups are people who are viewed and treated negatively because they are seen as having values, beliefs, or other characteristics different from one's own. 1 docsity.com Group conformity • Studies show that most people are influenced by group pressure. – Asch's research illustrated that people will agree with obviously false judgments to be part of a group. – Zimbardo's prison research showed that people will perform assigned roles in a group. 1 docsity.com Discussion Why do people go along with the group? 1 docsity.com • Groupthink refers to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality, testing, and moral judgment that results from in-group pressures. 1 Groupthink docsity.com 2 • A voluntary association is created by people who share a common set of interests and who are not paid for their participation. • Examples: book clubs, charity organizations • Vary in organizational structure docsity.com • A bureaucracy is a formal organization that is designed to accomplish goals and tasks by large numbers of people in the most efficient and rational way possible. 2 Bureaucracy docsity.com Characteristics of Bureaucracies – High degree of division of labor and specialization – Hierarchy of authority – Explicit written rules and regulations – Impersonality – Qualification-based employment – Separation of work and ownership 2 docsity.com – Communication problems – Parkinson's Law (work expands to fill the time available) – Peter Principle (promotion to level of incompetence) – Iron law of oligarchy (domination by small group) – Dehumanization Shortcomings of Bureaucracies (cont.) 2 docsity.com Discussion • What are the benefits of bureaucracies? • Can modern life work without bureaucracies? 2 docsity.com McDonaldization of Society • The organizational principles that underlie McDonald's dominate more and more sectors of society. • Components of McDonaldization are efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. 2 docsity.com Application • Identify the principle of McDonaldization. – Class meeting times are the same across campus. – The restaurant menu is the same in Wyoming as in California. – A dentist works on several patients at the same time. docsity.com SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS • For functionalists, groups and formal organizations are composed of interrelated, mutually dependent parts. – Bureaucratic regulations allow goal achievement, presumably benefitting all employees. – Organizations can be dysfunctional. 3 docsity.com • Conflict theorists contend that organizations are based on differences in power and control. – Place in an organization is often based on race, ethnicity, gender, or social class. – Owners and managers exploit workers. 3 docsity.com INSTITUTIONS • An institution refers to norms, statuses, and roles that meet one or more of a society's basic needs. • The five major institutions worldwide are the family, the economy, politics, education, and religion. – Other institutions include sports, healthcare, law, and the military. 4 docsity.com Application • What needs of a society are met by …? – The family – Sports – Education – Science docsity.com • Institutions govern individuals, groups, and organizations that ensure a society's survival. • The institutions of a society are interconnected in both functional and dysfunctional ways. 4 Institutions docsity.com