Powerpoint #6 - Social Organization Flashcards
What is a social organization?
ordered set of relationships among several actors having shared meaning
What are the levels of social organization?
groups –> networks –> formal organizations
least in common ——-> most in common
What are group dynamics?
social processes/structures that develop in groups
What is group conformity?
doing something that you later realize you wouldn’t have done outside of a group, may regret it
What is groupthink?
occurs when individual group members oppose the decision of a group but are afraid to speak out against it (dissensus may be viewed as disloyalty)
What is status generalization?
members of group holding status higher in group hold high standing outside of group as well (ex. male doctor being jury foreman)
What are conjunctive tasks?
tasks where performance of group can only be as good as the performance of the weakest link
What are disjunctive tasks?
tasks where if one individual can solve them then the entire group is likely to solve them as well
What is stronger, a dyad or a triad?
triads are more unstable because two people may “gang up” on the other one
What are altruistic actions?
at that benefits someone at no benefit and even some risk to individual taking action
What is the diffusion of responsibility?
tendency for members to think that someone else would help and don’t take action themselves
What are the types of groups?
- Primary
- Secondary
- Reference
- In-group
- Out-group
What is a Primary Group?
a group in which people have intimate face-to-face relationships that endure for some time (ex. families/close friends)
- generally small, close-knit
- interested in each other
- profound impact, lifetime friendships
- -> Mitch Duneier: looked at group of men who knew each other for long time/hang around/eat together = primary group
What is a Secondary Group?
large/impersonal, members don’t know each other intimately, weak ties, less profound impact on each other (ex. classes, PTA)
-usually task focused, formed for specific purpose
What is a Reference Group?
any group a person considers when evaluating his actions/characteristics (ex. peers, family, religious group)
- many over time
- some you don’t belong to but wish to in the future
What is an In-Group?
“us,” group that members are involved in and with which they identify
What is an Out-Group?
a group in which people feel they don’t belong to
–>rejected/treated in hostile manner by the In-Group
What is a social network?
series of social relationships linking individuals directly to other individuals and indirectly to others
What is a domestic network?
localized, kin-based cooperative coalitions of people based on strong ties
- face-to-face
- ->Carol Stack study: black families in Chicago in poverty who experienced an unexpected cash windfall shared their inheritance with those around them
What is the functional view on networks?
networks provide social support, job opportunities, etc
What is a formal organization?
a form of social organization purposefully instructed to meet it’s goals with maximum efficiency, often consisting of many individuals linked by collective goals, roles, rules for behavior, and relationships of authority
–> ex. business life, government, non-profits, Microsoft
What are the types of formal organization?
- Coercive Organization - force (ex. total institution: regulate every aspect of someone’s life, prison)
- Utilitarian Organization - money (ex. job, corporations)
- Normative Organization - norms/values (voluntary associations)
What is a voluntary association?
established to accomplish common interest, members volunteer and may even pay to participate (ex. interest groups, boy scouts, clubs, AARP)
What is rationalization?
pervasive process characterizing modern society in which traditional methods and standards of social organization are based on tradition, belief, even magic, are replaced with new methods/standards of social organization based on objectively scientific criteria
