Sociology Chapter 5 Life in Groups
mcdonaldization
George Ritzer's term describing the spread of bureaucratic rationalization and the accompanying increases in efficiency and dehumanization
aggregate
a collection of people who share a physical location but do not have lasting social relations
group
a collection of people who share some attribute identify with one another and interact with each other
secondary groups
secondary groups are usually organized around a specific activity or the accomplishment of a task (co worker classmate)
virtual communities
social groups whose interactions are mediated through information technologies particularly the internet
what are the general understanding surrounding group dynamics
the smaller the group is the more likely it is to be based on personal ties; larger groups are more likely to be based on rules and regulations
internalization
the strongest type of conformity; an individual adopts the beliefs or actions of a group and makes them his or her own
social network
the web of direct and indirect ties connecting an individual to other people who may also affect the individual
sexual health and networks
transmission happens between individuals belonging to similar social networks, they explain two principles first all social networks have connection and second there is contagion which refers to what flows through social ties -we exert little control over our indirect connections
what helps to combat anomie?
virtual communities, the internet offers us with an advanced and enduring tool to communicate not only with those close to us but also with those who would have previously been unable to connect with
reference group
is a group that provides a standard of comparison against which people evaluate themselves
instrumental leadership
is a leadership that is task or goal oriented an instrumental leader is less concerned with people's feelings than with getting the job done
bureaucracy
is a type of secondary group designed to perform tasks efficiently
legal rational authority
is authority based in laws rules and procedures
expressive leader
is concerned with maintaining emotional and relational harmony within the group because this will lead to a positive work environment and improved productivity
social influence (peer pressure)
is the influence of one's fellow group members on individual attitudes and behaviors -generally we conform to group norms because we want to gain acceptance and approval (positive sanctions) and avoid rejection and disapproval (negative sanctions)
group cohesion
is the sense of solidarity or loyalty that individuals feel toward a group to which they belong -a group is more cohesive when the individual members feel strongly tried to the group
a dyad
is the smallest possible social group. it is unstable because of the small size if one person leaves the group it ceases to exist
winners losers and influence
just because someone loses, in this case in an international affair, does not necessarily mean that they have less influence for example the united states loses frequently
secondary groups
larger and less intimate than primary groups members relationships are usually organized around a specific goal and are often temporary (co workers college classes athletic organizations)
too much cohesion can result in
lead to the kind of poor decision making called groupthink, which is the tendency of very cohesive groups to enforce a high degree of conformity among members creating a demand for unanimous agreement
expressive leadership
leadership concerned with maintaining emotional and relational harmony within the group
instrumental leadership
leadership that is task or goal oriented
consequential strangers
people who seemingly don't mean much to us, but nevertheless play a role in emotional satisfaction
category
people who share one or more attributes but who lack a sense of common identity or belonging
qualities of leadership
power is the ability to control the actions of others. it includes: -coercive power- backed by the threat of force influential power-supported by persuasion
coercive power
power that is backed by the threat of force
influential power
power that is supported by persuasion
which group provide most of our emotional satisfaction?
primary groups
social groups
provide values norms and rules that guide people's lives
social loafing
the phenomenon in which as more individuals are added to as atask each individual contributes a little less a source of inefficiency when working teams
group cohesion
the sense of solidarity or loyalty that individuals feel toward a group to which they belong
traits of bureaucracy
1. specialization: al members of a bureaucracy are assigned specialized roles and tasks 2. technical competence: bureaucratic members are specially trained for their specific roles 3. hierarchy: bureaucracies always feature the supervision of subordinates by higher ranking managers and bosses 4. rules and regulations: these are meant to make all operations as predictable as possible 5. impersonality: in a bureaucracy rules come before people no individual receives special treatment 6. formal written communication: documents such as memos (or emails) are the heart of the organization and the most effective way to communicate
a crowd
a crowd is different than a group because it is simply a temporary gathering of people in public place whose member s may interact but do not identify with each other and will not remain in contact
teamworkd
a group almost always outperforms an individual but rarely performs as well as it could in theory. a group's efficiency usually declines as its size increases because organizing takes time and social loading increases with group size
what is a group?
a group is a collection of people who share some attribute identify with one another an interact with each other
in group
a group that one identifies with and feels loyalty toward
reference group
a group that provides a standard of comparison against which we evaluate ourselves
the family stands as a what?
a reference group which offers an outside factor through which individuals are better able toe evaluate their own identity and individuality
crowd
a temporary gathering of people in a public place; members might interact but do not identify with each other and will not remain in contact
social identity theory
a theory of group formation and maintenance that stresses the need of individual members to feel a sense of belonging
triad
a three person group is more stable than a dyad. conflicts between two members can be mediated by the third (3rd member can contribute to jealousy opposing viewpoints) cost of certain level of intimacy
triad
a three person social group
dyad
a two person social group
bureaucracy
a type of secondary group designed to perform tasks efficiently characterized by specialization technical competence hierarchy riles and regulations impersonality and formal written communication
what does group membership do for us?
anchor us to social world, its what keeps us alive
what do we usually refer to as a group?
any collection of two or more people who have something in common
out group
any group an individual feels opposition rivalry hostility toward
group dynamics
are the patterns of interaction between groups and individuals -this includes the ways groups: --form and fall apart --influence members
traditional authority
authority based in custom birthright or divine right
legal ratoinal authroity
authority based in laws roes and procedures not in the hereditary or personality of any individual leader
charismatic authority
authority based in the perception of remarkable personal qualities in a leader
out group
is a group that a person feels opposition rivalry or hostility toward.
in group
is a group that a person identifies with and feels loyalty
charismatic authority
based in the perception of remarkable personal qualities in a leader
group leaders
can increase efficiency by recognizing individual effort by increasing member;s social identity (the degree to which they identify with the group)
identification
conformity to establish or maintain a relationship with a person or group
social ties
connections between individuals
social influence
exerting group control over the other's decisions
anomie
formalness term used to describe the alienation and loss of purpose that result from weaker social binds and an increased pace of change
primary groups
groups usually involve the greatest amount of face to face interaction and cooperation and the deepest feelings of belonging in these groups we are closely associated with the others members such as family and friends
max weber
identified three types of authority found in social organizations -traditional authority is authority based i custom birthright or divine right and is usually associated with monarchies and dynasties
good saying that pertains to this class
if you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be
bureaucracies are
impersonal but efficient, and they provide many basic necessities -george ritzer coined the term mc donaldization describe the spread of bureaucratic rationalization and the resulting increase in both efficiency and dehumanization
groupthink
in very cohesive groups the tendency to enforce a high degree of conformity among members creating a demand for unanimous agreement
jobs gender and networks
individuals with higher socioeconomic status are closer connected with others individuals with SES whether or not they are related
social psychologists have determined what?
social influence results in one of three kinds of conformity: compliance identification or internalization -compliance the mildest form of conformity means going along with something because you expect to gain rewards or to avoid punishments -comply however they don't actually change their own ideas or beliefs -identification a somewhat stronger kind of conformity is induced by a persons desire to establish or maintain a relationship with a person or group, a person who identifies with a group conforms to their wishes and follows their behavior -internalization the strongest kind of conformity occurs when an individual adopts the beliefs of a leader or group (for example: people believe in what they are doing)
social network
social network is at the web of direct and indirect ties connecting and individual to other people -you and your family, friends, peers, colleagues, teachers, and coworkers constitute your social network
six degrees of separation
states that everyone has a link with someone through mutual friends or acquaintances
the mil gram experiment
studied conformity test the lengths to which ordinary people would follow orders from a legitimate authority -
the stanford prison experiment
studied power of authority -provided another example of the way situational dynamics rather than individuals personal attributes, can determine behavior
the asch experiment
study on compliance, visual perception of lines. -had the persons participating in the experiment choose wrongly to see if the person with now knowledge of the experiments existent would choose wrongly with them
experiments in conformity
the Asch experiment, the mil gram experiment, the Stanford prison experiment
power
the ability to control the actions of others
rationalization
the application of economic logic to human activity the use of formal rules and regulations in order to maximize efficiency without consideration of subjective or individual concerns
authority
the legitimate right to wield power
compliance
the mildest form of conformity; actions to fain reward or avoid punishment
honor killing
the murder of a family member usually female who is believed to have brought dishonor to her family
group dynamics
the patterns of interaction between groups and individuals
primary groups
the people who are most important to our sense of self; members relationships are typically characterized by face to face interaction high levels of cooperation and intense feelings of belonging