10. Definition and characterization of social groups

Social group - any set of people considered from the point of view of their community.

All the life of the individual in society is carried out through a variety of social groups that differ significantly among themselves.

The broadest understanding of a social group is associated with the concepts of community and totality .

Having a common goal makes people capable of concerted action, although such coherence exists only in a certain aspect of their behavior.

Individuals do not belong to the group as a whole person, but only to those aspects that are related to the social roles performed in this group.

No one person can fully function only in one social group.

No group can fully provide the conditions for self-realization of the individual in various aspects.

Social group is an important form of people uniting in the process of activity and communication.

Goals, general norms, sanctions, group rituals, relationships, joint activities, the real environment and so on - these phenomena act as special components of a social group that determine the measure of its sustainability.

Less stable social groups are not basic in a person’s life, although he may be in them for a long time.

Family, school class, friends and professional group are the most significant social groups for the individual.

By virtue of their sustainability, they influence the nature of social development and social adaptation of the subject.

The main features of a social group:

1) the presence of integral psychological characteristics , such as public opinion, psychological climate, group norms, group interests, and so on, which are formed with the emergence and development of the group;

2) the existence of the main parameters of the group as a whole : composition and structure, group processes, group norms and sanctions.

A composition is a collection of characteristics of group members that are important from the point of view of its analysis as a whole. The structure of the group is considered in terms of the functions that individual members of the group perform, as well as in terms of interpersonal relations in it.

Group processes include dynamic, i.e., changing indicators of a group as a social process of relations;

3) the ability of individuals to concerted action.

This feature is key because it is agreement that provides the necessary commonality, unity of action aimed at achieving the goal;

4) the action of group pressure, which induces a person to behave in a certain way and in accordance with the experimentation of others.

The individual result of such pressure is conformance as the quality of a person in a normative or non-normative version.

Psychologists record the presence of changes in the attitudes and behavior of individual participants, due to their membership in a group.

The existence of a large number of different social groups led to the development of various typologies of groups.

The main criteria for identifying typologies can be: the number of people in a group, social status, level of development, etc.

According to the social status, the groups are divided into formal and informal , by the immediacy of the interrelations - into real and nominal , in importance - into reference and groups of membership .

Typologies are distinguished by the number of people and the level of development.

By the number of members, large groups, small groups and microgroups are distinguished.

The composition of microgroups includes three or two people (respectively, triads and dyads).

In social psychology, they are usually viewed through interpersonal relationships of an informal structure.

The main connecting factors of these groups are feelings of friendship, love, sympathy, common cause.

Large groups are studied from the point of view of mass-like phenomena of the psyche and integral psychological phenomena that occur in a crowd, audience, and public.

A small group is a group whose members know each other personally.

All significant groups in the life of a person are small groups.

The leading factors uniting the group are joint activities and a common goal.

A small group is often designated as primary because it is the closest environment for the formation of personality, affecting the needs, social activity and psychological state of a person.

The significance of a small group is determined by the aspirations of the individual.

If he is guided by the norms, values ​​and opinions of the members of the group, then she considers herself to be the standard that defines the norms.

The group in this case is the source of social attitudes and value orientations of the subject.

Focusing on the reference group, a person evaluates himself, his actions, lifestyle and ideals.

Reference group has two main social functions: regulatory and comparative .

According to the level of development, groups are unorganized or poorly organized, with a low cohesion index ( associations, diffuse groups ) and groups of a high level of development ( groups ).

There is no unifying joint activity in the association that requires an appropriate organization, however, there is a certain level of cohesion, determined by the joint communication of individuals.

In the diffuse group there is no cohesion, and organization, and joint activities.

An important indicator of the level of development of the group is the value-orientation unity, determined by the degree of coincidence of positions and assessments of its members in relation to the overall activity and important values ​​of the group.

Groups are considered from the point of view of attitudes towards society: positive - prosocial , negative - asocial .

Any team is a well-organized pro-social group, since it is oriented towards the benefit of society.

A well-organized asocial group is called a corporation.

A corporation is usually characterized by isolation, rigid centralization and authoritarian control, opposing its narrow interests to the public.

The problem of individualism and collectivism is associated with the problem of personal autonomy of a person in a group.

In the process of socialization and upbringing, the subject develops a characterological quality of conformity or non-conformism.

Conformity is the dependence of a person on a group, its influence on the decisions it makes.

Such dependence has different degrees of expression - from the complete subordination of the individual to the group to personal autonomy.

Conformity can manifest itself not only within a particular group, but also within society, when its pressure reaches such a high degree that people are afraid to show their individuality and change their way of thinking in accordance with public standards.

The weak influence of group pressure is defined as non-conformism.

Nonconformism has nothing to do with negativism (vice versa conformism), since negativism manifests itself in the desire of a person to act contrary to the rules, and in this sense it depends on group norms.

Nonconformist has its own independent view on the phenomena of the world and trusts its opinion.

At the same time, he treats with respect to the opinions of other people, but will act in accordance with his ideas about reality.

The coexistence and interaction of independent and free individuals, non-conformists, is a complex social phenomenon, which is not so rare, because the higher the level of human culture, the more he can be a non-conformist.

It is the nonconformists who are able to implement the most productive interaction strategies in their social relations - cooperation and compromise, avoiding unproductive strategies for adjustment and rivalry.

A relatively adequate understanding of the phenomena of the surrounding world gives rise to the correct judgments and conclusions, which are confirmed by the social experience of the subject.

A. Maslow linked the development of non-conformism with such qualities as honesty and courage, since being ready for an independent position from others is a very difficult behavior that requires courage.

Most people are more or less dependent on group pressure and influence.

The degree of this dependence varies in different situations. You can select the objective factors that determine the level of conformity of the person in the group.

First, these are the characteristics of the individual himself who is subjected to group pressure: gender, age, nationality, intellect, anxiety, suggestibility, etc.

Secondly, these are characteristics of the group that is the source of pressure: the size of the group, the degree of unanimity, the presence of group members who deviate from the general opinion.

The third factor determining the level of conformity is the peculiarities of the relationship between an individual and a group (status, degree of adherence to a group, level of its reference).

And, finally, the content of the task facing the individual and the group cannot but affect the level of his conformity.

The more a person is interested in performing a common task, the more he will be exposed to group pressure.

The phenomenon of the moral and psychological climate of the group does not arise immediately.

At the first stage of collective development, the formal structure prevails: employees communicate in accordance with official and behavioral stereotypes, look at each other, genuine feelings are often hidden, goals and methods of work are not discussed together, collective work is weak.

At the second stage, there is a reassessment of the personal and business qualities of the manager, an opinion about colleagues is formed, the process of forming groups within the team begins, a struggle for leadership is possible.

Disagreements are discussed more openly, attempts are being made to improve relationships in the team.

Finally, the “lapping” is over, the informal structure is clearly visible, the team reaches a certain degree of coordination of the actions of its members.

The resulting group cohesion may have a positive, negative or conformist orientation.

In the first case, the group reproduces the best business and moral qualities of its members, people are proud of their belonging to this team, the problems that arise are solved in a businesslike, proactive and creative way.

In the second case, most of the collective energy is spent on participating in conflicts between various groups, informal and formal leaders, clarifying relations with other divisions.

Production problems fade into the background.

Conformist orientation is characterized by a purely external, ostentatious interest of employees in the results of their work, indifference to collective efforts.

The sphere of interests of employees is outside the team: family, social and political activities, personal problems, etc.

The socio-psychological climate of the working group essentially depends on its structure.

The structure of the team, i.e., a really existing set of relationships among the group members, arising in the process of joint activity, is studied at two levels - formal and informal.

If the formal structure is related to the official status of members of the group, ordered by official relations, then the informal structure is formed on the basis of relations determined by the psychological characteristics of the members of the team.

The formation of the informal structure is determined by the presence of both objective and subjective factors.

The former can be attributed to the nature and schedule of work, the possibility of contacts between members of a group, as well as the composition of the group that is optimal in terms of number and sex and age structure, allowing to satisfy the need for interpersonal communication.

Subjective factors depend on the personality of the manager, the individual characteristics of the employees. The ability to rally the team, psychological compatibility, satisfaction with working conditions, their status and role affect the resulting spontaneous friendships, mutual sympathies and antipathies.