Man is by nature a social being

He does not live in isolation

No man is an island – says a popular adage

Society- a group of different personalities from identified and classified groups

According to Denisoff (1983): (characteristics of society)

1. Society is largest among the groups because it has various types.

2. Society has a distinct culture shared by most or almost all of its members.
3. Membership comes from a reproductive source.
4. Society lasts longer than its lifetime individual group members.

Some sociologists have identified groups as: (important because they are the keys to the whats, whys
and hows of behavior)

- Christians and non-Christians (depending on shown behavior and practices)

- Two-level concepts: Macro and Micro-social systems

Dyad- simplest social relationship is a pair of people

- Characterized by high exchange of information and intimacy

Triad- composed of 3 or more people interacting as a group

Subgroup- a group that is part of a larger group

Social categories- a set of people with one or more social statuses in common

Group- a unit of interacting personalities with an interdependence of roles and statuses existing

between the members.

-collective effort of behavior in a particular organization

- one or more people who identify and interact with one another

Social group- any system of social relationship in which members have a culture

-or groups, are organization of people where indv members are aware that they belong to
it

Shortlived groups- members only group because of some happenings (eg people gathered in one place

bcos of an accident)

Family- most prominent example of a group that lasts for a lifetime

Characteristics of Groups (According to Denisoff):

1. Group members interact with each other over a period of time

2. Each member identifies with the group and is recognized as part of the group by other members
3. Each member is expected to accept responsibilities and duties and abide by certain norms
4. Members follow specialization in carrying out performances of their respective roles

Importance of Groups:

1. The group is a transmitter of culture.

2. The group is a means of social control.
Social control- process which induces a person to comply with the collective standards of action
and belief
3. The group socializes the individual.
4. The group is the source of fundamental ideas.
5. The group trains the individual to communicate.

Classification of Groups

According to Social Boundaries and Adherence to a Special Set of Norms:

1. Categorical Group- refers to a social grouping where members tend to share certain
characteristics (eg students, senior citizens, fish vendors, etc)
2. Aggregate Group- a social grouping whose members stay in one place but do not necessarily
interact with one another (eg people in line to buy tickets, students in line to pay tuition, etc)
3. Collective Group- crowd whose members are not governed with laws or norms but share the
same beliefs (eg EDSA People Power 1 and 2, mass demonstration for a common cause, etc)
4. Associational Group- group of people who organize themselves to pursue a common interest
with a formal organizational structure (eg Philippine Association for Teacher Education (PAFTE),
Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), etc)

According to Interaction and Relationship:

1. Primary Group- small, informal group of people who interact in a more personal manner

-charactersized by Cooley as the nursery of human nature because it is the group where the child is
socialized

2. Secondary Group- involves indirect, impersonal interactions where members are forced to interact
because of business
 According to Membership:

1. In-Group- group of people whose sense of belongingness is strong

-members have a strong “we-feeling” ; feeling of companionship
(eg alumni organizations of student batches, religious organizations, university
graduates, etc)
2. Out-Group- opposite of in-group; made up of people whose feelings are antagonistic to the
group itself
-stereotype where members of the group have specialized trademarks
(eg fraternities and sororities)
3. Reference Group- group where people identify themselves physically and psychologically to
which other people refer in evaluating their behavior and actions
-the group becomes the individual’s frame of reference
(eg UP graduate)
4. Peer Group- refers to a small kind of grouping whose members have the same level, interests
(eg section of grade III pupils, an elementary volleyball team, high school dance troupe)
5. Voluntary Association- organization where membership is free and voluntary; found in some
simple societies composed of members w/ varied and competing interests
a. Military Associations- noncommercial societies whose goals are to unite members
through their common experiences
b. Secret Societies- characterized principally by limited membership and by secret rituals
(eg Poro of Africa-open to all males)
c. Regional Associations- clubs that bring together migrants from common geographical
backgrounds (eg Filipinos in Saudi Arabia)

According to Their Nature, Form, Objectives and Interaction

1. Informal Group- most common type of grouping based on nature

-occurs when two or more people interact on issues affecting their welfare
-product of an impulsive act

2. Formal Group- an organization where the specific organizational structure is constructed to

achieve specific goals

A formal organization plays an important role for reasons:

a. It enables people to work harmoniously to achieve a common goal

b. It defines the specific functions of each personnel in the organization
c. It creates a level of authority as to the channeling of communication and follows the proper
protocol in communication

Ferdinand Tonnies (1853-1936)- German sociologist, expounded on the concepts of Gemeinschaft

(in English means community) and Gesselschaft (in English means means society), the
equivalent of primary and secondary groups, respectively.
Gemeinschaft- a community characterized by informal associations due to close geography or line of
ancestry; relationships are personal/traditional

-bayanihan (exemplifies Gemeinschaft) emphasis on team spirit

-rural barrio is a model of Filipino Gemeinschaft characterized by monotonous life

Gesselschaft- distinguished as having formal businesslike, impersonal, independent, specialized and

fragmented relationships; described as “society of contacts”

Status- one of the building blocks of social structure

-position that an indv occupies in a particular group/society

Status Set- refers to the varied statuses a person holds; incorporates all occupied statuses (eg father
husband doctor teacher)

Classification of Status:

1. Ascribed Status- social position a person receives at birth; hereditary

2. Achieved Status- position a person assumes voluntarily and reflects personal ability
3. Master Status- most important status occupied by an indiv which affects almost every aspect of
his/her day-to-day existence

Role- behavior expected of someone who holds a particular status

Kinds of Roles:

1. Role Conflicts- difficulties that occur when incompatible expectations arise from two or more
social positions held by the same indv
2. Role Strain- tensions among roles connected to a single status
3. Role Exit- process where the person starts to disengage from his/her particular role (eg exes- ex-
priest, ex-alcoholics)