Social group

1. Social group • No man normally lives alone. • Man does not live in isolation for a long time. He is basically a social creature. • The great Greek Philosopher-Aristotle said long back that man is a social animal. • He further remarked that he who does not live in society is either a beast or an angel.

2. Definition • Harry M. Johnson says that ‘A social group is a system of social interaction.’ • Marshal Jones is of the opinion that a social group is ‘two or more people between whom there is an established pattern of interaction.’ • R. M. MacIver and Page define social group as ‘any collection of human beings who are brought into human relationships with one another.’

3. Ogbum and Nimkoff“Whenever two or more individuals come together and influence one another, they may be said to constitute a social group.” • Emory S.Bogardusdefines social group as ‘a number of persons, two or more, who have common objects of attention, who are stimulating to each other, who have common loyalty and participate in similar activities.’

4. Characteristics of social group • (1) Collection of individuals: • Social group consists of people. Without individuals there can be no group. • Such as college, or university-without students and teachers cannot group. • (2)Interaction among members • The members must have interaction. A social group is, in fact, a system of social interaction. The limits of social groups are marked by the limits of social interaction

5. (3) Mutual awareness: • Group life involves mutual awareness. Group members are aware of one another and their behaviour is determined by this mutual recognition. This may be due to what Giddings calls, "Consciousness of kind". • (4) We-feeling: • We-feeling refers to the tendency on the part of the members to identify themselves with the groups. It represents group unity. We feeling creates sympathy and fosters co-operation among members.

6. (5) Group unity and solidarity: • Group members are tied by a sense of unity. The solidarity or integration of a group is largely depends upon the frequency, the variety, and the emotional quality of the interactions of its members. • (6) Common interests: • The interests and ideals of groups are common. In fact men not only join groups but also form groups for the realisation of their objectives or interests. Form of the groups differ depending upon the common interests of the group. Hence, there are political groups, religious groups, economic groups etc.

7. (7) Group norms: • Every group has its own rules and norms which the members are supposed to follow. These norms may be in the form of customs, folkways, mores, traditions, conventions, laws etc. They may be written or unwritten norms or standards. • (8) Similar behaviour: • The members of group behave in more or less similar way for the pursuit of common interests. Social groups represent collective behaviour.

8. (9) Size of the group: • Every group involves an idea of size. A group may be as small as that of 'two-members group e.g. husband and wife or as big as that of a political party having lakhs of members. Size will have its own impact on the character of the group. • (10) Groups are dynamic: • Social groups are not static but dynamic. They are subject to changes whether slow .or rapid. Old members die and new members are born. Whether due to internal or external pressures or forces, groups undergo changes.

9. How to classify social group in sociology? • Different sociologists have classified social groups in different ways. The chief base of these classifications is functions, scope and stability. Following are the important classifications of social groups. • 1. Dwight Sanderson's classification: • Dwight Sanderson has classified social group into three types, namely (i) Involuntary group, (ii) Voluntary group and (iii) Delegate group

10. (i) Involuntary groups: - Involuntary groups are those, which are based on blood relationship or kinship. Family is an involuntary group. • (ii) Voluntary groups: - Voluntary groups are those groups the membership of which depends upon the sweet will of the individuals. Their membership is not compulsory rather voluntary. Cricket Association is an example of voluntary group. • (iii) Delegate groups: - Delegated groups are those in which a man joins as a representative or a number of people elected rather by them or nominated by some authority. TheBangladesh Parliament and the State Legislative Assembly are the bright examples of delegate groups.

11. 2. Ferdinand Tonnies' classification: • According to Ferdinand Tonnies, social groups are of two types such as: (i) Gemeinschaft or community and (ii) Geselleschaftor society. • (i)Gemeinschaftor community: - Gemeinschaft is that type of group whose relationship is characterised by close, intimate and personalities, mutual trust and co-operation. Family is an example of Gemeinschaft. • (ii) Geselleschaftor society: - Geselleschaft is that group which is characterized by competition, self-interest, efficiency, progress and specialization of relationship. The bureaucratic corporation is the ideal example of geselleschaft.

12. 3. F.H. Gidding's classification: • F.H. Giddings classifies social groups into four types, namely: (i) Genetic group, (ii) Congregate group, (iii) Disjunctive group and (iv) Overlapping group. • (i) Genetic group: - Genetic group is the family in which a man is born involuntarily. • (ii) Congregate group: - Congregate group is the voluntary group into which an individual moves or in which he joins vountarily.

13. (iii) Disjunctive group: - A disjunctive group is one, which does not allow a person to be a member of other groups at the same time. A college or a nation is the bright example of disjunctive group. • (iv) Overlapping group:- An overlapping group is one whose members may belong to other groups at the same time, The Indian Sociological Association or All Orissa Sociological Association is an example of overlapping.

14. 4. George Hassen's classification: • According George Hassen, social groups are classified into four types such as (i) Un-social group, (ii) Pseudo-social group, (iii) Anti-social group and (iv), Pro-social group. • (i) Un-social group: - Un-social group is one, which does not mix up with other groups and remains aloof from them. • (ii) Pseudo-social group: - A pseudo-social group is mat group, which participates, in the larger social life mainly for its own gain not for the gain of society.

15. (iii) Anti-social group:- An anti-social group which acts against the interest of society. A group, of vagabonds that destroy public property is an example of anti-social group. Similarly, a political party that plan to overthrow a popular government is an anti-social group. • (iv) Pro-social group:- A pro-social group is the opposite of anti-social group. It works for the larger interests of society. It does aim the constructive works for the welfare of society.

16. 5. D. Miller's classification: • D. Miller has classified social groups into two type’s namely (i) Horizontal group and (ii) Vertical group. • (i) Horizontal group: - A horizontal group consists mainly all members from one social class. A group of doctors, engineers, teachers, electricians, etc. is some of the examples of horizontal group. • (ii) Vertical group: - A vertical group is a larger group consisting of large number of people such as nation, religious organisations, caste groups, political parties and so on.

17. 6. Charles A. Ellwood's classification: • Social groups have been classified by Charles A. Elwood into four types such as (i) Voluntary group, (ii) In-voluntary group, (iii) Permanent group and (iv) Temporary group. • (i) Voluntary group: - A voluntary group is one in which a person joins according to his own wish. The membership of this group is not compulsory rather voluntary and one can withdraw one's memberships at any time without any reason. The recreational club is an example of voluntary group. • (ii) Involuntary group: - An involuntary group is one, which is based on blood relationship such as, family, kinship, tribe, clan etc. The membership of this group is compulsory because man is born in it and also die in it.

18. (iii) Permanent group: - Permanent group is that type of group in which the relationship among the members continues for a longer period. The family is a permanent group. This group is more stable than the other groups. • (iv) Temporary group: - The temporary group is just the opposite of permanent group. In this group, the relationship among the members does not continue for a longer period. A mob or a crowd is a temporary group.

19. 7. Park and Burgess’ classification: • Park and Burgess has classified social groups into two types such as : (i) Territorial group and (ii) Non-territorial group. • (i) Territorial group: - A territorial group is one, which has its own definite territory. The village, city-state, nation etc. are the examples of territorial group. • (ii) Non-territorial group: - A non-territorial group is one, which does not possess any territory of its own. A Trade Union or a Kissan Union is a non-territorial group.

20. 8. Gillin and Giflin's classification: • Lewis Gillin and Philip Gillin have classified social groups in the following types, • (i) On the basis of blood relationship. • (ii) On the basis of bodily characteristics. • (iii) On the basis of physical proximity. • (iv) On the basis of culturally derived interests.

21. 9. C.H. Cooley's classification: • According to C.H. Cooley, the famous American sociologists, there are two types of social groups. They are, • (1) Primary group whose relation is direct, intimate and personal. • (ii) Secondary group whose relation is indirect, less intimate, impersonal and formal.

22. 10. W.G. Summer's classification: • W.G. Summer, an eminent American sociologist, has classified social groups into two types in his book 'Folkways'. These are: • (i) In-group to which individual belongs. • (ii) Out-group to which individual does not belong.

23. Importance of Social Groups • The study of human society is essentially the study of human groups. Society consists of groups of innumerable kinds and variety. • No man exists without a society and no society exists without groups. Groups have become a part and parcel of our life. • Out of necessity and inevitability human beings are made to live in groups. • Knowingly or unknowingly or unwillingly, with pleasure or contempt, people live in groups and societies. Man’s life is to an enormous extent lived and controlled by groups of different kinds.

24. Survival Becomes Problematic without Groups: • Groups have become so necessary that our very survival becomes problematic and doubtful in their absence. • Groups are complementary to the development of human faculties, traits and human nature. • Man by birth itself has the biological potentiality of becoming man – the social being.

25. Man Becomes Man Only Among Men: • Man becomes man only among men. • Various studies have convincingly proved that man fails to develop human qualities in the absence of human environment. • The famous case of Kasper Hauser, a youth who was bereft of human contacts because of political mechanisation, the most interesting feral case of the two Hindu female children Kamala and her sister found in an wolfs den and the pitiable case of Anna, an illegitimate American child which was kept away from human contacts for more than five years and several other instances have proved beyond doubts that only a human environment makes a man; a biological animal, a human being.

26. The biological potentiality of man to become a ‘person’ does not happen on its own automatically, even in the absence of a human environment. • The biological potentiality blossoms only in social situation, to be more precise, only in the context of groups. • Added to this, the prolonged human infancy and the helplessness of new born baby have almost made it a prisoner of the most elementary social group that is family.

27. Groups Help Social Survival Also: • Not only from the point of view of survival but also from the viewpoint of leading a successful life has man depended on groves. By engaging himself in constant relations with others he learns things and mends his ways. • He keeps his eyes wide open, lends his ears to what others say, and tries to keep his memory ever fresh to remember the good things of the past and to refrain from repeating the blunders of the past. • In brief, from birth to death, man is engaged in the process of socialisation. Socialisation or the process of humanisation helps man to develop a personality of his own.

28. Groups Contribute to the Development of Personality: • Personality is the product of the group life. The ‘self that every individual develops, though’. Unique, is it a product of the group? No ‘self arises in isolation. Groups provide scope for the individuals to express their real nature, their talents and abilities.

29. Hidden potentialities can find their expression only in the context of social groups. What is latent in man becomes manifest only in groups. The groups shape man’s attributes, his beliefs, his morals and his ideals. • Emotional developments, intellectual maturity, satisfaction of physical and social needs are unthinkable without groups. • Group is a part of our mental equipment and we are a part of group.

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