Sociology Chapter 5: Separate and Together: Life in Groups

Define group.

a collection of people who share attributes, identity with one another, and interact with one another

have ongoing social relations

Define crowd.

temporary gathering of people in a public place; members might interact but do not identity with each other and will not remain in contact

Define aggregate.

a collection of people who share a physical location but do not have lasting social relations

ex. crowds, audiences

Define category.

people who share one or more attributes but who lack a sense of common identity or belonging

ex. everyone 18 years old, Chevy truck owners

Define 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

members often associate with each other for no other reason than to spend time together

responsible for much of our socialization

Define secondary groups.

larger and less intimate than primary groups; members' relationships are usually organized around a specific goal and are often temporary

ex. co workers, college classes, political parties

Define anomie.

"normlessness"; term used to describe the alienation and loss of purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change

Define social network.

web of direct and indirect tires connecting an individual to other people who may also affect the individual

Define social ties.

connections between individuals

Define virtual communities.

social groups whose interactions are mediated through information technologies, particularly the internet

Define group dynamics.

the patterns of interaction between groups and individuals

Define dyad.

a 2 person social group

Define triad.

3 person social group

Define in-group.

a group that one identifies with and feels loyalty towards

Define out-group.

any group than an individual feels opposition, rivalry, or hostility toward

Define reference group.

a group that provides a standard of comparison against which we evaluate ourselves

ex. one's family

Define group cohesion.

the sense of solidarity or loyalty that individuals feel toward a group to which they belong

Define groupthink.

in very cohesive groups, the tendency to enforce a high degree of conformity among members, creating a demand for unanimous agreement

desire for unanimity prevails over critical reasoning

Define social influence.

exerting group control over others' decisions

"consequential strangers"

Describe the Asch experiment.

Solom Asch - conformity

"experiment on visual perception" - 3 straight lines

yielders vs independents

difficult to resist peer pressure and to maintain independence in a group situation

Describe the Milgram experiment.

Stanley Milgram - conformity

WWII & Nazi war criminals "crime of obedience"

tested lengths to which people would follow orders

1) subject relies on expertise of individual/group when faced with difficult decision

2) people socialized to obey authority and carry out orders

3) highlights dynamics of conformity

Describe the Stanford Prison experiment.

Philip Zimbardo; examined power of authority

situational dynamics, rather than an individual's personal attributes, can determine behavior

Define honor killing.

the murder of a family member - usually female - who is believed to have brought dishonor to her family

Describe Milgram revisited.

1950s - there was a greater emphasis on the value of conformity therefore the context had an effect on how subjects performed

patterns of behavior can change over time, and separate generations may respond differently to social pressures

obedience rates are only slightly lower today

Define social loafing.

as more individuals are added to a task, each individual contributes a little less

motivation suffers if it's impossible for one person to receive credit/blame

Define social identity theory.

stresses the need of individual members to feel a sense of belonging

you have a real desire to belong to, not just keep company with, the group

most efficient teams have this, increases motivation

Define power.

ability to control the actions of others

Define coercive power.

backed by threat of force

Define influential power.

supported by persuasion

Define authority.

legitimate right to wield power, 3 types

Define traditional authority.

authority based in custom, birthright, or divine right

ex. kings, queens

personal qualities don't matter, can't be replaced by legal preceedings

Define legal-rational authority.

based in laws, rules, and procedures, not in the heredity or personality individual leader

ex. modern presidencies & parliaments

Define charismatic authority.

based in the perception of remarkable personal qualities in a leader; leader can be revolutionary

ex. Hitler, Jesus

Define instrumental leadership.

task/goal oriented

less concerned with people's feelings, associated with men

Define expressive leadership.

concerned with maintaining emotion and relational harmony within a group

leader expresses interest in group members' emotions and achievements, associated with women

Define bureaucracy.

type of secondary group designed to perform tasks efficiently

What are the organizational traits of bureaucracies?

1) specialization

2) technical competence

3) hierarchy

4) rules & regulations

5) impersonality

6) formal written communication

Define rationalization.

(Weber) application of economic logic to human activity; use of formal rules and regulations to maximize efficiency

focuses on legal procedure, rules and regulations are paramount, individual's unique personal qualities are unimportant

Define McDonaldization.

(Ritzer) spread of bureaucratic rationalization and accompanying increases in efficiency and dehumanization

Describe structural functionalism's approach to groups, specifically fraternities.

life in groups HELPS to regulate and give meaning to individual experience; contributes to social cohesion and stability

frats help create social cohesion

Describe conflict theory's approach to groups, specifically fraternities.

group membership is the basis for distribution of rewards, privileges, and opportunities in society; an individual may be treated preferentially or prejudicially based on his/her group membership

frats can contribute to stereotyping and conflict as frat brothers develop "us vs them"

Define symbolic interactionism's approach to groups, specifically fraternities.

group norms, values, and dynamics are created situationally, in interaction with other member

pressure to conform in frats can lead individuals to do things they might never have done alone and can have negative consequences; also positive consequences like volunteering or raising money for charity

What 3 types of conformity does social influence result in?

1) compliance

2) identification

3) internalization

Describe compliance.

mildest kind of conformity; going along with something because you expect to gain rewards/avoid punishments

ex. shaking hands with an opponent after a match

don't actually change ideas/beliefs

Describe identification.

medium conformity; induced by a person's desire to establish/maintain a relationship with a person/group

ex. emulating Federer to impress other tennis players

conforms to groups's wishes and follows their behavior

Describe internalization.

strongest conformity; individual adopts beliefs of leader/group

ex. being a good sport because you believe it to be morally right

people believe in what they're doing

What are the 2 major sources of inefficiency?

organization and social loafing

Describe kaizen.

Japanese technique

lower level workers are encouraged to suggest new, innovative ways to improve organization and managers are required to put these ideas to use