Story

The word “group” entered the Russian language at the beginning of the 19th century. from Italian (It. groppo, or gruppo- knot) as a technical term for painters, used to designate several figures that make up a composition. . This is exactly how the dictionary of foreign words of the early 19th century explains it, which, among other overseas “curiosities,” contains the word “group” as an ensemble, a composition of “figures, whole components, and so adjusted that the eye looks at them at once.”

First written appearance of a French word groupe, from which its English and German equivalents later originated, dates back to 1668. Thanks to Moliere, a year later, this word penetrates into literary speech, still retaining its technical connotation. The wide penetration of the term “group” into a variety of fields of knowledge, its truly commonly used nature, creates the appearance of its “ transparency", that is, understandability and accessibility. It is most often used in relation to certain human communities as collections of people united according to a number of characteristics by a certain spiritual substance (interest, purpose, awareness of their community, etc.). Meanwhile, the sociological category “social group” is one of the most difficult for understanding due to significant discrepancies with ordinary ideas. A social group is not just a collection of people united along formal or informal grounds, but a group social position that people occupy. “We cannot identify the agents who objectify a position with the position itself, even if the totality of these agents is a practical group mobilized for united action for the sake of a common interest.”

Signs

Types of groups

There are large, medium and small groups.

Large groups include aggregates of people that exist on the scale of society as a whole: these are social strata, professional groups, ethnic communities (nations, nationalities), age groups (youth, pensioners), etc. Awareness of belonging to a social group and, accordingly, its interests as one’s own occurs gradually, as organizations are formed that protect the interests of the group (for example, the struggle of workers for their rights and interests through workers’ organizations).

The middle groups include production associations of enterprise workers, territorial communities (residents of the same village, city, district, etc.).

Diverse small groups include groups such as family, friendly groups, and neighborhood communities. They are distinguished by the presence of interpersonal relationships and personal contacts with each other.

One of the earliest and most famous classifications of small groups into primary and secondary was given by the American sociologist C.H. Cooley, where he made a distinction between the two. "Primary (core) group" refers to those personal relationships that are direct, face-to-face, relatively permanent, and deep, such as relationships within a family, a group of close friends, and the like. "Secondary groups" (a phrase that Cooley did not actually use, but which came later) refers to all other face-to-face relationships, but especially to groups or associations such as industrial ones, in which a person relates to others through formal , often legal or contractual relationships.

Structure of social groups

Structure is a structure, arrangement, organization. The structure of a group is a way of interconnection, mutual arrangement of its constituent parts, group elements (carried out through group interests, group norms and values), forming a stable social structure, or configuration of social relations.

The current large group has its own internal structure: "core"(and in some cases - kernels) and "periphery" with a gradual weakening as we move away from the core, the essential properties by which individuals identify themselves and a given group is nominated, that is, by which it is separated from other groups distinguished according to a certain criterion.

Specific individuals may not possess all the essential features of the subjects of a given community; they constantly move in their status complex (repertoire of roles) from one position to another. The core of any group is relatively stable; it consists of carriers of these essential traits - professionals of symbolic representation.

In other words, the core of a group is a set of typical individuals who most consistently combine the inherent nature of activity, structure of needs, norms, attitudes and motivations identified by people with a given social group. That is, the agents occupying a position must emerge as a social organization, a social community, or a social corps, possessing an identity (recognized self-image) and mobilized around a common interest.

Therefore, the core is a concentrated exponent of all the social properties of a group that determine its qualitative difference from all others. There is no such core - there is no group itself. At the same time, the composition of the individuals included in the “tail” of the group is constantly changing due to the fact that each individual occupies many social positions and can move from one position to another situationally, due to demographic movements (age, death, illness, etc.). etc.) or as a result of social mobility.

A real group has not only its own structure or construction, but also its own composition (as well as decomposition).

Composition(Latin compositio – composition) – organization of social space and its perception (social perception). The composition of a group is a combination of its elements that form a harmonious unity, which ensures the integrity of the image of its perception (social gestalt) as a social group. Group composition is usually determined through indicators of social status.

Decomposition- the opposite operation or process of dividing a composition into elements, parts, indicators. The decomposition of a social group is carried out through projection onto various social fields and positions. Often the composition (decomposition) of a group is identified with a set of demographic and professional parameters, which is not entirely true. What is important here is not the parameters themselves, but to the extent that they characterize the status-role position of the group and act as social filters that allow it to carry out social distancing so as not to merge, be “blurred” or absorbed by other positions.

As for membership in the group of a particular individual as an element of the composition, he actually encounters the surrounding world, which surrounds him and positions him as a member of the group, i.e. his individuality in this situation becomes “insignificant”; he, as an individual, as a member of a group, is seen primarily as a whole group.

Functions of social groups

There are different approaches to classifying the functions of social groups. American sociologist N. Smelser identifies the following functions of groups:

Social groups nowadays

A feature of social groups in countries with developed economies currently is their mobility, the openness of transition from one social group to another. The convergence of the level of culture and education of various socio-professional groups leads to the formation of common socio-cultural needs and thereby creates conditions for the gradual integration of social groups, their value systems, their behavior and motivation. As a result, we can state the renewal and expansion of what is most characteristic in the modern world - the middle layer (middle class).

Notes

see also

• Party

Links

• Determination of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation No. 564-О-О on the constitutionality of the prohibition of inciting hatred towards social groups in Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

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See what a “Social group” is in other dictionaries:

SOCIAL GROUP- a collection of individuals united according to some characteristic. Division of society into S.g. or the identification of any group in society is arbitrary, and is carried out at the discretion of a sociologist or any other expert, depending on the goals that ... ... Legal encyclopedia

See Antinazi GROUP. Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2009 ... Encyclopedia of Sociology

Any relatively stable set of people interacting and united by common interests and goals. In every S.G. certain specific relationships of individuals between themselves and society as a whole are embodied within the framework of... ... The latest philosophical dictionary

social group- A set of people united by common characteristics or relationships: age, education, social status, etc... Dictionary of Geography

Social group- A relatively stable group of people who have common interests, values ​​and norms of behavior, developing within the framework of a historically defined society. Each social group embodies certain specific relationships between individuals... ... Dictionary of sociolinguistic terms

social group- socialinė grupė statusas T sritis Kūno kultūra ir sportas apibrėžtis Žmonių, kuriuos buria bendri interesai, vertybės, elgesio normos, santykiškai pastovi visuma. Skiriamos didelės (pvz., sporto draugijos, klubo nariai) ir mažos (sporto mokyklos… … Sporto terminų žodynas

social group- ▲ group of people social class. interlayer stratum caste is a separate part of society. curia. contingent. Corps (diplomatic #). circle(# persons). spheres. world (theatrical #). camp (# supporters). mill. segments of society). layers. rows...... Ideographic Dictionary of the Russian Language

Social group- a group of people united according to some psychological or socio-demographic characteristics... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

A set of people that constitutes a unit of the social structure of a society. In general, S. g. can be divided into two types of groups. The first includes groups of people distinguished by one or another essential characteristic or characteristics, for example. socially... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

Group is one of the main elements of the social structure of society and is a collection of people united by any significant feature - common activity, common economic, demographic, ethnographic, psychological characteristics. This concept is used in law, economics, history, ethnography, demography, and psychology. In sociology, the concept of “social group” is usually used.

Not every community of people is called a social group. If people are simply in a certain place (on a bus, at a stadium), then such a temporary community can be called an “aggregation.” A social community that unites people according to only one or several similar characteristics is also not called a group; The term “category” is used here. For example, a sociologist might classify students between 14 and 18 years of age as youth; elderly people to whom the state pays benefits, provides benefits for utility bills - to the category of pensioners, etc.

Social group - it is an objectively existing stable community, a set of individuals interacting in a certain way based on several characteristics, in particular the shared expectations of each group member regarding others.

The concept of a group as independent, along with the concepts of personality (individual) and society, is already found in Aristotle. In modern times, T. Hobbes was the first to define a group as “a certain number of people united by a common interest or a common cause.”

Under social group it is necessary to understand any objectively existing stable set of people connected by a system of relations regulated by formal or informal social institutions. Society in sociology is considered not as a monolithic entity, but as a collection of many social groups that interact and are in a certain dependence on each other. Each person during his life belongs to many such groups, including family, friendly group, student group, nation, etc. The creation of groups is facilitated by similar interests and goals of people, as well as by the awareness of the fact that by combining actions one can achieve significantly greater results than with individual action. Moreover, the social activity of each person is largely determined by the activities of the groups in which he is included, as well as by the interaction within groups and between groups. It can be stated with complete confidence that only in a group a person becomes an individual and is able to find full self-expression.

Concept, formation and types of social groups

The most important elements of the social structure of society are social groups And social communities. Being forms of social interaction, they represent associations of people whose joint, solidary actions are aimed at satisfying their needs.

IN modern sociology There are many definitions of the concept “social group”. Thus, according to some Russian sociologists, a social group is a collection of people who have common social characteristics and perform a socially necessary function in the structure of the social division of labor and activity. American sociologist R. Merton defines a social group as a set of individuals who interact with each other in a certain way, are aware of their belonging to a given group and are recognized as members of this group from the point of view of others. He identifies three main features in a social group: interaction, membership and unity.

Unlike mass communities, social groups are characterized by:

sustainable interaction that contributes to the strength and stability of their existence;

relatively high degree of unity and cohesion;

clearly expressed homogeneity of composition, suggesting the presence of characteristics inherent in all members of the group;

the possibility of joining broader social communities as structural units.

Since each person in the course of his life is a member of a wide variety of social groups that differ in size, nature of interaction, degree of organization and many other characteristics, there is a need to classify them according to certain criteria.

The following are distinguished: types of social groups:

1. Depending on the nature of the interaction - primary and secondary (Appendix, diagram 9).

Primary group according to C. Cooley's definition, is a group in which the interaction between members is direct, interpersonal in nature and characterized by a high level of emotionality (family, school class, peer group, etc.). Carrying out the socialization of the individual, the primary group acts as a connecting link between the individual and society.

A secondary group is a larger group in which interaction is subordinated to achieving a specific goal and is of a formal, impersonal nature. In these groups, the main attention is paid not to the personal, unique qualities of group members, but to their ability to perform certain functions. Examples of such groups are organizations (industrial, political, religious, etc.).

2. Depending on the method of organizing and regulating interaction - formal and informal.

A formal group is a group with legal status, the interaction in which is regulated by a system of formalized norms, rules, and laws. These groups have a conscious target, normatively fixed hierarchical structure and act in accordance with the administratively established procedure (organizations, enterprises, etc.).

An informal group arises spontaneously, based on common views, interests and interpersonal interactions. It is deprived of official regulation and legal status. Such groups are usually led by informal leaders. Examples include friendly companies, informal associations among young people, rock music fans, etc.

3. Depending on the individuals’ belonging to them - ingroups and outgroups.

Ingroup- this is a group to which an individual feels immediate belonging and identifies it as “mine”, “our” (for example, “my family”, “my class”, “my company”, etc.).

Outgroup - this is a group to which a given individual does not belong and therefore evaluates it as “alien”, not his own (other families, another religious group, another ethnic group, etc.). Each individual in an ingroup has their own scale for assessing outgroups: from indifferent to aggressive-hostile. Therefore, sociologists propose measuring the degree of acceptance or closedness in relation to other groups according to the so-called Bogardus's "social distance scale".

Reference group - this is a real or imaginary social group, the system of values, norms and assessments of which serves as a standard for the individual. The term was first proposed by the American social psychologist Hyman. The reference group in the system of relations “individual - society” performs two important functions: normative, being for the individual a source of norms of behavior, social attitudes and value orientations; comparative, acting as a standard for an individual, it allows him to determine his place in the social structure of society and evaluate himself and others.

4. Depending on the quantitative composition and form of implementation of connections - small and large.

Small group- this is a small group of people in direct contact, united to carry out joint activities.

A small group can take many forms, but the initial ones are “dyad” and “triad”, they are called simplest molecules small group. A dyad consists of two people and is considered an extremely fragile association, in triad actively interact three persons, it is more stable.

The characteristic features of a small group are:

small and stable composition (usually from 2 to 30 people);

spatial proximity of group members;

stability and duration of existence:

high degree of coincidence of group values, norms and patterns of behavior;

intensity of interpersonal relationships;

a developed sense of belonging to a group;

informal control and information saturation in the group.

A large group is a group that is large in composition, which is created for a specific purpose and the interaction in which is mainly indirect (work collectives, enterprises, etc.). This also includes numerous groups of people who have common interests and occupy the same position in the social structure of society. For example, social class, professional, political and other organizations.

A team (lat. collectivus) is a social group in which all vital connections between people are mediated through socially important goals.

Characteristic features of the team:

combination of interests of the individual and society;

a community of goals and principles that act as value orientations and norms of activity for team members. The team performs the following functions:

subject - solving the problem for which it is created;

social and educational - combination of interests of the individual and society.

5. Depending on socially significant characteristics - real and nominal.

Real groups are groups identified according to socially significant criteria:

floor - men and women;

age - children, youth, adults, elderly;

income - rich, poor, prosperous;

nationality - Russians, French, Americans;

Family status - married, single, divorced;

profession (occupation) - doctors, economists, managers;

location - townspeople, rural residents.

Nominal (conditional) groups, sometimes called social categories, are identified for the purpose of conducting sociological research or statistical population accounting (for example, to find out the number of passengers on benefits, single mothers, students receiving personal scholarships, etc.).

Along with social groups, the concept of “quasi-group” is distinguished in sociology.

A quasi-group is an informal, spontaneous, unstable social community that does not have a specific structure and value system, and the interaction of people in which, as a rule, is external and short-term in nature.

The main types of quasigroups are:

An audience is a social community united by interaction with a communicator and receiving information from him. The heterogeneity of a given social formation, due to the difference in personal qualities, as well as the cultural values ​​and norms of the people included in it, determines the different degrees of perception and evaluation of the information received.

Crowd- a temporary, relatively unorganized, structureless accumulation of people, united in a closed physical space by a community of interests, but at the same time devoid of a clearly recognized goal and connected by a similarity in their emotional state. The general characteristics of the crowd are highlighted:

suggestibility - people in a crowd are usually more suggestible than people outside of it;

anonymity - an individual, being in a crowd, seems to merge with it, becoming unrecognizable, believing that it is difficult to “calculate” him;

spontaneity (infectivity) - people in a crowd are subject to rapid transfer and change of emotional state;

unconsciousness - the individual feels invulnerable in the crowd, outside of social control, so his actions are “saturated” with collective unconscious instincts and become unpredictable.

Depending on the method of crowd formation and the behavior of people in it, the following types are distinguished:

random crowd - an indefinite collection of individuals formed spontaneously without any purpose (to watch a celebrity suddenly appear or a traffic accident);

conventional crowd - a relatively structured gathering of people subject to planned, predetermined norms (spectators in a theater, fans in a stadium, etc.);

expressive crowd - a social quasi-group formed for the personal pleasure of its members, which in itself is already a goal and result (discos, rock festivals, etc.);

active (active) crowd - a group that performs some actions, which can take the form of: gatherings - an emotionally excited crowd tending towards violent actions, and the revolted crowd - a group characterized by particular aggressiveness and destructive actions.

In the history of the development of sociological science, various theories have emerged that explain the mechanisms of crowd formation (G. Le Bon, R. Turner, etc.). But despite all the dissimilarity of points of view, one thing is clear: to manage the command of the crowd, it is important: 1) to identify the sources of the emergence of norms; 2) identify their carriers by structuring the crowd; 3) purposefully influence their creators, offering the crowd meaningful goals and algorithms for further actions.

Among quasi-groups, the closest to social groups are social circles.

Social circles are social communities that are created for the purpose of exchanging information between their members.

Polish sociologist J. Szczepanski identifies the following types of social circles: contact - communities that constantly meet on the basis of certain conditions (interest in sports competitions, sports, etc.); professional - gathering to exchange information solely on a professional basis; status - formed regarding the exchange of information between people with the same social status (aristocratic circles, women's or men's circles, etc.); friendly - based on the joint holding of any events (companies, groups of friends).

In conclusion, we note that quasi-groups are some transitional formations, which, with the acquisition of such characteristics as organization, stability and structure, turn into a social group.

Small social group

1. Characteristics of a small group

Small social group - an association of people who have direct contact with each other, united by joint activities, emotional or family closeness, aware of their belonging to a group and recognized by other people.

Composition of the group

Number and characteristics (by age, gender, education, nationality...)

Group structure

Implies the functional responsibilities of group members in their joint activities, set of roles(a set of expected actions from a person who is assigned certain functional responsibilities) and set of norms(a set of instructions, requirements, wishes for socially approved behavior).

Group Processes

They imply processes of unity or disunity of a group, the development of group norms. formation of leadership, development of likes and dislikes, etc.

2. Types and functions of small groups

By occupation

(industrial, educational, amateur)

According to the method of occurrence

formal - arising to perform certain functions within higher-level systems (3 - 20 people)

informal or contact - arising on the basis of mutual sympathies and interests. The limits of their numbers are the limits of a person’s emotional capabilities (3 - 8 people)

According to the degree of development of interpersonal relationships

From differential groups to collective

According to the importance of the individual

membership groups (all people in the group)

reference groups (social circle significant for an individual)

Group functions

Reference groups are characterized by a comparison function and a normative function. The comparison function implies that the group forms a standard of behavior and assessment of the individual himself and those around him.

The instrumental functions of groups are associated with the organization of joint activities.

Expressive and supportive functions are related to the emotional needs of the individual.

3. Group dynamics

Group dynamics includes the following processes:

cohesion or disunity of groups;

the process of formation of informal groups within formal groups;

the formation of group norms (this is the most important process), i.e. spontaneously emerging standards of individual behavior. Such norms and standards make individual behavior predictable and contribute to the effectiveness of group activities.

The formation of group norms increases the cohesion of the group and at the same time increases group pressure on the individual.

Conformity- characteristic of the individual’s position relative to the group’s position, a measure of the individual’s subordination to group pressure.

Conformity can manifest itself as a change in a person's opinions and behavior towards greater agreement with the group.

The opposite side of conformism is negativism.

One of the most important processes in group dynamics is the identification of a leader. Leader - a member of a small group who has some influence on aspects of its life. Influence is based on authority (recognition of a person’s group and personal qualities). The promotion of a leader is related to the functional task of management.

Management - a set of actions including:

goal setting (including decision making)

coordination of joint actions

monitoring compliance with standards of group behavior and implementation of decisions made.

Management sets the relationship of subordination (ordering from top to bottom), coordination (ordering horizontally), reordination (ordering from bottom to top).

Management is necessary to optimize joint activities, however, each of the spheres of a group’s life can initiate its own leaders, and then the cohesion of the group will depend on the relationship between them.

A small group is a systemic social object. Its elements (like the elements of other social systems) are people and the relationships that arise between them.

In relation to small groups, the principle of hierarchy applies. That means. that a small group acts as a part of higher-level systems (for example, a study group is included in a faculty), acts as a subsystem.

A small group is a dynamic system, as evidenced by the processes of group dynamics. This is an open system, i.e. it exchanges matter, energy, and information with the external environment.

Taking into account the above (in italics), consider

Leader's direction:

The implementation of these directions illustrates the complementary function of the leader (the leader must do what the group cannot do).

The management task is constant, and the methods of its implementation depend on the characteristics of the group, as well as on the situation in which the group operates.

Management models (styles)

Democratic

Liberal

Anarchist

The differences between these models can be established:

by the nature of the relationship between managers and managed

Managerial dominance

Constructive equality of the parties

Dominance of the Governed

by way of decision making

1 person makes the decision. Quality depends on his knowledge, qualifications, experience, etc. The speed of decision making increases, and the implementation of decisions is associated with increased external control of the leader over group members.

The decision arises as a result of collective discussion. The quality of a decision depends on the ability of group members to express their opinions and listen to the opinions of others, as well as on the ability of the leader to organize a discussion and, if necessary, bring in an expert. The speed of decision-making slows down, but the participation of everyone in decision-making increases, and the importance of self-control during the implementation of decisions increases.

Minimizing management can lead to a decision never being made

according to the characteristics of the groups for which one or another model is applicable

The higher the level of education of group members, the more creative the content of their activities, the less acceptable the authoritarian style.

according to situations in which the use of one or another model is justified

For example, extreme situations justify the use of an authoritarian model, while in a situation of group cohesion, a democratic style is better.

Man is part of society. Therefore, throughout his life he contacts or is a member of many groups. But despite their huge number, sociologists identify several main types of social groups, which will be discussed in this article.

Definition of social group

First of all, you need to have a clear understanding of the meaning of this term. A social group is a collection of people who have one or more unifying characteristics that have social significance. Another factor of unification is participation in any activity. You need to understand that society is not viewed as an indivisible whole, but as an association of social groups that constantly interact and influence each other. Any person is a member of at least several of them: family, work team, etc.

The reasons for creating such groups may be similarity of interests or goals, as well as the understanding that when creating such a group, you can achieve more results in less time than individually.

One of the important concepts when considering the main types of social groups is the reference group. This is a really existing or imaginary association of people, which is an ideal for a person. The American sociologist Hyman first used this term. The reference group is so important because it influences the individual:

1. Regulatory. The reference group is an example of an individual's behavioral norms, social attitudes and values.
2. Comparative. Helps a person determine what place he occupies in society, evaluate his own and others’ activities.

Social groups and quasi-groups

Quasi-groups are randomly formed and short-lived communities. Another name is mass communities. Accordingly, several differences can be identified:

• Social groups have regular interactions that lead to their stability.
• High percentage of people's cohesion.
• Group members have at least one common characteristic.
• Small social groups can be a structural unit of wider groups.

Types of social groups in society

Man as a social being interacts with a large number of social groups. Moreover, they are completely diverse in composition, organization and goals pursued. Therefore, it became necessary to identify which types of social groups are the main ones:

• Primary and secondary - allocation depends on how a person interacts with group members emotionally.
• Formal and informal - the allocation depends on how the group is organized and how relationships are regulated.
• Ingroup and outgroup - the definition of which depends on the degree to which a person belongs to them.
• Small and large - allocation depending on the number of participants.
• Real and nominal - the selection depends on features that are significant in the social aspect.

All these types of social groups of people will be considered in detail separately.

Primary and secondary groups

The primary group is one in which communication between people is of a high emotional nature. It usually consists of a small number of participants. It is the link that connects the individual directly with society. For example, family, friends.

A secondary group is one in which there are many more participants compared to the previous one, and where interactions between people are needed to achieve a specific task. Relationships here, as a rule, are impersonal in nature, since the main emphasis is on the ability to perform the necessary actions, and not on character traits and emotional connections. For example, a political party, a work collective.

Formal and informal groups

A formal group is one that has a specific legal status. Relations between people are regulated by a certain system of norms and rules. There is a clearly defined goal and a hierarchical structure. Any actions are carried out in accordance with the established procedure. For example, the scientific community, sports group.

An informal group usually arises spontaneously. The reason may be a commonality of interests or views. Compared to a formal group, it has no formal rules and no legal status in society. There is also no formal leader among the participants. For example, a friendly company, lovers of classical music.

Ingroup and outgroup

Ingroup - a person feels direct belonging to this group and perceives it as his own. For example, “my family”, “my friends”.

An outgroup is a group to which a person has no relation; accordingly, there is identification as “stranger”, “different”. Absolutely every person has his own system for assessing outgroups: from a neutral attitude to an aggressive-hostile one. Most sociologists prefer to use a rating system - the social distance scale, created by the American sociologist Emory Bogardus. Examples: “someone else’s family”, “not my friends”.

Small and large groups

A small group is a small group of people united to achieve some result. For example, a student group, a school class.

The fundamental forms of this group are the forms “dyad” and “triad”. They can be called bricks of this group. A dyad is an association in which two people participate, and a triad consists of three people. The latter is considered more stable than the dyad.

Traits characteristic of a small group:

1. A small number of participants (up to 30 people) and their permanent composition.
2. Close relationships between people.
3. Similar ideas about values, norms and patterns of behavior in society.
4. Identify the group as “mine”.
5. Control is not regulated by administrative rules.

A large group is one that has a large number of participants. The purpose of unification and interaction of people, as a rule, is clearly fixed and clear to each member of the group. It is not limited by the number of people included in it. Also, there is no constant personal contact and mutual influence between individuals. For example, the peasant class, the working class.

Real and nominal

Real groups are groups that are distinguished according to some socially important criteria. For example:

• age;
• income;
• nationality;
• Family status;
• profession;
• location.

Nominal groups are identified according to one common characteristic for conducting various sociological studies or statistical accounting of a certain category of the population. For example, find out the number of mothers raising children alone.

Based on these examples of types of social groups, we can clearly see that absolutely every person has a connection with them or interacts in them.

Social group - an association of people connected by common relations, which are regulated by special social institutions, and who have common norms, values ​​and traditions. A social group is one of the main components of social structure. The bonding factor for a group is a common interest, that is, spiritual, economic or political needs.

Belonging to a group presupposes that a person possesses certain characteristics that, from the point of view of the group, are valuable and significant. From this point of view, the “core” of the group is identified - those of its members who possess these characteristics to the greatest extent. The remaining members of the group form its periphery.

A specific personality cannot be reduced to membership in one group, since it certainly belongs to a sufficiently large number of groups at once. Indeed, we can classify people into groups in many different ways: by religious affiliation; by income level; from the point of view of their attitude to sports, to art, etc.

Groups are:

Formal (formalized) and informal.

In formal groups, relationships and interactions are established and regulated by special legal acts (laws, regulations, instructions, etc.). The formality of groups is manifested not only in the presence of a more or less rigid hierarchy; it usually manifests itself in a clear specialization of members performing their special functions.

Informal groups develop spontaneously and do not have regulating legal acts; their consolidation is carried out mainly due to authority, as well as the figure of the leader.

At the same time, in any formal group, informal relationships arise between members, and such a group breaks up into several informal groups. This factor plays an important role in holding the group together.

Small, medium and large.

Small groups (family, group of friends, sports team) are characterized by the fact that their members are in direct contact with each other, have common goals and interests: the connection between group members is so strong that a change in one of its parts will certainly entail a change in the group in in general. The lower limit for a small group is 2 people. There are different opinions about what figure should be considered the upper limit for a small group: 5-7 or approximately 20 people; Statistical studies show that the size of most small groups does not exceed 7 people. If this limit is exceeded, the group splits into subgroups (“factions”). Obviously, this is caused by the following relationship: the smaller the group, the closer connections are established between its members, and therefore, the less likely it is that it will break up. There are also two main types of small groups: dyad (two people) and triad (three people).

Medium groups are relatively stable groups of people who also have common goals and interests, connected by one activity, but at the same time not in close contact with each other. An example of medium groups can be a work collective, a collection of residents of a yard, street, district, or settlement.

Large groups are collections of people who are usually united by one socially significant feature (for example, religion, professional affiliation, nationality, etc.).

Primary and secondary.

Primary groups are usually small groups characterized by close ties between members and, as a result, have a great influence on the individual. The last feature plays a decisive role in determining the primary group. Primary groups are necessarily small groups.

In secondary groups, there are practically no close relationships between individuals, and the integrity of the group is ensured by the presence of common goals and interests. Close contacts between members of the secondary group are also not observed, although such a group - provided that the individual has assimilated group values ​​- can have a strong influence on him. Secondary groups usually include medium and large groups.

Real and social.

Real groups are distinguished according to some characteristic that actually exists in reality and is recognized by the bearer of this characteristic. So, a real indicator can be income level, age, gender, etc.

Three types are sometimes distinguished into an independent subclass of real groups and they are called main:

Stratification - slavery, castes, estates, classes;

Ethnic – races, nations, peoples, nationalities, tribes, classes;

Territorial - people from the same area (countrymen), city dwellers, villagers.

Social groups (social categories) are groups that are identified, as a rule, for the purposes of sociological research on the basis of random characteristics that do not have particular social significance. For example, a social group would be the entire set of people who know how to use a computer; the entire population of public transport passengers, etc.

Interactive and nominal.

Interactive groups are those whose members interact directly and take part in collective decision-making. Examples of interactive groups are groups of friends, formations such as commissions, etc.

A nominal group is one in which each member acts independently of the others. Indirect interaction is more typical for them.

Particular attention should be paid to the concept of a reference group. A reference group is a group that, due to its authority for an individual, is capable of exerting a strong influence on him. In other words, this group can be called a reference group. An individual may strive to become a member of this group, and his activities are usually aimed at becoming more like its representative. This phenomenon is called anticipatory socialization. In the usual case, socialization occurs in the process of direct interaction within the primary group. In this case, the individual adopts the characteristics and methods of action characteristic of the group even before interacting with its members.

Particularly in social communication are the so-called aggregates (quasi-groups) - a collection of people who unite on the basis of a behavioral characteristic. An aggregate, for example, is the audience of a television program (that is, people who watch this television program), the audience of a newspaper (that is, people who buy and read this newspaper), etc. Typically, aggregates include the audience, the public, as well as a crowd of onlookers.

Social structure is often viewed as a set of relations between social groups. From this point of view, the elements of society are not social statuses, but small and large social groups. The totality of social relations between all social groups, or more precisely, the overall result of all relations determines the general state of society, that is, what atmosphere reigns in it - agreement, trust and tolerance or distrust and intolerance.