LESSON 3

HOW SOCIETY IS
ORGANIZED?
WHAT IS A GROUP?
A group is usually defined as a
number of people who identify
and interact with one another.
SMALL GROUP
A small group is typically one where the
collection of people is small enough that all
members of the group know each other and
share simultaneous interaction, such as a
nuclear family, a dyad, or a triad. Georg
Simmel wrote extensively about the
difference between a dyad, or two-member
group, and a triad, a three-member group
(Simmel 1902 (1950)).
Sociologist Charles Horton
Cooley (1864–1929) suggested
that groups can broadly be
divided into two categories:
primary groups and secondary
groups (Cooley 1909).
I. GROUPS WITHIN SOCIETY

PRIMARY
AND
SECONDARY
GROUPS
PRIMARY GROUPS
first and most basic social
group
most intimate and important
groups to people and usually
feature a small amount of
individuals who are extremely
close to one another
EXAMPLES
A traditional family, consisting of
two parents and their offspring, is
the most common primary group
A couple
Exceptionally close groups of
friends are also considered
primary groups
SECONDARY GROUPS
Secondary groups can be
small, like primary groups, but
they can also be much larger.
They tend to be made up of
people we know through work,
school, a volunteer group, etc.
EXAMPLES
Classmates
Colleagues
church mates
sports team mates
REFERENCE GROUPS
Reference group is a group to
which we compare ourselves
We use reference groups in order
to guide our behavior and attitudes
and help us to identify social norms
(are the unwritten rules of behavior
that are considered acceptable in a
group or society.)
EXAMPLE
Suppose that Susie is a 13-year-old female
who transfers to a new school. Susie may
pay attention to what her schoolmates
wear, how they speak, where they hang
out, and how they behave. Susie then
takes this information and uses it in order
to modify her speech, determine what she
wears to school, how she does her hair,
which shows to watch on television, etc.
IN-GROUPS
In-groups are any
groups that one belongs
to or identifies with
EXAMPLE
For example, imagine you are a
member of a soccer team.
When thinking of your team
members, you would use the
term 'we.' ('We are going to
win!') Your team is the in-
group.
OUT-GROUPS
Out-group which is any group
that one does not belong to or
identify with
EXAMPLE
When thinking of the team
you'll be competing against,
you would use the term 'they.'
('They are going to lose!') That
team is the out-group.
NETWORK GROUPS
 A network group is a group of
interdependent people and the
relationships between them.
sociological concept for a set of
social relations between network
elements that interact and which
are in particular individuals.
EXAMPLES
Social groups
Business groups or teams
Organizational units
 II. FORMAL
ORGANIZATIONS
BUREAUCRACY
A bureaucracy typically refers to an
organization that is complex with
multilayered systems and processes.
These systems and procedures are
designed to maintain uniformity and
controls within an organization.
A bureaucracy describes the established
methods in large organizations or
governments.
EXAMPLE
For example, an oil company may establish
a bureaucracy to compel its employees to
complete safety checks when operating on
an oil rig.
MCDONALDIZATION OF
SOCIETY
According to Ritzer, the
McDonaldization of society is a
phenomenon that occurs when society,
its institutions, and its organizations are
adapted to have the same characteristics
that are found in fast food chains. These
include efficiency, calculability,
predictability and standardization, and
control.
Efficiency entails a managerial focus
on minimizing the time required to
complete individual tasks as well as
that required to complete the whole
operation or process of production
and distribution.
Calculability is a focus on
quantifiable objectives (counting
things) rather than subjective ones
(evaluation of quality).
Predictability and standardization are
found in repetitive and routinized
production or service delivery processes
and in the consistent output of products
or experiences that are identical or
close to it (predictability of the
consumer experience).
Finally, control within McDonaldization
is wielded by the management to
ensure that workers appear and act the
same on a moment-to-moment and
daily basis.
BECOMING A
MEMBER OF
SOCIETY
I. ENCULTURATION
and
SOCIALIZATION
What is
Enculturation?
NORMS and VALUES
Norms are unwritten, informal rules or
guidelines that prescribe appropriate
behavior in particular situations. It is the
expectations or rules of behavior that
develop to reflect and enforce behavior.

Values are the standards by which people

define what is desirable or undesirable,
good or bad.
STATUS
and
ROLES
STATUS – “who we
are”
ROLE – “what we
do”
 II.
CONFORMITY
and
DEVIANCE