SOCIOLOGY

SOCIAL GROUPS
Society exists only where social beings create relationship with one another. Thus society is a web of social
relationships.

Moris Ginsberg defines "A society is a collection of individuals united by certain relations or modes of behavior which
mark them off from others who do not enter into these relations or who differ from them in behavior."

Social group
has been defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics and
collectively have a sense of unity.

General Types of groups

1. Primary groups
According to Charles Horton Cooley (1864–1929), a primary group is a small social group whose members share
personal and lasting relationships. People joined in primary relationships spend a great deal of time together, engage in
a wide range of activities, and feel that they know one another well. In short, they show real concern for one another.
In every society, the family is the most important primary group. Groups based on lasting friendships are also primary
groups.
2. Secondary groups
In contrast to primary groups, are large groups involving formal and institutional relationships. Secondary
relationships involve weak emotional ties and little personal knowledge of one another. Most secondary groups are
short term, beginning and ending without particular significance. They may last for years or may disband after a short
time. The formation of primary groups happens within secondary groups.

3. Reference group
Is a social group that serves as a point of reference in making evaluations and decisions. Individuals almost
universally have a bond toward what sociologists call reference groups.

Examples of types of groups include the following:

1. Peer group
A peer group is a group with members of approximately the same age, social status, and interests. Generally,
people are relatively equal in terms of power when they interact with peers.

2. Clique
A group of people that have many of the same interests & commonly found in a High School/College setting;
most of the time they have a name & rules for themselves.

3. Club
A club is a group, which usually requires one to apply to become a member. Such clubs may be dedicated to
particular activities: sporting clubs, for example.

4. Cabal
A cabal is a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views or
interests in a church, state, or other community, often by intrigue.

5. Household
All individuals who live in the same home. Anglophone culture may include various models of household,
including the family, blended families, share housing, and group homes.
6. Community
A community is a group of people with a commonality or sometimes a complex net of overlapping
commonalities, often–but not always–in proximity with one another with some degree of continuity over time.

7. Franchise
An organization which runs several instances of a business in many locations.
8. Gang
A gang is usually an urban group that gathers in a particular area. It is a group of people that often hang around
each other. They can be like some clubs, but much less formal. [16] They are usually known in many countries to cause
social unrest and also have negative influence on the members and may be a target for the law enforcers in case of any
social vices

9. Mob
A mob is usually a group of people that has taken the law into their own hands. Mobs are usually groups which
gather temporarily for a particular reason.

10. Squad
This is usually a small group, of around 3 to 15 people, who work as a team to accomplish their goals.

11. Dyad
This is a social group with two members. Social interaction in a dyad is typically more intense than in larger
groups because neither member shares the other's attention with anyone else.

12. Triad
This is a social group with three members, which contains three relationships, each uniting two of the three
people. A triad is more stable than a dyad because one member can act as a mediator should the relationship between
the other two become strained.[18]

13. Team
Similar to a squad, though a team may contain many more members. A team works in a similar way to a squad.

14. In-group
It is a social group toward which a member feels respect and loyalty.
It is a group that an individual identifies in positive direction. If a person is part of the in-group then they are
collectively part of an inner circle of friends. An inner circle may contain sub-groups within the inner circle including the
apex (best friends), core (very close friends), outer rim, etc. This group provides a support structure and being exclusive
offers protection from anyone in an Out-group (see below.)

15. Out-group
It is a social group toward which a person feels a sense of competition or opposition.
It is a group that an individual identifies in negative direction.

Groups can also be categorized according to the number of people present within the group. This makes sense
if the size of the group has consequences for the way group members relate with each other. In a small group, for
example, "each member receives some impression ... of each other member distinct enough so that he or she ... can
give some reaction to each of the others as an individual person." This personal interaction is not possible in larger
groups.