Social Groups Flashcards
What is a group?
A group is two or more individuals in face-to-face interaction, each aware of his or her membership of the group, each aware of the others who belong to the group, and each aware of their positive interdependence as they strive to achieve mutual goals (Johnson and Johnson, 1987, p. 8)
Entitativity
“The property of a group that makes it seem like a coherent, distinct, and unitary entity” (Hogg and Vaughan, 2013, p272)
Highly entitative groups are:
homogeneous, with a clear structure, purpose or boundaries
Less entitative groups are:
more heterogeneous and unstructured
Similarity vs Interaction examples
Ethnic Groups & Study Groups
Common Bond vs Identity examples
Close bonds:
e.g. Group of friends
Formal rules:
e.g. Political Party
How are groups formed?
Born into & Choose to join/leave
Group formation phases
Forming - accepting, avoiding conflict, organization, orientation, gathering info
Storming - Address issues, conflict, questioning organisation, strive for mutual harmony
Norming - Agreement on rules, foster understanding, listening & support, common sense of ID
Performing - Interdependence and flexibility, task orientated, not all groups reach this phase.
Adjourning - Group ends: task completed, interest/motivation lost.
Group socialisation
The process of groups as a whole and group members coming together to meet each other’s needs and accomplish goals over time (Levine and Moreland, 1994)
Evaluation
- Individuals evaluate the benefits of the group
- The group evaluates the contribution of the individual members
Commitment
Outcome of evaluation determines level of commitment to the group
Role transition
Non-member, quasi-member, full-member
Socialisation Outcomes
Feelings of members and the group as a whole about how they functioned to reach the group objective.
Group cohesion.The degree to which the group holds
together as an entity.
Mutual
support
Consistency of conduct
or behaviour
NORMS
Uniformities of behaviour and attitudes that determine, organize and differentiate groups from other groups.
Ethnomethodology - Garfunkel (1967)
Technique to uncover and understand hidden norms by documenting the methods and practices through which people make sense of their social world.
Breaching experiment:
enforced norms -
Receive rewards/avoid punishments
Internalised norms -
We believe that they are right
Socialised norms -
as part of a group
Consensus -
on norms
Activated norms -
through interactions
Norms as heuristics -
make out lives easier
Functions of Roles
Good for us: Specified behaviour & place. Increased satisfaction & performance.
Marginal group members (‘deviants’)
People who deviate too far from prototypical group members and group norms
What do groups do for us?
Interdependence
Similarity, support & the need
for affiliation
Terror management
The need for social identity
Optimal distinctiveness
Interdependence
Coordinated group action allows people to achieve things that would not be possible by an individual acting alone
Similarity, support & the need for affiliation
Groups give social support, self-esteem (Sociometer theory), foundation for individuals and insulate them from the harmful effects of stress (Cohen and Wills, 1985).
Terror management
We feel good (and sometimes even immortal) when we affiliate with others - manage the idea that our lives are finite.
The need for social identity
Social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1979; Turner, Hogg, Oakes et al., 1987) Personal identities and groups memberships complete people’s sense of self.
Self-categorization of oneself as a group member (Turner et al., 1987)
Subjective uncertainty - uncertainty about who we are and what we are supposed to do
Optimal distinctiveness and state the 8 points
People generally like to distinguish themselves from others and feel unique while also feel the need to affiliate with others. (Hornsey and Jetten 2004)
1 Identify with a numerically distinct group
2 Identify with a subgroup
3 Identify with a ‘non-mainstream’ group
4 Enhance the distinctiveness of one’s group (SIT)
5 Differentiate oneself within a group through roles
6 Identify with a group that prescribes individualism
7 See oneself as loyal but not conformist
8 See oneself as more normative than other group members
