Groups

Question 1

group

Answer 1

any collection of at least 2 people who interact with some frequency and share a sense of identity

Question 2

aggregate/crowd

Answer 2

people who are in the same place at the same time, but don’t interact or share an identity (ex. people in a line at Starbucks)

Question 3

category

Answer 3

people who share similar characteristics but aren’t tied to each other in another way (ex. Millennials)

Question 4

2 types of groups

Answer 4

primary and secondary

Question 5

primary groups

Answer 5

• most critical
• fairly small
• made up of people who engage face-to-face in long-term emotional ways (ie. significant others, family)
• serves emotional needs

Question 6

secondary groups

Answer 6

• larger, impersonal
• task-focused and time-limited
• serve an instrumental function
• ex. classroom, office

Question 7

core discussion group

Answer 7

• close social contacts

- people you choose to spend free time with, people you discuss important personal matters with

Question 8

in-group vs. out-group

Answer 8

• in-group: group you feel you belong to; an integral part of who you are
• out-group: a group you don’t belong to; may feel disdain or competition towards

Question 9

reference group

Answer 9

group people compare themselves to (ex. peer groups, family, etc.)

Question 10

dyad vs. triad

Answer 10

• dyad: 2-member group; if one withdraws group ceases to exist (ex. divorce); closer but more unstable
• triad: 3-member group; if one withdraws group lives on; 2-against-1 dynamics may happen, not as close (third wheel)

Question 11

social network

Answer 11

collection of people tied together by configuration of connections (ex. number of people involved, who is connected to whom, etc.)

Question 12

large groups

Answer 12

• too many people to join in simultaneous discussion, or when the group unites with another group
• larger groups garner more attention, but also have higher risk of lack of cohesion

Question 13

leadership in small vs. large groups

Answer 13

• small (primary groups): informal

- large (secondary groups): overt

Question 14

2 leadership functions

Answer 14

• instrumental: goal-oriented, concerned with accomplishing tasks (ie. CEOs)
• expressive: promote emotional strengths, health, and support (ie. social and religious leaders)

Question 15

3 leadership styles

Answer 15

• democratic: encourage group participation and consensus in decision-making
• laissez-faire: hands-off, allows group members to make own decisions
• authoritarian: issues orders and assigns tasks to meet goals

Question 16

glass ceiling

Answer 16

invisible barrier that prevents women from achieving positions of leadership

Question 17

conformity

Answer 17

extent to which an individual complies with group norms or expectations (ie. Milgram study, Soloman Asch study)

Question 18

formal organization

Answer 18

• large, impersonal secondary group deliberately organized to achieve its goals efficiently (ex. businesses, government)
• often bureaucratic

Question 19

buraucracy

Answer 19

• ideal type of formal organization
• uses hierarchy of authority and clear division of labour
• impersonal
• meritocracies -> hiring and promotion are based on skills rather than nepotism or random choice
• oligarchies -> ruled by a few elites

Question 20

3 types of formal organizations

Answer 20

• normative/voluntary: based on shared interests; membership is rewarding (ie. ski club)
• coercive: people are pushed to join (ie. rehab) -> usually total institutions
• utilitarian: join for specific material reward (ex. work, school -> money, diploma)

Question 21

total institution

Answer 21

living a controlled lifestyle; total resocialization takes place (ie. prison)

Question 22

hierarchy of authority

Answer 22

aspect of bureaucracy; places one individual in charge of another, who in turn must answer to their own superirors

Question 23

clear division of labour

Answer 23

within a bureaucracy, each person has a specialized task to perform

Question 24

McDonaldization of society

Answer 24

• increasing presence of the fast-food business model in social institutions
• model includes efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control/monitoring