Chapter 6: Social Groups

Annotations:

• Two or more people who interact with one another, and who share a common identity and a sense of belonging or "we-ness."

1. Primary Group (Expressive-emotional)

   Annotations:

   • A relatively small group of people who engage in intimate face-to-face interaction over an extended period.  Family, children play groups, etc. -Mom, Melissa, Micaela
2. Secondary Group (Instrumental-task oriented)

   Annotations:

   • A large, usually formal, impersonal, and temporary collection of people who pursue a specific goal or activity. E.g. Sociology class, high school grad class, other missionaries in mission, other employees, etc. 
3. Ideal Type

   Annotations:

   • General traits that describe a social phenomenon rather than every case. 
4. In-groups

   Annotations:

   • People who share a sense of identity and "we-ness" that typically excludes and devalues outsiders. 
5. Out-groups

   Annotations:

   • People who are viewed and treated negatively because they are seen as having values, beliefs, and other characteristics different from those of an in-group.
6. Reference Group

   Annotations:

   • A group of people who shape our behavior, values, and attitudes

1. Asch

   Annotations:

   • Did the study with the cards and 37% of the people were swayed with which lines matched up on them. 
2. Milgram

   Annotations:

   • The administering of shocks. -Video
3. Zimbardo

   Annotations:

   • Prisoners submission to authority to have group approval. 
4. Janis
   1. Group Think

      Annotations:

      • A tendency of in-group members to conform without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas, which results in a narrow view of an issue.  -Opposite of me

Annotations:

• A web of social ties that links an individual to others. 

Annotations:

• A complex and structured secondary group that has been deliberately created to achieve specific goals in an efficient manner. 

1. Statuses
2. Norms
3. Hiearchy
4. Voluntary Associations

   Annotations:

   • A formal organization created by people who share a common set of interests and who are not paid for their participation. 
5. Bureaucracy

   Annotations:

   • A formal organization that is designed to accomplish goals and tasks through the efforts o a large number of people in the most efficient and rational way possible. 
   1. Ideal Characteristics (Max Weber)
      1. 1. High degree of division of labor an specialization
      2. 2. Hiearchy of authority

         Annotations:

         • Pyramid Structure
      3. 3. Explicit written rules and regulations
      4. 4. Impersonality

         Annotations:

         • Follow rules, get work done. 
      5. 5. Qualification-based Employment

         Annotations:

         • Move up the ladder through good performance.
      6. 6. Separation of Work and Ownership
   2. Shortcomings of Bureaucracies (Max Weber)
      1. 1. Weak Reward Systems

         Annotations:

         • Lack of health benefits, etc. 
      2. 2. Rigid Rules

         Annotations:

         • Discourage creativity
      3. 3. Bureaucratic Ritualism

         Annotations:

         • A preoccupation with rules and regulations instead of the bureaucracies goals. 
      4. 4. Alienation

         Annotations:

         • A feeling of isolation, meaninglessness, and powerlessness that may affect workers in a bureaucracy.  Results in a high turnover, tardiness, absence, etc. 
      5. 5. Communication Problems

         Annotations:

         • Top down rather than bottom up. 
      6. 6. Parkinson's Law

         Annotations:

         • The idea that work expands to fill the available time for its completion. 
      7. 7. Bureaucratic Incompetence (Peter Principle)

         Annotations:

         • Workers are promoted until they reach the point of incompetence. 
      8. 8. Iron Law of Oligarchy

         Annotations:

         • The tendency of a bureaucracy to become increasingly dominated by a small group of people. Political groups-GOP speaker of house CEO's, board of directors, etc. 
      9. 10. Dehumanization

         Annotations:

         • McDonaldization- Everyday life is becoming more automated, rigid, and impersonal.