social group- a community of people united by common interests and goals, norms of behavior and values; differs in the differentiation of intragroup functions, roles, the hierarchy of interpersonal relations and a certain measure of intragroup cohesion. The common interests of a social group are concretized by a system of group goals, a group image of the life of the members of the group is formed, specialization of group activity arises with the corresponding structure of jointly divided labor, which determines the size of the group. According to the numerical composition, the social group is divided into, medium and.

Large social group- a quantitatively unlimited community of people, singled out on the basis of various social characteristics - demographic, class, national, party. Large groups form cultural values, traditions are developed, basic values ​​- the ideology of society. Social communication in large social groups is carried out by means of mass communication.

Middle social groups, possessing some signs of large ones, differ in territorial localization, the possibility of direct communication (the team of a large plant, institute, school, military unit).

Small social group- a group of directly contacting individuals united by common interests, goals and group norms of behavior. A small group has a certain quantitative composition, structural organization, socio-psychological mechanisms of life, group dynamics.

In a small social group, there is a control link - a leader who realizes common interests, sets goals for activities and organizes joint activities of group members. Formal leaders or generally recognized leaders, as well as sub-leaders, form the "think tank" of the group; the bulk of the group are performers with different group status. The existence of low-status members of the group who have not found their place in it is also possible. Interpersonal relationships and direct interpersonal contacts are essential in a small group. The most cohesive core of a small group forms primary group.

Directly human environment social environment — microenvironment- a set of various small groups. They are one of the main factors in the formation of human behavior - both socially adapted and deviating from social requirements (deviant).

in the western social psychology groups are divided into societal, social and primary:

• to societal groups include global macrosocial communities with their own self-awareness;
• to social groups include the main strata (strata) of a given society, as well as territorial, professional, industrial, confessional and similar communities;
• to primary groups include small groups (microgroups that differ in direct contacts of its members - family, labor, sports and gaming teams, interest groups, etc.).

Small groups are divided into formal and informal. Formal groups are united by official goals and have a regulated structure necessary to achieve these goals. informal groups do not have a formal structure. Here, the interaction of members is spontaneous and is determined by their personal relationships, the commonality of the system of values. However, there is also an intra-group hierarchy. A person is included in various formal and informal groups - a work team, a public organization, a circle of friends, etc.

The group whose norms are recognized by the individual as the most valuable - referential(from lat. referentis- reporting), or a reference group. So, a specialist focuses on a certain group of respected colleagues, an athlete - on the norms of famous champions, etc. Hardened criminals are not upset by the disapproval of most people, but they are sensitive to the positions of their criminal group.

Different groups can be referential in different ways. A teenager may highly appreciate the norms of behavior of his comrades and parents. Many actions of a person in the microenvironment are explained by his desire for self-assertion in the reference group.

Socially positive groups have a powerful impact on the socio-psychological development of the individual. Being included in these groups, already from birth, the child draws from them all the components of social experience and human culture that he needs. In a social group, various abilities of an individual are realized. Here he learns his own worth, realizes his strengths and weaknesses.

However, a social group can not only enhance, but also suppress the capabilities of an individual. An asocial community, on the other hand, can have a fatal effect on the fate of a person who has not gone through the crucible of socialization. Particularly dangerous for the emerging personality are random, situationally emerging asocial communities in which a person is deindividualized, depersonalized. Entering the path of mindless obedience to a criminalized leader, a person deviates from the path of social development, falls into the trap of primitive dependencies and duties, and its formation begins to follow the standards of ersatz culture.

A social group can take different positions in relation to basic social values. Their activities may be socially oriented(industrial, educational, social and cultural, etc. associations), asocial- focused on meeting the needs of only members of this group (hippies, rockers, breakers, etc.), and antisocial- criminal groups.

A significant part of the formal medium and small groups are production groups, labor collectives. These are groups of an open type - they are open to broad social ties, are constantly replenished with new members, and are integrated into broad professional associations. The activities of these groups are largely regulated: the procedure for their activities and the criteria for evaluating the results of their work are defined. The relevant social organizations are engaged in the formation of professional groups.

Rice. 1. Intra-group relations characteristic of a social group.

In a social group, an individual is not only in relation to another individual, he takes a certain position in relation to other members of the group (Fig. 1). Thus, a social group includes at least three people - only in this case intra-group relations arise.

Socio-psychological organization of a social group.

The emergence of a social group ( group formation) is associated with social needs. However, the motives for joining a group of its individual members, the formation of its values ​​and norms, the functional-role structure, and stereotypes of group behavior are socio-psychological phenomena.

The mechanisms of the functioning of the group include leadership and leadership, acceptance group decisions, norm formation (the formation of group values, rules of conduct, the development of a group opinion), the formation of a functional-role structure of the group, group control and group sanctions. The vital activity of the group is characterized by group integration and differentiation: the stabilization of interpersonal relations, group cohesion, which ensures the stability of the group.

In his actions, a member of the group is guided by his status and the status of other members of the group. He builds his actions in relation to group expectations. The discrepancy between the behavior of group members and group expectations gives rise to group conflicts. If a person's behavior is contrary to group expectations, he is subjected to negative sanctions, coercive influence. A person whose behavior is exemplary evokes a positive sanction - approval, encouragement. Sanctions can be diffuse(directly emotional attitude to a behavioral act - praise, ridicule) and organized, formal (reward, fine, sentence, etc.).

Functional and interpersonal relationships form a system of formal and informal relationships in a group.

Each social group has a scheme of interaction between its members depending on their position in the group. The hierarchy of relationships between members of a social group is called group differentiation. Differ formal group differentiation(factory director - heads of shops, sections - foremen - workers) and informal, which is determined by the position of individuals in the group, depending on the attitude of various members of the group towards them. (Informal differentiation of the group is revealed by the method of sociometry.)

Each member of the group occupies a certain position in it - has a certain group status determined by his social role.

social role- socially sanctioned ways of implementing a social function (the role of a teacher, doctor, investigator, etc.).

There are three types social roles:

1. institutional- fixed by legal acts, clearly regulated (the role of a member of parliament, director of an enterprise);
2. conventional- roles are informal, but performed according to generally accepted rules (the role of a teacher, student, officer, soldier, father, mother, etc.);
3. interpersonal- the role of a person in various informal interpersonal relationships (the role of a friend, good man, rival, authoritative or non-authoritative person, etc.).

Mastering the role requirements and ways of their implementation is the basis of the socialization of the individual. Personal qualities necessary to perform various social roles are the social abilities of the individual. Role behavior is determined by the understanding and acceptance of the role by a particular person, that is, the attitude of the person to his social role duties, and its psychophysiological capabilities.

The social role is connected with the social status of its performer. However, there is no complete coincidence between social role and social status. The social significance of a person is determined by how he performs his role, social duty. Each social role is set by socially developed requirements, while the performance of the same role is individualized. In the hierarchy of various social roles performed daily by a person, certain roles are of primary importance for him. These leading roles largely determine the style of behavior of the individual.

Social adaptation of a person in a small group can be based on its various positions:

• full uncritical recognition of group norms under the influence of suggestion;
• subordination to the norms of the group while maintaining their positions that do not correspond to these norms ( conformity);
• tolerant relationships between the group and the individual on the basis of mutual concessions ( accommodation);
• subordination to the norms of the group based on the merging of personal and group positions ( assimilation).

The regulatory basis of the life of the group are group norms and group values, that is, what is most significant in this group, priority. Group rules are divided into regulatory, appraisal, authorizing and stabilizing. Regulatory norms - standards, patterns of intragroup and intergroup interaction, group requirements for the behavior of its members.

Group norms are also divided according to the degree of their compulsion. Violation of the highest level norms is unacceptable, it is punishable by the most severe group sanctions. The norms of the average level of obligation allow minor deviations. The norms of the lower level of obligation are the norms that determine the style of group behavior. It is also possible to regulate the behavior of a group member in excess of the norm - he takes on especially increased requirements, which, as a rule, is characteristic of the leader of the group.

The most highly developed group, whose values ​​coincide with general social values, is called collective. The more socially developed the group, the more beneficial its influence on the development of the individual. The reduction of the group to the level of a corporation (see " social community“) leads to social destabilization of its members, conflict relationships between them.

The behavior of the members of the group is influenced by its size and composition, that is, the originality of its individual composition. Groups with approximately homogeneous personal composition are called homogeneous; with a diverse composition heterogeneous.

Rice. 2. Types of groups with different communication organization.

According to the variety of methods of group communication, groups are distinguished between centralized and decentralized (hierarchical), chain, circular, etc. (Fig. 2).

Groups with centralized communication channels differ in that only one of its members (manager, leader) organizes group communication and single-handedly influences its life. However, with the frontal variant of a centralized group, its members enter into interpersonal contacts (student group, combat detachment), with the radial variant such contacts are excluded, and with the hierarchical variant, that is, with several levels of subordination, only a part of the group members enter into direct contacts.

At decentralized group type communication, all participants in group relations are in conditions of communicative equality, enter into open, unrestricted relationships. Nevertheless, with its chain variant, the communication of its extreme members is limited (for example, in conditions of assembly line work). In the circular version, the members of the group are in contact with only two adjacent partners. And only with the full version do they enter into versatile interpersonal relationships, they are guided by the behavioral reactions of each other.

The communicative structure of the group is determined by its goals and objectives.

Organization of the life of a formal group carried out by the group leader. Regulation of informal interpersonal relations in the group is carried out leader. The leader has highly valued mental qualities, the leader has the official powers of control and subordination.

A worthy leader is usually a leader, but a leader is not always an official leader. A leader is a person who demonstrates the necessary qualities in certain situations. AT different situations different situational leaders can be put forward. However, people tend to generalize the leadership qualities of an individual, to believe that if a person acted as a leader in one situation, then he can be such in other situations.

Often a leader becomes one not even by his business qualities, but by his ability to influence others. The leader, unlike the leader, does not ensure the entire life of the group and is not responsible for achieving its goals. But in some moments of the life of the group, the leader can surpass the leader.

The following situationally determined types of leaders: leader-inspirer, leader - generator of ideas, leader - organizer of certain types of activities, emotional leader, etc.

Unlike the situational leader leader called solve complex social problems, identify the initial conditions in which the group operates, determine the direction of its activities: anticipate both the final result of the work and the intermediate results of individual actions of the group, coordinate and correct its actions. The group develops a strategy for its activities, and the leader makes tactical decisions (for more details, see " Social group leader«.)

The main features of the team

1. the values ​​and goals of the team and the individual coincide, the life of the team is full of socially useful, improving activities;
2. comradely equality of its members, each member of the collective participates in the organization of certain aspects of the life of the collective;
3. each member of the team sees the prospects of its movement and shows personal interest in its development;
4. positive experience of social interaction is constantly accumulated and turns into traditions;
5. the individual is protected by the collective and is responsible to it.

Social groups go through several stages in their development.:

• at the first stage, when the group's asset begins to act, the leader acts together with the asset, encouraging its independence and initiative;
• at the second stage, all members of the group become its asset, value the honor of the team, its achievements; requirements for individual members of the group are no longer made by the leader, but by the entire team;
• at the highest stage of the development of the group, the individual makes demands on himself, and the condemnation of the collective becomes the highest measure of influence.

The personality is invariably included in the system of socio-psychological connections (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. Personality in the system of socio-psychological ties.

Various relations arise between different social groups, psychology is realized intergroup relations. This creates a phenomenon intergroup perception, intergroup mutual assessments. The characteristics of the group are transferred to all its members. If the merits of one's own group are exaggerated in every possible way, there is an effect intragroup favoritism, and if the dignity of a foreign group is diminished, the effect intergroup discrimination.

Intergroup perception becomes more adequate with the expansion of joint activities of groups. It has been established that in the case of stable failures in relations with other groups in this group, interpersonal relations worsen, intragroup conflict increases. Intergroup links can be horizontal and vertical, hierarchically subordinated. (In the last case we are talking about a special socio-psychological education - social organization.)

The regulatory mechanism of the life of a social group is group consciousness. However, the group consciousness of socially undeveloped groups is not systematized, ordinary, everyday empiricism, selective attitude to certain aspects of life. Group consciousness can be formed both as a result of the systematic targeted impact of political institutions, the media, and spontaneously, based on practical life experience, customs and traditions.

Man comprehends the world in order to be in harmony with it. Each of us has our own "common sense", our own reference system for the expediency of behavioral acts. People with weak positions easily fall under the spell of dubious doctrines, hypnotized by utopian myths. They certainly need an indication of the azimuth of their path. Animals, thanks to their instincts, do not know these problems. Man, on the other hand, is capable of going in different directions, which is why many people value “correct” beacons, “correct” teachings above all else.

The society reproduces itself as an economically stable entity mainly through professional groups. However, the needs of society go far beyond professional activities. Along with professional and other formal groups, amateur social groups are constantly being formed in it, focused on the implementation of newly emerging social needs.

social structure

social structure- a set of interrelated elements that make up internal structure society. The concept of "social structure" is used both in the concept of society as a social system, in which the social structure provides an internal order for connecting elements, and the environment establishes the external boundaries of the system, and in describing society through the category of social space. In the latter case, the social structure is understood as the unity of functionally interconnected social positions and social fields.

Apparently, the first to use the term "social structure" was Alexis Tocqueville, a French thinker, politician and statesman, one of the founders of liberal political theory. Later, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, Max Weber, Ferdinand Tönnies and Emile Durkheim contributed greatly to the creation of the structural concept in sociology.

One of the earliest and most comprehensive analyzes social structure was carried out by K. Marx, who showed the dependence of the political, cultural, and religious aspects of life on the mode of production (the basic structure of society). Marx argued that the economic basis determines to a large extent the cultural and political superstructure of society. Subsequent Marxist theorists, such as L. Althusser, proposed more complex relationships, believing that cultural and political institutions are relatively autonomous and dependent on economic factors only in the final analysis (“in the last resort”). But the Marxist view of the social structure of society was not the only one. Emile Durkheim introduced the idea that various social institutions and practices played an important role in ensuring the functional integration of society into a social structure that unites various parts into a single whole. In this context, Durkheim identified two forms of structural relationships: mechanical and organic solidarities.

The structure of the social system

The structure of a social system is a way of interconnecting the subsystems, components and elements interacting in it, ensuring its integrity. The main elements (social units) of the social structure of society are social communities, social institutions, social groups and social organizations.

The social system, according to T. Parsons, must meet certain requirements (AGIL), namely:

A. - must be adapted to the environment (adaptation);

G. - she must have goals (goal achievement);

I. - all its elements must be coordinated (integration);

L. - the values ​​​​in it must be preserved (maintenance of the sample).

T. Parsons believes that society is a special type of social system with high specialization and self-sufficiency. Its functional unity is provided by social subsystems. To social subsystems society as a system, T. Parsons refers to the following: economics (adaptation), politics (goal achievement), culture (maintenance of the model). The function of the integration of society is performed by the system of "societal community", which mainly contains the structures of norms.

social group

social group- an association of people who have a common significant social attribute based on their participation in some activity associated with a system of relations that are regulated by formal or informal social institutions.

The word "group" entered the Russian language at the beginning of the 19th century. from Italian (it. groppo, or gruppo - knot) as technical term painters, used to refer to several figures that make up a composition. That's how the dictionary explains it. foreign words the beginning of the 19th century, where, among other overseas “curiosities”, the word “group” is also contained as an ensemble, a composition of “figures that make up the whole, and so adapted that the eye looks at them at once.”

The first written appearance of the French word groupe, from which its English and German equivalents later derive, dates from 1668. Thanks to Moliere, a year later, this word penetrates into literary speech, while still retaining a technical coloring. The wide penetration of the term "group" into various fields of knowledge, its truly common character creates the appearance of its "transparency", that is, understandability and accessibility. It is most often used in relation to certain human communities as aggregates of people united according to a number of characteristics by some kind of spiritual substance (interest, purpose, awareness of their community, etc.). Meanwhile, the sociological category "social group" is one of the most difficult to understand due to a significant divergence from everyday ideas. A social group is not just a collection of people united on formal or informal grounds, but a group social position that people occupy.

signs

Generality of needs.

Availability of joint activities.

Formation of own culture.

Social identification of community members, their self-assignment to this community.

Group types

There are large, medium and small groups.

AT large groups includes aggregates of people that exist on the scale of the whole society as a whole: these are social strata, professional groups, ethnic communities (nations, nationalities), age groups (youth, pensioners), etc. Awareness of belonging to a social group and, accordingly, its interests as one’s own occurs gradually, as organizations are formed that protect the interests of the group (for example, the struggle of workers for their rights and interests through workers' organizations).

To middle groups include production associations of employees of enterprises, territorial communities(residents of the same village, city, district, etc.).

To the manifold small groups include such groups as family, friendly companies, neighborhood communities. They are distinguished by the presence of interpersonal relationships and personal contacts with each other.

One of the earliest and most famous classifications of small groups into primary and secondary was given by the American sociologist C.H. Cooley, where he distinguished between them. "Primary (basic) group" refers to those personal relationships that are direct, face-to-face, relatively permanent, and deep, such as family relationships, a group of close friends, and the like. "Secondary groups" (a phrase that Cooley did not actually use, but which appeared later) refers to all other face-to-face relationships, but especially to such groups or associations as industrial, in which a person relates to others through formal , often a legal or contractual relationship.

Structure of social groups

Structure is a structure, device, organization. The structure of a group is a way of interconnection, mutual arrangement of its constituent parts, elements of a group that form a stable social structure, or a configuration of social relations.

An active large group has its own internal structure: a "core" and a "periphery" with a gradual weakening as the essential properties move away from the core, by which individuals identify themselves and this group is nominated, that is, by which it is separated from other groups distinguished by a certain criterion. .

Specific individuals may not have all the essential features of the subjects of a given community; they constantly move in their status complex (repertoire of roles) from one position to another. The core of any group is relatively stable, it consists of the bearers of these essential features - professionals of symbolic representation. In other words, the core of the group is a set of typical individuals who most consistently combine the nature of its activities, the structure of needs, norms, attitudes and motivations that people identify with this social group. That is, the agents occupying the position must take shape as a social organization, social community, or social corps, possessing an identity (recognized ideas about themselves) and mobilized around a common interest.

Therefore, the core is a concentrated expression of all the social properties of the group, which determine its qualitative difference from all others. There is no such core - there is no group itself. At the same time, the composition of the individuals included in the “tail” of the group is constantly changing due to the fact that each individual occupies many social positions and can move from one position to another situationally, due to demographic movement (age, death, illness, etc.). or as a result of social mobility.

A real group has not only its own structure or construction, but also its own composition (and also decomposition). Composition– organization of social space and its perception. The composition of a group is a combination of its elements that form a harmonious unity that ensures the integrity of the image of its perception as a social group. The composition of the group is usually determined through indicators of social status.

Decomposition- the opposite operation or process of dividing a composition into elements, parts, indicators. The decomposition of a social group is carried out by projection onto various social fields and positions. Often the composition (decomposition) of a group is identified with a set of its demographic and professional parameters, which is not entirely true. It is not the parameters themselves that are important here, but to the extent that they characterize the status-role position of the group and act as social filters that allow it to exercise social distancing so as not to merge, not be "blurred" or absorbed by other positions.

Functions of social groups

There are various approaches to classifying the functions of social groups. The American sociologist N. Smelser identifies the following functions of groups:

Socialization: only in a group can a person ensure his survival and the upbringing of the younger generations;

instrumental: consists in the implementation of a particular activity of people;

Expressive: consists in meeting people's needs for approval, respect and trust;

supportive: consists in the fact that people tend to unite in difficult situations for them.

Social groups at present

A feature of social groups in countries with developed economies at present is their mobility, the openness of the transition from one social group to another. The convergence of the level of culture and education of various socio-professional groups leads to the formation of common socio-cultural needs and thereby creates conditions for the gradual integration of social groups, their value systems, their behavior and motivation. As a result, we can state the renewal and expansion of the most characteristic in the modern world - the middle stratum (middle class).

group dynamics

group dynamics- the processes of interaction between members of the group, as well as the scientific direction that studies these processes, the founder of which is Kurt Lewin. Kurt Lewin coined the term group dynamics to describe the positive and negative processes that take place in a social group. Group dynamics, in his opinion, should consider issues related to the nature of groups, the patterns of their development and improvement, the interaction of groups with individuals, other groups and institutional formations. In 1945, Levin founded the Group Dynamics Research Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Since the members of the group interact and influence each other, processes arise in the group that distinguish it from the totality of individuals. Among these processes:

-formation of subgroups according to interests;

-the emergence of leaders and their departure into the shadows;

- making group decisions;

-cohesion and conflicts in the group;

-changing the roles of group members;

- impact on behavior;

- the need for connection;

- disintegration of the group.

Group dynamics is used in business trainings, group therapy, using an agile software development methodology.

Quasigroup (sociology)

A quasi-group is a sociological term that refers to a social group characterized by unintentionality, in which there are no stable ties and social structure between members, no common values ​​and norms, and relationships are one-sided. Quasi-groups exist for a short time, after which they either completely disintegrate, or, under the influence of circumstances, turn into stable social groups, often being their transitional type.

Features of quasigroups

Anonymity

Suggestibility

Social contagion

unconsciousness

The spontaneity of education

Relationship instability

Lack of diversity in interaction (either it is only the reception / transmission of information, or only an expression of one's disagreement or delight)

The short duration of joint actions

Types of quasigroups

Audience

Fan group

social circles

The concept of a social group. Types of social groups.

Society is a collection of various groups. A social group is the foundation of human society, and society itself is also a social group, only the largest. The number of social groups on Earth exceeds the number of individuals, because one person is able to be in several groups at once. A social group is usually understood as any set of people who have a common social attribute.

A social group is one of the main elements of the social structure of society, which is a collection of people united by any significant feature - a common activity, common economic, demographic, ethnographic, psychological characteristics.
Modern society demonstrates the diversity of social groups: student, worker, professional groups, etc. Usually, each person throughout his life belongs to several social groups, changing them for his own reasons or as necessary.
A person's belonging to a social group is not accidental. Each individual enters one or another group for the sake of social or civic duty, desiring spiritual, cultural or intellectual development, in order to satisfy his material needs, to diversify his leisure time, and so on.

What is the difference between a social community and a group?

Social community is a broad concept that can be used to designate any set of people who have a number of similar characteristics and are united by a way of life or common interests. A social community can be called both the audience in a particular cinema, and all of humanity, as an unorganized crowd.
A social group has a narrower meaning - it is a set of people who regularly interact with each other and have certain role differences in relation to each other.
For example, people of the same profession or the same level of income cannot be called a social group, since there is no relationship between them.

Classification of social groups

Social groups can be divided into:

1. Informal (informal) groups that arise on the initiative of the participants themselves, uniting around some goal. They are not, control, etc. and approach the social circle.
2. Formal (official) groups. They are created to solve some problems: educational, military, workers, scientific, etc. They differ in the presence of a leader, goals, work plan, a system of statuses and roles, as well as social control, and thus turn into an element of social organization.

It is in formal social groups that solidarity values ​​take place: mutual support, coordination of actions, etc. They form a sense of belonging to a group when an individual consciously divides people around into “ours” and “not ours”.
Social groups are distinguished by their number.

1. Small groups are small associations of up to several dozen people who are well acquainted and regularly and directly interact with each other. Relationships in small groups are informal and can be personal. Examples of small groups: a school class, a needlework circle, a team of employees in one office.
2. Large groups - where direct personal contacts between all members without exception - are impossible. In this case, the relations are mostly subject to formal rules. Examples of large groups: university students, factory workers, army.

Social groups are also divided depending on the nature of the interaction:

1. Primary group - in which the interaction between members is direct, interpersonal and different high level emotionality (family, peer group, etc.). The primary group carries out the socialization of a person, acting as a link between him and society.
2. Secondary group - has signs of a formal group. In these groups, the emphasis is on the ability of each participant to perform certain functions without paying special attention personal characteristics.

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Social groups, their classification

The whole history of people's lives is the history of their relationships and interactions with other people. In the course of these interactions, social communities and groups are formed.

Most general concept is an social community - group of people united general conditions existence, regularly and steadily interacting with each other.

In modern sociology, several types of communities are distinguished.

Primarily, nominal communities- a set of people united by common social characteristics that a scientist-researcher establishes to solve his scientific problem. For example, people of the same hair color, skin color, sports lovers, stamp collectors, vacationers at sea can be united, and all these people may never come into contact with each other.

Mass communities- this is a real-life set of people who are accidentally united by common conditions of existence, and do not have a stable goal of interaction. Fans of sports teams, fans of pop stars, and participants in mass political movements are typical examples of mass communities. The features of mass communities can be considered the randomness of their occurrence, the temporality and uncertainty of the composition. One type of mass community is crowd. The French sociologist G.Tard defined a crowd as a multitude of persons gathered at the same time in a certain place and united by feeling, faith and action. In the structure of the crowd, leaders stand out, on the one hand, and everyone else, on the other.

According to the sociologist G.Lebon, the behavior of the crowd is due to a certain infection that provokes collective aspirations. People infected with this infection are capable of ill-conceived, sometimes destructive actions.

How to protect yourself from such an infection? First of all, people with a high culture, well-informed about political events, have immunity to it.

In addition to the crowd, sociologists operate with such concepts as the audience and social circles.

Under audience is understood as a set of people united by interaction with a certain individual or group (for example, people watching a performance in the theater, students listening to a lecture by a teacher, journalists attending a press conference of a statesman, etc.). The larger the audience, the weaker the connection with the unifying principle. Please note that during the broadcast of a meeting of any large group of people, the TV camera may snatch someone from the audience who has fallen asleep, someone who is reading a newspaper or drawing figures in his notebook. The same situation often occurs in the student audience. Therefore, it is important to remember the rule formulated by the ancient Romans: "The speaker is not the measure of the listener, but the listener is the measure of the speaker."

social circles- communities created for the purpose of exchanging information between their members. These communities do not set any common goals, do not undertake joint efforts. Their function is to exchange information. For example, discuss the change in the dollar against other currencies, the performance of the national team in the qualifying round of the World Cup, the reforms planned by the government in the field of education, and so on. A variety of such social circles is a professional circle, for example, scientists, teachers, artists, artists. The most compact in composition is a friendly circle.

Social circles can nominate their leaders, form public opinion, and be the basis for the formation of social groups.

The most common concept in sociology is the social group.

Under social group is understood as a set of people united on the basis of joint activities, common goals and having an established system of norms, values, life guidelines. In science, several signs of a social group are distinguished:

Composition stability;

duration of existence;

Definiteness of the composition and boundaries;

General system of values ​​and norms;

Awareness of one's belonging to a group by each individual;

Voluntary nature of association (for small groups);

The unification of individuals by external conditions of existence (for large social groups).

In sociology, there are a number of grounds for classifying groups. For example, by the nature of connections, groups can be formal and informal. According to the level of interaction within the group, primary groups (family, a company of friends, like-minded people, classmates) are distinguished, which are characterized by a high level of emotional ties, and secondary groups that have almost no emotional ties (work collective, political party).

Let us give an example of the classification of social groups according to different grounds in the form of a table.

Table: Types of social groups

Basis for the classification of groups	Group type	Examples
by number of participants	small medium large	family, group of friends, sports team, board of directors of the company labor collective, residents of the microdistrict, university graduates ethnic groups, confessions, programmers
according to the nature of relationships and connections	formal informal	political party, labor collective cafe visitors
at the place of residence	settlement	townspeople, villagers, residents of the metropolitan metropolis, provincials
according to gender and age	demographic	men, women, children, old people, youth
by ethnicity	ethnic (ethnosocial)	Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Vepsians, Mari
by income level	socio-economic	rich (high income people), poor (low income people), middle class (middle income people)
by nature and occupation	professional	programmers, operators, teachers, entrepreneurs, lawyers, turners

This list could go on and on. It all depends on the basis of classification. For example, a certain social group can be considered all users of personal computers, mobile subscribers, the totality of subway passengers, and so on.

A rallying, group-forming factor is also citizenship - a person's belonging to the state, expressed in the totality of their mutual rights and obligations. Citizens of one state are subject to the same laws, have common state symbols. Belonging to one or the other political parties and organizations establishes ideological affinity. Communists, liberals, social democrats, nationalists imagine the future and the correct structure of society in different ways. In this respect, they are very similar to political communities and religious associations (confessions), only they pay more attention not to external changes, but to inner world people, their faith, good and evil deeds, interpersonal relationships.

Special groups are formed by people with common interests. Sports fans from different cities and countries share a passion for their favorite sport; fishermen, hunters and mushroom pickers - search for prey; collectors - the desire to increase their collection; lovers of poetry - feelings about what they read; music lovers - impressions of music and so on. We can easily find all of them in the crowd of passers-by - fans (fans) wear the colors of their favorite team, music lovers walk with players and are completely absorbed in their music, etc. Finally, students all over the world are united by the desire for knowledge and education.

We have listed quite large communities that unite thousands and even millions of people. But there are also countless smaller groups - people in line, passengers of the same compartment on the train, vacationers in a sanatorium, museum visitors, neighbors on the porch, street comrades, party participants. Unfortunately, there are also socially dangerous groups - gangs of teenagers, mafia organizations, extortionate racketeers, drug addicts and substance addicts, alcoholics, beggars, homeless people (homeless people), street hooligans, gamblers. All of them are either directly related to the underworld, or are under its scrutiny. And the boundaries of the transition from one group to another are very invisible. A regular casino visitor can instantly lose all his fortune, get into debt, become a beggar, sell an apartment or join a criminal gang. The same threatens drug addicts and alcoholics, many of whom at first believe that they will give up this hobby at any moment if they wish. Getting into the listed groups is much easier than getting out of them, and the consequences are the same - prison, death or an incurable disease.

INTRODUCTION

A social group is a collection of people who have a common social attribute and perform social necessary function in overall structure social division of labor and activity. Such signs can be gender, age, nationality, race, profession, place of residence, income, power, education.

P.A. Sorokin wrote: “... outside the group, history does not give us a person. We do not know an absolutely isolated person living out of communication with other people. We are always given groups.” Society is a collection of very different groups: large and small, real and nominal, primary and secondary. Group- this is the foundation of human society, since it itself is one of such groups. Therefore, the study of social groups, their characteristics and analysis are very relevant today.

The purpose of this work is to analyze and characterize social groups. To achieve this goal, we consider it necessary to solve the following tasks:

to define the concept of a social group;

to propose a classification of social groups;

l identify and characterize the forms of manifestation of group solidarity;

Give a description of the small group.

When writing the work, we used the works of the following authors: Z.T. Golenkova, M.M. Akulich, V.N. Kuznetsov, O.G. Filatova, A.N. Elsukov, A.G. Efendiev, E.M. Babosov and others.

THE CONCEPT OF A SOCIAL GROUP. CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPS

Wanting to increase the effectiveness of his actions, a person seeks to enter into a network of relationships that, by combining the efforts of people, makes them able to act as a single whole - as a social group.

Z.T. Golenkova defines a social group as a set of people who have a common social attribute and perform a socially necessary function in common system division of social labor and activity.

EAT. Babosov notes that a social group is the most general and special concept of sociology, meaning a certain set of people who have common natural and social characteristics, united by common interests, values, norms and traditions.

From our point of view, the most accurate is the definition of a social group proposed by A.N. Elsukov, who believes that "a group in the strict sense of the word should be understood as a primary social association of people who are in direct (formal or informal) contact, perform certain social functions and are characterized by common goals and interests" .

In sociological theory, the concepts of "group", "primary group" and "small group" are distinguished. In order not to get confused in terminological subtleties, we will use these concepts as equivalent. From the point of view of A.A. and K.A. Radugin, social groups, in contrast to mass communities, are characterized by:

stable interaction, which contributes to the strength and stability of their existence;

a high degree of cohesion;

· distinctly expressed homogeneity of the composition, i.e., the presence of signs inherent in all members of the group;

· entry into wider communities as structural elements .

Examples of primary social groups can be: groups of children kindergarten, school classes, student groups, groups of neighbors, a group of friends, a sports team, members of the sports section, a production team, a team of a workshop or shift, a team of teachers, employees of a department or dean's office, a theater troupe, members of an orchestra, employees of subsections of ministries and government agencies management, small divisions power structures etc.

Most of these group formations have a formal status and structure. Here there are leaders and ordinary members, there are professional functions and roles, the totality of which forms the structure of the group. Personal sympathies (or antipathies) take place here, but they are secondary in comparison with official duties. A group is particularly cohesive when its official structure and relationships coincide with personal sympathies, or, as they say, formal and informal structures coincide.

Along with formal group associations, there are also informal ones - these are interest or hobby groups (hunters, fishermen, music lovers, fans), as well as various kinds of criminal associations (gang, mafia, clan).

The positive value of group associations is manifested in the fact that the group not only summarizes the capabilities and efforts of each member, but also leads them to a new integral unity (what a group of 10 people can do, 10 people individually cannot do). This integral unity is manifested in the degree of cohesion of the members of the group, in the nature of their interaction. Therefore, an important indicator of the life of a group is its organization, that is, the discipline and coordination of actions of each member of the group.

The socializing role of the group (and we are talking about the primary group) is manifested in a number of factors:

l integrating role;

ü increasing the level of individual motivation;

l protective role of the team.

A group, like any complex object, has its own structure and functional relationships. Distinguish between formal and informal group structure. The first represents the division of roles (functions) within the group according to prescribed rules, the second - the sensual-emotional attitude of group members to each other, their likes or dislikes.

The typology of social groups can be carried out according to several criteria (grounds). Thus, the American sociologist E. Eubank identified seven main features that make it possible to classify social groups: 1) ethnic or racial affiliation; 2) the level of cultural development; 3) types of group structure; 4) tasks and functions performed by the group in wider communities; 5) the prevailing types of contacts between members of the group; 6) different kinds connections in groups; 7) other principles.

According to the degree of cohesion, primary and secondary groups are distinguished.

Primary groups- groups in which people are in direct contact, connected by personal or business relations. An example of such groups is a family, children's groups of preschool institutions, school classes, a student group, a school teaching staff, a team of teachers of a department at a university, members of a sports team, a primary military unit, and a production team. This category also includes groups such as a group of friends, peers, close neighbors, members of gardening partnerships, music lovers who know each other. Some of these groups may also be of a criminal nature and may be referred to as gangs.

Secondary groups are broader associations of people. In such associations, business and formal ties are preserved and become more complicated, but personal ties are weakening. In this case, they talk about school students, students of a faculty or university, workers in a workshop or factory, etc.

According to the forms of education, formal and informal groups are distinguished.

Formal groups- such associations of people, the composition and functions of which are regulated by official documents: legal norms, charters, service instructions, professional requirements, etc. Therefore, a formal group has a strict structure, an ordered hierarchy, prescribed role functions that regulate the activities of its members. In this case, one speaks of the formal structure of the group and the formal relations between its members. The primary formal group is the initial link in the social structure of society.

informal groups arise spontaneously on the basis of friendly, trusting relations between its members. Basically, these are groups of friends, comrades, buddies who not only live, study or work together, but also relax together, have fun, support each other in difficult situations, etc. The rallying factor here is sympathy, friendship, love, a sense of affection , common interests, etc. Informal primary associations can also arise within the framework of formal groups. For example, in a student group or in a school class as official group associations, there are always microgroups of a friendly or friendly nature. A harmonious combination of formal and informal connections and interests determines the normal and fruitful functioning of the primary link in the social structure.

Sometimes informal relationships can turn into formal ones - these are cases when a friendly team is transformed into a rigidly organized group. For example, informal relations that develop between persons of criminal behavior gradually acquire the character of rigidly structured entities with clearly defined functions and severe discipline - this is a gang, mafia, criminal family, group racketeering, etc.

Each person can be a member of several formal and informal groups, where he is considered as "their own" at the place of residence, study or work. At the same time, a person is not only a member of his group, but he can also observe the activities of other groups, of which he is not a member, but with the values ​​and norms of which he correlates his views and behavior. Such groups are called reference groups.

An important role in the formation of reference stereotypes is played by the mass media, which create a certain “image” of both individuals and group associations: sports teams, popular music groups, political groups, etc. Moreover, such groups can be real and imaginary, invented by oneself man as a synthesis of several stereotypes.

Depending on the number of members and the conditions of intra-group interaction, social groups are divided into small, medium and large.

Small social groups include such associations of people in which all members are in direct contact with each other; as a rule, they number from two to several dozen people. These groups include: a family, a company of friends, a neighborhood community, a school class, a student group, a sports team, a primary production cell (brigade), a primary party organization, a primary military team (company, platoon), etc. The small group thus acts as the primary organization of people.

With the exception of the company of friends and the neighborhood community, all these groups have clearly defined legal norms for their organization and behavior, which, however, does not exclude informal forms of relationships. The combination of formal and informal norms of collective relationships is an indispensable condition for the most optimal functioning of the group as a single social whole.

By the nature of the association of people into small groups, the following types of them are distinguished: 1) a diffuse group - members of the group enter into interpersonal relationships that are mediated not by the content of group activity, but only by personal sympathies (a friendly team); 2) an association - group members enter into interpersonal relationships that are mediated only by personally significant goals (for example, an association of hunters, fishermen, numismatists, etc.), 3) a corporation - group members enter into interpersonal relationships mediated by private group interests; 4) collective - members of the group enter into interpersonal relations mediated by the unity of personal and public interests.

Social groups of medium scale are relatively stable communities of people working at the same enterprise, being members of any public organizations or living in one fairly large but limited area (residents of a city, district, region). The first type can be called production and organizational groups, the second - territorial.

A distinctive feature of the first type of medium-sized social groups is the presence of one or another program, a plan of joint action, in the implementation of which all members of the group are included. In such a group, the composition of individuals, the structure and content of their joint activities, interpersonal relationships, and the characteristics of the organization are determined by the goals for which it is created and functions. It clearly outlines the management system, methods for making and implementing decisions and sanctions, formalized communications. In contrast, the second type of such groups - territorial associations - are spontaneous group formations that unite people only on the basis of their place of residence.

Large social groups include stable aggregates of a significant number of people acting together in socially significant situations and functioning across the country (state) or their associations. These include classes, social strata, professional groups, ethnic associations (nationality, nation, race) or demographic associations (groups of men, women, youth, pensioners, etc.). The belonging of individuals to a given variety of social groups is determined on the basis of a certain set of socially significant features - class affiliation, the content and nature of large-scale social activity, demographic indicators, belonging to major religious denominations, etc. The members of these groups, due to their large number, can be separated in time and space and not enter into direct communication with each other, but, nevertheless, due to a number of unifying factors, they constitute precisely a group community. Of particular importance are those features that give the group a class character.

Thus, a group is such an association of people within which the social and production activities of people take place, this is the initial unit organizational structure society. The coordinated functioning of groups determines the harmonious functioning of the collective of the enterprise, organization, institution and society as a whole. Primary groups and their systems determine the initial elements of the social structure. At the same time, they themselves have their own structure and dynamics. The study of this structure is the initial stage in the study of the structure and functioning of society as a whole.