Primary and Secondary Groups

Several times a day, one person greets another with a smile and a simple phrase such as «Hi! How are you?» Of course, an honest reply may be actually expected, but not often. Usually the other person responds with a well-scripted «Fine, and how are you?» In most cases, providing a complete account of how one really is doing would lead the other person to make a hasty and awkward exit.

The extent of personal concern for others in social interaction was used by Charles Horton Cooley to draw a distinction between two general types of social groups. The primary group is a social group in which interaction is both personal and enduring. Within primary groups, people have personal and lasting ties Cooley designated as primary relationships. The members of primary groups share broad dimensions of their lives, generally come to know a great deal about one another, and display genuine concern for another's welfare. The family is perhaps the most important primary group within any society.

Cooley used the term primary because social groups of this kind are among the first groups we experience in life and are important in shaping our personal attitudes and behaviour. They are also of major importance in shaping our social identity, which is reflected in the fact that the members of any primary group typically think of themselves as «we».

The strength of primary relationships gives individuals a considerable sense of comfort and security, which is clearly evident in personal performances. Within the familiar social environment of family or friends, people tend to feel they can be themselves and not worry about being continually evaluated by others. At the office, for example, people are usually self-conscious about their clothing and behaviour; at home, they feel Free to dress and act more or less as they wish.

Тo illustrate, you may recall going alone to a party given by people you did not knew well, Enterinc such a setting — and not knowing quite what to expect — is likely to cause some anxiety. At such times yoi generally feel self-conscious, try to make a favorable impression, and look to others for clues about what sort o-behaviour is expected of you. Once you understand the behavioral standards that apply to the setting, yoi. are likely to feel comfortable enough to «act like yourself*.

Ingroups and Outgroups

By the time children are jn the early grades of school, much of their activity takes place within social groups.

They eagerly join some groups, but avoid - or are excluded from — others. Based on sex as a master status, for example, girls and boys oftert form distinct ptey -groups with patterns of behaviour culturally defined as feminine and masculine.

On the basis of sex, employment, family ties, personal tastes, or some other category, people often identify others positively with one social group while opposing other groups. Across the United States, for example, many high school students wear jackets with-the name of their school oh the back and place school decals on their car windows to symbolize their membership in the School as a social group. Students who attend another school may be the subject of derision simply because they are members of a competing group.

This illustrates the general process of forming ingroups and outgroups. V\n ingroup is a social group with which people identify and toward which they feel a sense of loyalty. An ingroup exists in relation to an outgroup. which is a social group with which people do not identify arid toward which they feel a sense of competition or opposition. Defining social groups this way is commonplace. A sports team is an ingroup to its members and an outgroup to members of other teams. The Democrats in a certain community may see themselves as an ingroup in relation to Republicans^ In a broader sense, Americans share some sense of being air ingroup in relation to Russian citizens or other nationalities. All ingroups and outgroups are created by the process of believing that «we» have valued characteristics that «they» do-not.

This process serves to sharpen the boundaries among social groups, giving people a clearer sense of their location in a world of many social groups. It also heightens awareness of the distinctive characteristics of various social groups, though not always in an accurate way.

The Importance of Gft>up Size  ;'

Being the first person to arrive at a party affords the opportunity to observe a fascinating process in group dynamics. When fewer than, about six people interact in one setting, a single conversation is usually maintained by everyone. But with the addition of more people, the discussion typically divides into two or more conversations. This example is a simple way of showing that size has important effects on the operation of social groups.

The basis for thiadynamic lies in the mathematical connection between the number of people in a social group and the number of relationships among them as shown in Figure 3. Two people are joined in a single relationship; adding" a third person results in three relationships, a fourth person yields six. As additional people are added one at a time - according to what mathematicians call an arithmetic increase the number of relationships increases very rapidty -r- in what is called a geometric increase. By the time six people have joined one conversation., there are fifteen different relationships among them, which explains why the conversation usually divides by this point.

Social groups with more than three members tend to be more stable because the lack of interest on the part of one or even several members does not directly threaten the group's existence. Furthermore, larger sbcial groups tend to develop more formal social structure — with a variety of statuses and roles — which stabilize their operation. However, larger social groups inevitably lack the increase of personal relationships that are possible in the smallest groups.