Social group types Notes

Why Do Humans Form Social Groups?

1. Across time and place, humans have tended to organize themselves into social groups (families, clans, communities, cities, and modern online networks) rather than living entirely alone.
2. An important move in this course is to go beyond noticing that groups exist and to ask: What types of groups exist, how are they structured, and how does structure shape individual participation?

What Are The Hierarchy Of Needs?

1. One useful starting point is to connect groups to human needs.
2. Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a psychological model suggesting humans are motivated by needs that include basic survival (food, water, shelter, and safety) and higher, psychological needs (belonging, esteem, and longer-term fulfilment).
3. Living in groups can help individuals meet many of these needs more effectively, for example through cooperation, protection, and shared identity.

How Are Social Group Types Classified by Size, Bonds, and Roles?

1. There is no single "perfect" classification, but in social science three practical lenses are used often:
   1. Size and scale (small groups to large populations)
   2. Type of social bonds (similarity-based vs interdependence-based)
   3. Role structure (generalist roles vs specialised roles)

Primary and secondary groups describe intimacy and frequency

1. Sociologists often distinguish between:
   1. Primary groups: small, long-lasting groups with strong emotional ties (for example, family and close friends).
   2. Secondary groups: larger, more impersonal groups formed around tasks or goals (for example, a workplace, sports club, or school cohort).

Formal and informal groups describe rules and organization

1. Groups also differ in how they manage membership and behaviour:
   1. Informal groups rely mostly on unwritten expectations (for example, friendship circles).
   2. Formal groups have defined roles and rules, often written down (for example, governments, courts, and many organisations).
2. To describe how groups operate, two key ideas are:

Who Is Durkheim And How Did He Explain How Societies Change from Similarity to Specialization?

1. A central explanation for different social group types comes from the early sociologist Émile Durkheim.
2. Durkheim argued that as societies grow and become more complex, the way people are held together (their social solidarity) changes.
3. Durkheim linked change to two major drivers:
   1. Population density: when more people live closer together.
   2. Technology: when communication and coordination become easier.
4. As these increase, interactions become more frequent and intense.
5. Durkheim described this as increasing moral density, meaning the amount and frequency of social contact within a population.

Mechanical solidarity holds small, similar groups together

1. Durkheim used the term mechanical solidarity for social cohesion in small-scale societies (for example, ancient nomadic communities).
2. In these groups, people tend to:
   1. Share similar lifestyles, beliefs, and cultural practices
   2. Be connected through strong kinship ties (family and clan relationships)
   3. Perform many tasks rather than one narrow occupation (they are more like "generalists")
   4. Cooperate directly to meet basic needs (food, shelter, and defence)

Organic solidarity holds large, diverse societies together

1. As groups become larger (towns and cities), Durkheim argued that individuals must keep a meaningful place in the community while competition for limited resources can intensify.
2. To reduce direct competition and increase efficiency, societies develop specialisation (a division of labour).
3. People train for different occupations, and each depends on others' work.
4. Durkheim called this organic solidarity.
5. In societies with organic solidarity, people:
   1. Are less similar to one another in daily life
   2. Rely on interdependence (each person needs the services of others)
   3. Often have more individual choice (greater free will over life paths)
   4. Require formal structures to manage conflict and ensure cooperation (for example, contracts and civil law)

How Does Social Group Structure Shape Participation and Behavior?

A key idea to understand is how group structure encourages or discourages individuals from taking part.

Participation in small groups often comes from shared identity

1. In mechanical-solidarity groups, participation is often promoted through:
   1. Shared norms and traditions (doing things "the way we do here")
   2. Collective responsibility (everyone contributes to group survival)
   3. Informal social control (approval, shame, and reputation)
2. This can create strong belonging, but also strong pressure to conform.

Participation in large societies often comes from roles and institutions

1. In organic-solidarity societies, participation is promoted through:
   1. Specialized roles (jobs and professional identities)
   2. Formal membership systems (citizenship, employment contracts, school enrollment)
   3. Institutions that regulate behaviour and resolve disputes (courts, police, welfare systems)
2. Because people are more diverse, shared values may be less uniform.
3. Cooperation often depends on laws, procedures, and negotiated norms.

What's The Impact of Technology and Population Density On Group Types?

1. Durkheim's drivers remain useful for analyzing contemporary changes:
   1. Rising population density in cities increases encounters and competition, encouraging new forms of specialisation.
   2. New technology changes communication patterns, allowing people to form communities that are not based on location.
2. This is especially interesting today when we consider if:
   1. Online communities create a return to similarity-based bonds (shared interests and identity),
   2. Or if they intensify organic solidarity by expanding interdependence across the globe (supply chains, information networks)?
   3. (often, they do both).

Why Are Equality, Belonging, and Social Control Ongoing Tensions in Group Life?

1. Living in groups brings benefits, but it also limits some individual behavior so the group remains stable and functional.
2. Every group balances three pressures:
   1. Belonging vs individuality: how much difference is tolerated?
   2. Equality vs hierarchy: who gets power, status, or resources?
   3. Freedom vs social control: how are norms enforced?
3. These tensions appear in both small and large group types, but they are managed differently.
4. Small groups often use relationships and tradition, while large societies often use institutions and formal rules.