Week 2 Task 2

What is Social Group?

A social group is a collection of people who interact with each other and share similar characteristics and a sense of unity. A social category is a collection of people who do not interact but who share similar characteristics. For example, women, men, the elderly, and high school students all constitute social categories. A social category can become a social group when the members in the category interact with each other and identify themselves as members of the group. In contrast, a social aggregate is a collection of people who are in the same place, but who do not interact or share characteristics.

Firstly, a Transitory Group is when several people happen to be in the same place at the same time but who may never be again. Their interaction is minimal. For example : people crossing the street at the same time at the same intersection; people getting onto the same elevator; people waiting in line at the checkout.

Second, a Recurrent Group is one that meets regularly. For example : the field hockey team; an annual family gathering; a monthly AA meeting.

Third, a Formal Group is one that has rule and regulations, scheduled meeting times, official roles assigned to members ( such as treasurer, coach, etc.), official membership list, etc. For example : Spanish club; Congress; Sociology class.

Fourth, an Informal Group lacks the formality of the formal group. There may be unwritten rules, etc. For example : a group of friends; a family; commuters sharing a bus.

Fifth, an In-Group is simply any group someone belongs to and feels emotional attachment to the members. An Out-Group is one that someone doesn't belong to and feels competition and/or hatred towards. These two are different for each individual. For example : rival gangs, rival teams or their fans; cliques at school.