A person participates in public life not as an isolated individual, but as a member of social communities - family, friendly company, work collective, nation, class, etc. His activities are largely determined by the activities of the groups in which he is included, as well as by the interaction within and between groups. Accordingly, in sociology, society appears not only as an abstraction, but also as a set of specific social groups, which are in a certain dependence on each other.

The structure of the entire social system, the totality of interconnected and interacting social groups and social communities, as well as social institutions and relations between them, is the social structure of society.

In sociology, the problem of dividing society into groups (including nations, classes), their interaction is one of the cardinal ones and is characteristic of all levels of theory.

Concept of social group

Group is one of the main elements of the social structure of society and is a collection of people united by any significant feature - common activities, common economic, demographic, ethnographic, psychological characteristics. This concept is used in law, economics, history, ethnography, demography, and psychology. In sociology, the concept of “social group” is usually used.

Not every community of people is called a social group. If people are simply in a certain place (on a bus, at a stadium), then such a temporary community can be called an “aggregation.” A social community that unites people according to only one or several similar characteristics is also not called a group; The term “category” is used here. For example, a sociologist might classify students between 14 and 18 years of age as youth; elderly people to whom the state pays benefits, provides benefits for utility bills - to the category of pensioners, etc.

Social group - it is an objectively existing stable community, a set of individuals interacting in a certain way based on several characteristics, in particular the shared expectations of each group member regarding others.

The concept of a group as independent, along with the concepts of personality (individual) and society, is already found in Aristotle. In modern times, T. Hobbes was the first to define a group as “a known number of people united common interest or a common cause."

Under social group it is necessary to understand any objectively existing stable set of people connected by a system of relations regulated by formal or informal social institutions. Society in sociology is considered not as a monolithic entity, but as a collection of many social groups that interact and are in a certain dependence on each other. Each person during his life belongs to many such groups, including family, friendly group, student group, nation, etc. The creation of groups is facilitated by similar interests and goals of people, as well as by the awareness of the fact that by combining actions one can achieve significantly greater results than with individual action. Moreover, the social activity of each person is largely determined by the activities of the groups in which he is included, as well as by the interaction within groups and between groups. It can be argued with full confidence that only in a group a person becomes an individual and is able to find full self-expression.

Concept, formation and types of social groups

The most important elements of the social structure of society are social groups And . Being forms of social interaction, they represent associations of people whose joint, solidary actions are aimed at satisfying their needs.

There are many definitions of the concept “social group”. Thus, according to some Russian sociologists, a social group is a collection of people who have common social characteristics and perform a socially necessary function in the structure of the social division of labor and activity. American sociologist R. Merton defines a social group as a set of individuals who interact with each other in a certain way, are aware of their belonging to a given group and are recognized as members of this group from the point of view of others. He identifies three main features in a social group: interaction, membership and unity.

Unlike mass communities, social groups are characterized by:

• sustainable interaction that contributes to the strength and stability of their existence;
• relatively high degree of unity and cohesion;
• clearly expressed homogeneity of composition, suggesting the presence of characteristics inherent in all members of the group;
• the possibility of joining broader social communities as structural units.

Since each person in the course of his life is a member of a wide variety of social groups that differ in size, nature of interaction, degree of organization and many other characteristics, there is a need to classify them according to certain criteria.

The following are distinguished: types of social groups:

1. Depending on the nature of the interaction - primary and secondary (Appendix, diagram 9).

Primary group according to C. Cooley’s definition, is a group in which the interaction between members is direct, interpersonal in nature and different high level emotionality (family, school class, peer group, etc.). Carrying out the socialization of the individual, the primary group acts as a connecting link between the individual and society.

Secondary group- this is a larger group in which interaction is subordinated to the achievement of a specific goal and is of a formal, impersonal nature. In these groups, the main attention is paid not to the personal, unique qualities of group members, but to their ability to perform certain functions. Examples of such groups are organizations (industrial, political, religious, etc.).

2. Depending on the method of organizing and regulating interaction - formal and informal.

Formal group is a group with legal status, interaction in which is regulated by a system of formalized norms, rules, and laws. These groups have a conscious target, normatively fixed hierarchical structure and act in accordance with the administratively established procedure (organizations, enterprises, etc.).

Informal grouparises spontaneously, based on common views, interests and interpersonal interactions. It is deprived of official regulation and legal status. Such groups are usually headed by informal leaders. Examples include friendly companies, informal associations among young people, rock music fans, etc.

3. Depending on the individuals’ belonging to them - ingroups and outgroups.

Ingroup- this is a group to which an individual feels immediate belonging and identifies it as “mine”, “our” (for example, “my family”, “my class”, “my company”, etc.).

Outgroup - this is a group to which a given individual does not belong and therefore evaluates it as “alien”, not his own (other families, other religious group, another ethnic group, etc.). Each individual in an ingroup has their own scale for assessing outgroups: from indifferent to aggressive-hostile. Therefore, sociologists propose measuring the degree of acceptance or closedness in relation to other groups according to the so-called Bogardus's "social distance scale".

Reference group - this is a real or imaginary social group, the system of values, norms and assessments of which serves as a standard for the individual. The term was first proposed by the American social psychologist Hyman. The reference group in the system of relations “individual – society” performs two important functions: normative, being for the individual a source of norms of behavior, social attitudes and value orientations; comparative, acting as a standard for an individual, it allows him to determine his place in the social structure of society and evaluate himself and others.

4. Depending on the quantitative composition and form of connections - small and large.

- this is a small group of people in direct contact, united to carry out joint activities.

A small group can take many forms, but the initial ones are “dyad” and “triad”, they are called simplest molecules small group. Dyadconsists of two people and is considered an extremely fragile association, in triad actively interact three persons, it is more stable.

The characteristic features of a small group are:

• small and stable composition (usually from 2 to 30 people);
• spatial proximity of group members;
• stability and duration of existence:
• high degree coincidence of group values, norms and patterns of behavior;
• intensity of interpersonal relationships;
• a developed sense of belonging to a group;
• informal control and information saturation in the group.

Large group is a large group that is created for a specific purpose and the interaction in which is mainly indirect ( labor collectives, enterprises, etc.). This also includes numerous groups of people who have common interests and occupy the same position in the social structure of society. For example, social class, professional, political and other organizations.

A team (lat. collectivus) is a social group in which all vital connections between people are mediated through socially important goals.

Character traits team:

• combination of interests of the individual and society;
• a community of goals and principles that act as value orientations and norms of activity for team members. The team performs the following functions:
• subject - solving the problem for which it is created;
• social and educational - combination of interests of the individual and society.

5. Depending on social significant signs- real and nominal.

Real groups are groups identified according to socially significant criteria:

• floor - men and women;
• age - children, youth, adults, elderly;
• income - rich, poor, prosperous;
• nationality - Russians, French, Americans;
• Family status - married, single, divorced;
• profession (occupation) - doctors, economists, managers;
• location - townspeople, rural residents.

Nominal (conditional) groups, sometimes called social categories, are identified for the purpose of conducting sociological research or statistical population accounting (for example, to find out the number of passengers on benefits, single mothers, students receiving personal scholarships, etc.).

Along with social groups, the concept of “quasi-group” is distinguished in sociology.

A quasi-group is an informal, spontaneous, unstable social community that does not have a specific structure and value system, and the interaction of people in which, as a rule, is external and short-term in nature.

The main types of quasigroups are:

Audienceis a social community united by interaction with a communicator and receiving information from him. The heterogeneity of a given social formation, due to the difference in personal qualities, as well as the cultural values ​​and norms of the people included in it, determines and varying degrees perception and evaluation of the information received.

- a temporary, relatively unorganized, structureless accumulation of people united in a closed physical space by a community of interests, but at the same time devoid of a clearly recognized goal and connected by similarities emotional state. Highlight General characteristics crowds:

• suggestibility - people in a crowd are usually more suggestible than people outside of it;
• anonymity - an individual, being in a crowd, seems to merge with it, becomes unrecognizable, believing that it is difficult to “calculate” him;
• spontaneity (infectivity) - people in a crowd are subject to rapid transfer and change of emotional state;
• unconsciousness - the individual feels invulnerable in the crowd, outside social control, therefore, his actions are “saturated” with collective unconscious instincts and become unpredictable.

Depending on the method of crowd formation and the behavior of people in it, the following types are distinguished:

• random crowd - an indefinite collection of individuals formed spontaneously without any purpose (to watch a celebrity suddenly appear or a traffic accident);
• conventional crowd - a relatively structured gathering of people subject to planned, predetermined norms (spectators in a theater, fans in a stadium, etc.);
• expressive crowd - a social quasi-group formed for the personal pleasure of its members, which in itself is already a goal and result (discos, rock festivals, etc.);
• active (active) crowd - a group that performs some actions, which can take the form of: gatherings - an emotionally excited crowd tending towards violent actions, and the revolted crowd - a group characterized by particular aggressiveness and destructive actions.

In the history of the development of sociological science, various theories have emerged that explain the mechanisms of crowd formation (G. Le Bon, R. Turner, etc.). But despite all the dissimilarity of points of view, one thing is clear: to manage the command of the crowd, it is important: 1) to identify the sources of the emergence of norms; 2) identify their carriers by structuring the crowd; 3) purposefully influence their creators, offering the crowd meaningful goals and algorithms for further actions.

Among quasi-groups, the closest to social groups are social circles.

Social circles are social communities that are created for the purpose of exchanging information between their members.

Polish sociologist J. Szczepanski highlights the following varieties social circles: contact - communities that constantly meet on the basis of certain conditions (interest in sports competitions, sports, etc.); professional - gathering to exchange information exclusively but professionally;status - formed regarding the exchange of information between people with the same social status (aristocratic circles, women's or men's circles, etc.); friendly - based on the joint holding of any events (companies, groups of friends).

In conclusion, we note that quasi-groups are some transitional formations, which, with the acquisition of such characteristics as organization, stability and structure, turn into a social group.

Lecture:

Social groups

Social groups are one of the elements of the social structure of society. Social groups are associations of people connected by common characteristics (gender, age, nationality, profession, income, power, education and many others), interests, goals, and activities. There are more social groups on Earth than individuals, because the same individual is included in several groups. Pitirim Sorokin noted that history does not give us a person outside the group. Indeed, from birth a person is in a group - a family, the members of which are connected by blood relations and a common way of life. The circle of groups expands as they grow older; street friends, a school class, a sports team, a work collective, a party, and others appear. A social group is characterized by such features as internal organization, a common goal, joint activities, rules and norms, interaction (active communication).

In sociology, along with the term social group, the term social community is used. Both terms characterize an association of people, but the concept of community is broader. Community is the unification of different groups of people according to some characteristic or life circumstances. The main difference between a community and a group is that between members of the community there is no stable and repeating connection, which exists in a group. Examples of a social community: men, children, students, Russians, etc.

The transitional position between a social community and a social group is occupied by a quasi-group - this is an unstable short-term community of people that is random in nature. Examples of quasi-groups are a concert audience, a crowd.

Types of social groups

Social groups
Kinds		Signs	Examples
1.	Primary	Direct personal contacts, emotional involvement, solidarity, sense of “we”, individual qualities are valued	Family, school class, friends
	Secondary	Indirect subject contacts, lack of emotional relationships, abilities to perform certain functions are valued	Professional, territorial, demographic groups, party electorates
2.	Large	Large numbers	Nations, age groups, occupational groups
	Small	Small number	Family, school class, sports team, work team
3.	Formal	Arise at the initiative of the administration, the behavior of group members is determined by job descriptions	Party, labor collective
	Informal	Created spontaneously, the behavior of group members is not regulated
4.	Reference	A real or imagined significant group with which a person identifies and is oriented towards	Political party, denomination
	Non-referential	A real group that has little value for the person who studies or works in it	School class, sports section, work team
5.	Professional	Joint professional activities	Doctors, lawyers, programmers, agronomists, veterinarians
	Ethnic	General history, culture, language, territory	Russians, French, Germans
	Demographic	Gender, age	Men, women, children, old people
	Confessional	General religion	Muslims, Christians, Buddhists
	Territorial	Common area of ​​residence, unity of living conditions	City dwellers, villagers, provincials

Functions of social groups

American sociologist Neil Smelser identified four socially significant functions of social groups:

1. The function of human socialization is the most important. Only in a group does a person become human and acquire a sociocultural essence. In the process of socialization, a person masters knowledge, values, and norms. Socialization is closely related to education and upbringing. A person receives education at school, college or university, and is raised primarily in the family.

2. The instrumental function is to carry out joint activities. Collective work in a group is important for the development of an individual and society, because a person cannot do much alone. By participating in a group, a person acquires material resources and self-realization.

3. The expressive function of a group is to satisfy a person’s needs for respect, love, care, approval, and trust. Communication with group members brings joy to a person.

4. The supporting function is manifested in the desire of people to unite in complex and problematic situations. life situations. The feeling of group support helps a person reduce unpleasant feelings.

To answer the question of what a social group is, we need to go back to ancient times and remember that humanity has always survived in society. In primitive society, groups were created that united into society. Therefore, a group of people who have a common goal, which is the connection between an individual and society, is called a social group.

What types of groups are there?

The main aspects of social life are laid down precisely in social groups. They have their own norms and rules, ceremonies and rituals. As a result of group activities, self-discipline, morality, and abstract thinking appear.

Social groups are divided into small and large. If two people unite with one task and goal, it will already be a small social group. A small group can have from two to ten people. These people have their own activities, communication, and goals. An example of a small social group could be a family, a group of friends, or relatives.

Large social groups are formed a little differently. These people may not directly contact each other. But they are united by the awareness that they belong to a group, they have a common psychology and customs, a way of life. An example of large social groups can be an ethnic community or a nation.

The size of groups depends on the individuality of its members, and cohesion also depends on the size of the group: the smaller it is, the more cohesive it becomes. If a group expands, it means that respect, tolerance, and consciousness must develop within it.

Social groups, their types

Let's consider the types of social groups. They are primary and secondary. The first type refers to a group of people who are of great importance to the individual, people who occupy an important place in his life. significant place. Secondary groups are groups where an individual has some practical purpose in joining it. An individual can move from the primary group to the secondary group and vice versa.

The next type of social groups are internal and external groups. If we belong to a group, then for us it will be internal, and if we do not belong, then it will be external. Here an individual can also move from group to group, and accordingly, its status will change.

Reference groups are groups in which people have the opportunity to compare themselves with other people; these are the objects to which we pay attention when forming our views. Such a group can become a standard for evaluating their views. We ourselves may or may not belong to the reference group.

And the last type of groups is formal and informal. They are based on the structure of the group. In a formal group, its members interact with each other according to prescribed rules and regulations. In informal groups these rules are not followed.

Characteristics and characteristics of groups

The signs of a social group are always clearly expressed. If we analyze them, we can highlight several main ones:

• the presence of a common goal that is important for members of the entire group;
• the presence of norms and rules that operate within the group itself;
• There is a system of solidarity between group members.

If all these rules apply in groups, then, accordingly, the group is highly integrated. Depending on the characteristics and type, the structure of the social group is formed.

Characteristics of social groups. This includes the structure and size of groups, methods of group leadership. Based on the size of the group, we can tell about the relationship between its members. The closest and strongest relationships arise between two members of the group, these can be husband and wife, friends. Emotions play a big role here. If more people are added, then new relationships are restored in the group, not always good ones.

Often one person is separated from the group to become its leader or leader. If the group is small, then it can do without a leader, and if it is large, then his absence will create chaos in the group. If a person finds himself in a group, then he develops the ability to make sacrifices, and control over his body and thoughts weakens. This is an indicator that social groups play a significant role in the life of humanity.

The group problem is one of the most important not only for social psychology, but also for many social sciences. There are currently about 20 million different formal and informal groups in the world. Groups actually represent social relations, which are manifested in the course of interaction of their members among themselves and with representatives of other groups. What is a group? The answer to such a seemingly simple question requires distinguishing between two aspects in understanding the group: sociological and socio-psychological.

In the first case, a group is understood as any set of people united for various (arbitrary) reasons. This approach, let’s call it objective, is characteristic, first of all, of sociology. Here, to identify one or another group, it is important to have an objective criterion that allows one to differentiate people on one or another basis to determine their belonging to certain group(for example, men and women, teachers, doctors, etc.).

In the second case, a group is understood as a real existing entity in which people are brought together, united in some way common feature, a type of joint activity or placed in some identical conditions, circumstances, in a certain way they are aware of their belonging to this formation. It is within the framework of this second interpretation that social psychology primarily deals with groups.

For a socio-psychological approach, it is extremely important to establish what a group means for a person psychologically; what characteristics of it are significant for the personality included in it. The group here acts as a real social unit of society, as a factor in the formation of personality. Moreover, the influence of different groups on the same person is not the same. Therefore, when considering the problem of a group, it is necessary to take into account not only the formal belonging of a person to a certain category of people, but also the degree of psychological acceptance and inclusion of himself in this category.

Let us name the main characteristics that distinguish a group from a random gathering of people:

Relatively long existence of the group;

The presence of common goals, motives, norms, values;

Availability and development of group structure;

Awareness of belonging to a group, the presence of a “we-feeling” among its members;

The presence of a certain quality of interaction between the people making up the group.

Thus, social group– a stable organized community united by common interests, socially significant goals, joint activities and an appropriate intra-group organization that ensures the achievement of these goals.

Classification of groups in social psychology can be done for various reasons. These grounds may include: level of cultural development; structure type; tasks and functions of the group; the predominant type of contacts in the group; the duration of the group's existence; principles of its formation, principles of accessibility of membership in it; number of group members; level of development of interpersonal relationships and many others. One of the options for classifying groups studied in social psychology is shown in Fig. 2.

Rice. 2. Classification of groups

As we can see, the classification of groups here is given on a dichotomous scale, which involves the identification of groups on several grounds that differ from each other.

1. According to the presence of relationships between group members: conditional - real groups.

Conditional groups– these are associations of people artificially identified by the researcher on some objective basis. These people, as a rule, do not have a common goal and do not interact with each other.

Real groups– truly existing associations of people. They are characterized by the fact that its members are interconnected by objective relationships.

2. Laboratory - natural groups.

Laboratory groups– specially created groups to perform tasks under experimental conditions and experimentally test scientific hypotheses.

Natural groups– groups functioning in real life situations, the formation of which occurs regardless of the desire of the experimenter.

3. By the number of group members: large – small groups.

Large groups– quantitatively unlimited communities of people, identified on the basis of various social characteristics (demographic, class, national, party). Towards unorganized, For spontaneously emerging groups, the term “group” itself is very conditional. TO organized, Long-term groups include nations, parties, social movements, clubs, etc.

Under small group refers to a small group whose members are united by a common social activities and are in direct personal communication, which is the basis for the emergence of emotional relationships, group norms and group processes (G.M. Andreeva).

An intermediate position between large and small groups is occupied by the so-called. middle groups. Having some of the characteristics of large groups, medium groups are distinguished by their territorial localization and the possibility of direct communication (team of a factory, enterprise, university, etc.).

4. By level of development: emerging – highly developed groups.

Becoming groups- groups already defined by external requirements, but not yet united by joint activity in the full sense of the word.

Highly developed groups– these are groups characterized by an established structure of interaction, established business and personal relationships, the presence of recognized leaders, and effective joint activities.

The following groups are distinguished according to their level of development (Petrovsky A.V.):

Diffuse – groups on initial stage of its development, a community in which people are only co-present, i.e. they are not united by joint activities;

Association – a group in which relationships are mediated only by personally significant goals (group of friends, buddies);

- cooperation– a group characterized by a really functioning organizational structure, interpersonal relationships are of a business nature, subordinated to achieving the required result in performing a specific task in a certain type of activity;

- corporation- this is a group united only by internal goals that do not go beyond its boundaries, striving to achieve its group goals at any cost, including at the expense of other groups. Sometimes corporate spirit can acquire features of group egoism;

- team- a highly developed, time-stable group of interacting people, united by the goals of joint socially beneficial activities, characterized by a high level of mutual understanding of each other, as well as the complex dynamics of formal and informal relationships between group members.

5. By the nature of interaction: primary – secondary groups.

For the first time, the identification of primary groups was proposed by C. Cooley, who included such groups as family, a group of friends, and a group of closest neighbors. Later, Cooley proposed a certain feature that would allow us to determine an essential characteristic of primary groups - the directness of contacts. But when such a feature was identified, primary groups began to be identified with small groups, and then the classification lost its meaning. If the characteristic of small groups is their contact, then it is inappropriate to single out any other groups within them. special groups, Where specific sign There will be this very contact. Therefore, according to tradition, the division into primary and secondary groups is preserved (secondary in this case are those where there are no direct contacts, and for communication between members various “intermediaries” are used in the form of means of communication, for example), but essentially it is the primary groups that are studied in the future, since only they satisfy the small group criterion.

6. By form of organization: formal and informal groups.

Formal is a group whose emergence is due to the need to implement certain goals and objectives facing the organization in which the group is included. A formal group is distinguished by the fact that all the positions of its members are clearly defined in it; they are prescribed by group norms. It also strictly distributes the roles of all group members in the system of subordination to the so-called power structure: the idea of ​​vertical relationships as relationships defined by a system of roles and statuses. An example of a formal group is any group created in the context of a specific activity: a work team, a school class, a sports team, etc.

Informal groups develop and arise spontaneously both within formal groups and outside them, as a result of mutual psychological preferences. They do not have an externally given system and hierarchy of statuses, prescribed roles, or a given system of vertical relationships. However, an informal group has its own group standards of acceptable and unacceptable behavior, as well as informal leaders. An informal group can be created within a formal one, when, for example, in a school class, groups arise consisting of close friends united by some common interest. Thus, two relational structures are intertwined within the formal group.

But an informal group can also arise on its own, outside organized groups: people who accidentally come together to play football, volleyball somewhere on the beach or in the courtyard of a house. Sometimes within such a group (say, in a group of tourists going on a one-day hike), despite its informal nature, joint activity arises, and then the group acquires some of the features of a formal group: it has certain, albeit short-term, positions and roles.

In reality, it is very difficult to distinguish between strictly formal and strictly informal groups, especially in cases where informal groups arose within the framework of formal ones. Therefore, in social psychology, proposals were born that remove this dichotomy. On the one hand, the concepts of formal and informal group structures (or the structures of formal and informal relations) were introduced, and it was not the groups that began to differ, but the type, the nature of the relationships within them. On the other hand, a more radical distinction was introduced between the concepts of “group” and “organization” (although a sufficiently clear distinction between these concepts does not exist, since every formal group, unlike an informal one, has the features of an organization).

7. According to the degree of psychological acceptance on the part of the individual: membership groups and reference groups.

This classification was introduced by G. Hyman, who discovered the very phenomenon of “reference group”. Hyman's experiments showed that some members of certain small groups (in this case, student groups) share norms of behavior that are not accepted in this group, but in some other group that they are guided by. Such groups, in which individuals are not actually included, but whose norms they accept, Hyman called reference groups.

J. Kelly identified two functions of the reference group:

The comparative function consists in the fact that the standards of behavior and values ​​adopted in the group act for the individual as a kind of “frame of reference”, which he or she is guided by in his decisions and assessments;

Normative function - allows a person to find out to what extent her behavior corresponds to the norms of the group.

Currently, a reference group is understood as a group of people who are in some way significant for an individual, to which he voluntarily associates himself or of which he would like to become a member, acting for him as a group standard of individual values, judgments, actions, norms and rules of behavior.

The reference group may be real or imagined, positive or negative, and may or may not coincide with the membership group.

A membership group is a group of which a given individual is an actual member. A membership group may have more or less referential properties for its members.

Social science. A complete course of preparation for the Unified State Exam Shemakhanova Irina Albertovna

3.2. Social groups

3.2. Social groups

Social group - this is an objectively existing stable community, a set of individuals interacting in a certain way on the basis of several characteristics, the shared expectations of each group member in relation to others. T. Hobbes was the first to define a group as “a certain number of people united by a common interest or a common cause.”

Differences between social groups and mass communities: sustainable interaction, which contributes to the strength and stability of their existence in space and time; relatively high degree of cohesion; clearly expressed homogeneity of composition, i.e. the presence of characteristics inherent in all individuals included in the group; entry into broader communities as structural entities.

The main criteria for identifying social groups and communities: according to demographic criteria (gender, age, relationship and marriage); by ethnicity (representatives of a tribe, nationality or nation); by race (representatives of the Caucasian, Negroid or Mongoloid race); on settlement and territorial; professionally; on educational; according to confessional; by social class; on political.

Classification of social groups

1. By method of education: spontaneously arose (unofficial); specially organized (official); real; conditional.

2. By the size of the group and the way its members interact: small; average; large; contact (primary); remote (secondary).

3. By the nature of joint activities: practical (joint work activity); Gnostic (joint research activities); aesthetic (joint satisfaction of aesthetic needs); hedonic (leisure, entertainment and gaming); directly communicative; ideological; socio-political.

4. According to personal significance: referential; elitist.

5. According to social significance: socially positive; asocial – socially destructive; antisocial – criminal, delinquent.

Types of social groups

1. Depending on the nature of the interaction - primary and secondary.

Primary a group is a group in which the interaction between members is direct, interpersonal and characterized by a high level of emotionality (family, school class, peer group, etc.).

Secondary group - a larger group in which interaction is subordinated to the achievement of a specific goal and is of a formal, impersonal nature. In these groups, the focus is on the ability of group members to perform specific functions. Examples of such groups are organizations (industrial, political, religious, etc.).

2. Depending on the method of organizing and regulating interaction - formal and informal.

Formal group – a group with legal status, interaction in which is regulated by a system of formalized norms, rules, and laws. These groups have a consciously set goal, a normatively established hierarchical structure and act according to an administratively established order (organizations, enterprises, etc.).

Informal a group arises spontaneously, based on common views, interests and interpersonal interactions. It is deprived of official regulation and legal status. Such groups are usually headed by informal leaders. Examples include friendly companies, informal associations among young people, rock music fans, etc.

3. Depending on the individuals’ belonging to them:

Ingroup- this is a group to which an individual feels immediate belonging and identifies it as “mine”, “our” (for example, “my family”, “my class”, “my company”, etc.).

Outgroup- this is a group to which a given individual does not belong and therefore evaluates it as “alien”, not his own (other families, another religious group, another ethnic group, etc.).

Reference a group is a real or imaginary social group, the system of values, norms and assessments of which serves as a standard for the individual. The reference group in the system of relations “personality – society” performs two important functions: normative, being for the individual a source of norms of behavior, social attitudes and value orientations; comparative, acting as a standard for an individual, allows him to determine his place in the social structure of society, evaluate himself and others.

4. Depending on the quantitative composition and form of connections – small and large.

Small group- This is a small group of people in direct contact, united to carry out joint activities. Characteristic features of a small group: small and stable composition (usually from 2 to 30 people); spatial proximity of group members; stability and duration of existence; high degree of coincidence of group goals, values, norms and patterns of behavior; intensity of interpersonal relationships; a developed sense of belonging to a group; informal control and information saturation in the group; the presence of an organizing principle in the group (leader, manager; the leadership function can be distributed among group members); separation and differentiation of personal roles; the presence of emotional relationships between group members that influence group activity, can lead to the division of the group into subgroups, and form the internal structure of interpersonal relationships in the group.

Large group- this is a large group that is created for a specific purpose and the interaction in which is indirect (work collectives, enterprises, etc.

Types and characteristics of large social groups

* Target social groups are created to perform functions related to specific activities. For example, university students can be considered a formal target social group (the goal of its members is to obtain an education);

* Territorial (local) social groups are formed on the basis of connections formed based on the proximity of the place of residence. A particularly important form of territorial community is ethnos- a set of individuals and groups belonging to the sphere of influence of a state and interconnected by special relations (common language, traditions, culture, as well as self-identification).

* Society- the largest social group, which as a whole is the main object of theoretical or empirical research.

Among large groups, it is also customary to distinguish such social groups as the intelligentsia, office workers, representatives of mental and physical labor, the population of the city and village.

Team is a social group in which all vital connections between people are mediated through socially important goals. Characteristic features of the team: a combination of the interests of the individual and society; a community of goals and principles that act as value orientations and norms of activity for team members. The team performs the following functions: substantive - solving the problem for which it is created; social and educational – a combination of the interests of the individual and society.

5. Depending on socially significant characteristics:

Real groups– groups identified according to socially significant criteria: gender, age, income, nationality, marital status, profession (occupation), place of residence.

Nominal (conditional) groups are identified for the purpose of conducting sociological research or statistical registration of the population.

Quasigroup- an informal, spontaneous, unstable social community that does not have a specific structure and value system, the interaction of people in which, as a rule, is external and short-term in nature. The main types of quasi-groups are: audience (a social community united by interaction with a communicator and receiving information from him; the heterogeneity of this social formation is due to the difference in personal qualities, cultural values ​​and norms of the people included in it); crowd (a temporary, relatively unorganized, unstructured accumulation of people united in a closed physical space by a community of interests, while devoid of a clearly recognized goal and connected by a similarity in their emotional state); social circles (contact; professional; status; friendship).

The subjects of mass non-group behavior are the public and the masses.

Public– a large group of people who have common episodic interests, subject to a single emotional-conscious regulation with the help of generally significant objects of attention (participants of a rally, demonstration, listeners of a lecture, members of cultural societies).

Weight– set large quantity people who make up an amorphous formation, who usually do not have direct contacts, but are united by common stable interests. Specific socio-psychological phenomena arise in the masses: fashion, subculture, mass excitement, etc. The mass acts as a subject of broad political and sociocultural movements, an audience various means mass communication, consumer of works of mass culture.

Functions of a social group: place of socialization of the individual, familiarization with social values, norms, rules; instrumental determines the place and forms of work; social– a feeling of belonging to a given social community and support from it.

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