6. Bingham, S. & Hernandez, A. "Laughing Matters": The Comedian as Social Observer, Teacher, and Conduit of the Sociological PerspectiveTeaching Sociology 2009 37: 335-352
16. Today What is a group? What are some of the characteristics of groups? What are some of the effects of groups on their members?
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18. Group Characteristics More than one person Interaction fan club versus fans Interaction, influence or involvement may be task focussed (opinion, decision, goal) socioemotional (support, criticism)
19. Group Characteristics Structured Roles - behaviours expected of people in specific positions within a group; parts played by different member of a group Norms – implicit standards that describe what behaviours should and should not be performed in a given context; consensual guidelines that prescribe the socially appropriate, or ‘normal’, course of action
20. Group Characteristics Cohesion The strength of the bonds linking group members to the group, the unity (or ‘weness’) of a group, feelings of attraction for specific group members and the group itself the degree to which the group members coordinate their efforts to achieve goals
21. Group Characteristics Social Identity (aka collective identity) The part of the self-concept that derives from one’s membership in social groups and categories Self-conceptions shared by members of the same group or category http://contexts.org/socimages/2008/04/16/in-group-out-group/
Communication – a number of persons who communicate with one another, often over a span of time, and who are few enough so that each person is able to communicate with all the others, not at second hand, through other people, but face-to-face. Influence – Two or more persons who are interacting with one another in such a manner that each person influences and is influenced by each other person – e.g. Interaction – A group is a social system involving regular interaction among members and a common group identity. This means that groups have a sense of ‘weness’ that enables members to identify themselves as belonging to a distinct entityInterdependence – A group is a collection of individuals who have relations to one another that make them interdependent to some significant degreeInterrelations – A group is an aggregation of two or more people who are to some degree in dynamic interrelation with one anotherPsychological significance – Descriptively speaking, a psychological group is defined as one that is psychologically significant for the members, to which they relate themselves subjectively for social comparison and the acquisition of norms and values...that they privately accept membership in, and which influences their attitudes and behaviourShared Identity – A group exists when two or more people define themselves as members of it and when its existence is recognised by at least one other – culture or sub-culture,Structure – A group is a social unit which consists of a number of individuals, who stand in (more or less) definite status and role relationships to one another and which possesses a set of values or norms of its own regulating the behaviour of individual members, at least in matters of consequences tot the group
Socioemotional – reinforce group norms - sustain emotional bonds linking the members to one another
Roles – leader, follower, organiser, team position ie Ruckman or goal shooterNorms – aggression could be a norm if the group was a sports team but not if it were a quilting group
Cohesion - contributes to a group’s potency and vitality - increases the significance of membership for those who belong to the group - defines its unity, oneness, and solidarity - cohesion levels vary - ↑ cohesion = ↑ group retention
Self-conceptions may arise from membership of clubs, cliques, communities, religions, and demographic groupsDistinct from others not in the group
Generating = planning tasks, creativity tasks (creating new ideas and approaches to their problems)Choosing = making decisions about issues that have correct solutions (intellective tasks) or problems that can be answered in many ways (decision-making tasks)Negotiating = resolve differences of opinion (cognitive-conflict tasks) or resolve competitive disputes among members (mixed-motive tasks)Executing = compete against other groups (contests/battles) and perform (performances)Groups might perform some or all tasks from these categories
The study of Group Dynamics is a field of inquiry dedicated to advancing knowledge about the nature of groups, the laws of their development, and their interrelations with individuals, other groups and larger institutionsKurt Lewin was a German-American psychologist - Often recognised as one of the ‘founders of social psychology’ and was - one of the first to study group dynamics and organisational development.Theories have emerged from the study of group dynamics:Individuals may be transformed when they join a group
Groupthink - A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action - a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analysing and evaluating ideas. Individual creativity, uniqueness, and independent thinking are lost in the pursuit of group cohesiveness, as are the advantages of reasonable balance in choice and thought that might normally be obtained by making decisions as a group. During groupthink, members of the group avoid promoting viewpoints outside the comfort zone of consensus thinking. A variety of motives for this may exist such as a desire to avoid being seen as foolish, or a desire to avoid embarrassing or angering other members of the group. Groupthink may cause groups to make hasty, irrational decisions, where individual doubts are set aside, for fear of upsetting the group’s balance. The term is frequently used pejoratively, with hindsight.Examples – cults, political groups
Bruce Tuckmans theory of group developmentForming – group members become oriented toward each otherStorming – conflicts surface as the group members vie for status and the group sets its goalsNorming – standards emergePerforming – the group moves beyond disagreement and organisational matters to concentrate on the work to be doneAdjourning - disbanding
