Large groups are communities of people that exist on the scale of society and develop according to the socio-psychological patterns of manifestations of the mass psyche and, unlike small groups, do not require mandatory personal contacts. In large groups, as a rule, generally accepted norms of behavior are formed, cultural values and traditions, common opinion and mass movements. To large groups belong to classes, social strata, ethnic groups (nations and nationalities), confessions, sometimes large parties and public organizations, age and professional groups, etc.
Traditionally, their needs and interests are considered as the leading feature of large social groups. In this case, needs and interests arise not as individual, but as group psychological and socio-psychological phenomena.
The degree of satisfaction of the needs of large social groups is found in the coefficient of their resilience. This coefficient is determined taking into account the following indicators: average life expectancy, infant mortality, the spread of genetic deformities, the quality of products, the concentration of heavy industry enterprises per unit area, the percentage of budget expenditures on social and economic programs, etc. The resilience coefficient of large social groups is determined on a six-point scale .
Parties are created to represent the interests of classes and groups of society. They arise in a clearly structured society; they cannot be created artificially.
The reasons for the unification of people in the party are connected with the psychology of attraction to power. It is no coincidence that a party is understood as any political group that participates in elections and is able to bring its candidates to power through elections.
Large social groups also include mass movements. It is worth noting that mass movements are an association of people, as a rule, fragile and unstable, whose members are united only by the presence in one place at one time. The interaction between them is in the nature of mutual reinforcement of emotions. The socio-psychological signs of mass movements are as follows: a) lack of organization; b) weak interaction between members; c) anonymity.
People unite for protection environment. 6 motions on civil, consumer and other rights. There are political, religious and racial movements.
Movements are divided into "reformist" and "revolutionary". Among them are distinguished:
National-cultural movements. their goal is the study and popularization of the traditions of the past, the revival, preservation and development of relevant cultures and crafts, social and ethnic identity;
Professional movements, such as the Anti-AIDS Association. They are created, as a rule, to unite the efforts of specialists in a particular industry, in particular for the distribution and development of a specific area of activity. For movements of this type, close associations of people, for some reason, found themselves in a difficult situation and united for mutual assistance;
Cultural and educational movements, in particular - "Peace through the family";
so-called funds. Sometimes they are created on a professional basis, sometimes on the basis of charitable organization;
Support committees that relate to communities of short-term, operational action.
The psychology of large social groups is formed and manifested in the process social relations and mass communication. It is in the process of interaction that interests, group opinion, rumors, traditions and other mass social and psychological phenomena arise and are realized.
The interests of social groups are such a socio-psychological phenomenon that plays a decisive role in the institutionalization of society.
Each social institution meets the interests of a specific social group and serves to satisfy its needs. This is what determines the relationship between social groups. The interests of some social groups are not always consistent with the interests of others.
Group opinion (as a form of civil thought) performs the following functions: expressive, control, directive. As the experience of many countries shows, an important form of taking into account public opinion, a democratic means of identifying the positions of the majority of the population on topical problems of society is a referendum. Other channels for displaying public opinion are: public opinion polls, means mass media, gatherings, manifestations, nationwide discussion.
A group opinion is a publicly expressed and widespread judgment containing an assessment and attitude towards a particular event that is of interest to the community.
Group opinion appears in a number of functions:
Regulates and specifies norms of behavior;
Expresses an assessment of events and facts;
Encourages to certain actions and actions.
Forms of manifestation of group thought: a) evaluation, complaints; b) advice, wishes, approval; c) discontent, condemnation, disapproval, disagreement, protest. At the same time, reasonable and unreasonable assessments, complaints, disagreements, and the like are distinguished.
religious communities. There are four main types of religious organizations: a church, a sect, a denomination of a creed, and a cult. The Church is a religious organization that has close contacts with the general public and operates within it. A sect is an organization that rejects the values of another society, that is, a small group of church representatives separates and creates a new religion. A denomination is an intermediate link between a church and a sect. A cult is an extreme form of a sect.
Despite their specificity, religious groups have common features. To such general characteristics group interests, needs, norms, values, thoughts, goals
In religious groups, believers are instilled with a certain system of value orientations that stem from faith.
AT religious faith an important role is played by the imagination, which manifests itself in vivid religious images, ideas that arise on the basis of religious myths, cult art images. Religious representations are formed on the basis of this religious and artistic material.
Consider some features of the crowd. An unorganized crowd and an organized demonstration may consist of the same people, but their behavior will be different, since the essence of these communities is not the same.
From a socio-psychological point of view, the crowd is a contact, unorganized community, which is characterized by a high degree of conformity of individuals acting emotionally and relatively unanimously. The crowd exerts strong psychological pressure on individuals. In the crowd, in conditions of anonymity, the individual responsibility of its members dissolves.
There are such socio-psychological features of the CROWD:
An increase in group suggestibility and a decrease in the effectiveness of counter-navigation mechanisms;
Increasing the emotional perception of reality;
Suppression of a sense of responsibility for their actions;
The emergence of a sense of power and awareness of anonymity.
Bulk communication, having the property psychological impact influences the behavior and activities of crowd members. The main means of psychological impact that crowd members have is the word, and mostly expressive, emotional vocabulary: screaming, whistling, calls, and the like. Suggestion is one of the main ways of psychological influence of an individual or a group on other participants through the transmission of messages of different content (agreements, threats, rumors, blackmail). Suggestion is always verbal. It is a conscious activity on the part of the subjects of influence.
A social group (community) is a real-life, empirically fixed set of people, which is characterized by integrity and acts as an independent subject of social and historical action.
The emergence of various social groups is primarily associated with such phenomena as the social division of labor and the specialization of activities, and secondly, with the historically established conditions of life, and
So, a particular set of people can be considered a social group if its members have:
1. The similarity of living conditions.
2. The presence of joint activities.
3. Common needs.
4. Own culture.
5. Self-assignment to this community.
Social groups and their types and forms are distinguished by extraordinary diversity. So, they can vary both in quantitative composition (small and numerous), and in the duration of their existence (short-term - from a few minutes, and stable, existing for millennia), and in the degree of connection between the participants (stable and random, amorphous formations).
Types of social groups depending on the number
1. Small. They are characterized by a small number of participants (from 2 to 30 people), who are well acquainted with each other and are engaged in some common cause. Relationships in such a group are direct. This includes such types of elementary cells of society as a family, a group of friends, a school class, an aircraft crew, etc.
2. Large. They are numerous collections of people who occupy in social structure the same position and have common interests in this regard. Types of large social groups: stratum, class, nation, etc. At the same time, connections in such aggregates are increasingly indirect, since their number is huge.
Types of social groups depending on the nature of the interaction
1. Primary, in which the interaction of participants with each other is interpersonal, direct, implying the support of a group of peers, friends, neighbors on the porch.
2. Secondary, the interaction in which is due to the achievement of a common goal and is of a formal nature. Examples: trade unions, production batches.
Types of social groups depending on the fact of existence
1. Nominals, which are artificially constructed populations of people who are specially allocated for Examples: passengers commuter trains, buyers of a particular brand washing powder.
2. Real groups, the criterion for the existence of which are real signs (income, gender, age, profession, nationality, place of residence). Examples: women, men, children, Russians, townspeople, teachers, doctors.
Types of social groups depending on the method of organization
1. Formal groups that are created and exist only within officially recognized organizations. Examples: class at school, Dynamo football club.
2. Informal, usually arising and existing on the basis of the personal interests of the participants, which either coincide or diverge from the goals of formal groups. Examples: a circle of lovers of poetry, a club of fans of bard songs.
In addition to such a concept as a social group, there are so-called "quasi-groups". They are unstable informal collections of people who, as a rule, have an indefinite structure, norms and values. Examples: audience (concert hall, theatrical performance), fan clubs, crowd (rally, flash mob).
Thus, we can say that the true subjects of relations in society are not real people, separate individuals, but a set of various social groups that interact with each other and whose goals and interests intersect with each other, one way or another.
To answer the question of what a social group is, one must go back to ancient times and remember that mankind has always survived in society. In primitive society, groups were created that united into a society. Therefore, the association of people who have a common goal, which is the connection between a single person and society, is called a social group.
What are the groups
The main aspects of social life are laid in social groups. They have their own rules and regulations, ceremonies and rituals. As a result of the activities of groups, self-discipline, morality, and abstract thinking appear.
Social groups are divided into small and large. If you combine two people with one task and goal, it will already be a small social group. AT small group maybe two to ten people. These people have their own activity, communication, purpose. An example of a small social group can be a family, a group of friends, relatives.
Large social groups formed a little differently. These people may not directly contact each other. But they are united by the realization that they belong to a group, they have general psychology and customs, way of life. An example of large social groups can be an ethnic community, a nation.
Group sizes depend on the individuality of its members, and cohesion also depends on the size of the group: the smaller it is, the more cohesive it becomes. If the group expands, it means that respect, tolerance, consciousness should develop in it.
Social groups, their types
Consider the types of social groups. They are primary and secondary. The first type refers to a group of people who have great importance for an individual, people who occupy a significant place in his life. Secondary groups are groups where the individual has some practical purpose by joining it. An individual can move from a primary group to a secondary group and vice versa.
The next type of social groups are internal and external groups. If we belong to a group, then for us it will be internal, and if we do not belong, then external. Here, an individual can also move from group to group, respectively, and its status will change.
Reference groups - groups in which people have the opportunity to compare themselves with other people, these are the objects to which we pay attention when forming our views. Such a group can become a benchmark for evaluating their views. We ourselves may or may not belong to the reference group.
And the last type of groups - formal and informal. They are based on group structure. In a formal group, its members interact with each other according to prescribed rules and regulations. In informal groups, these rules are not followed.
Characteristics and signs of groups
Signs of a social group are always clearly expressed. If we analyze them, we can distinguish several main ones:
- the presence of a single goal, which is important for the members of the entire group;
- the presence of norms and rules that operate within the group itself;
- there is a system of solidarity between members of the group.
If all these rules apply in groups, then, accordingly, the group is highly integrated. Depending on the characteristics and type, the structure of the social group is formed.
Characteristics of social groups. It includes the structure and size of groups, methods of group management. Based on the size of the group, one can tell about the relationship between its members. The closest and strongest relationship occurs between two members of the group, it can be husband and wife, friends. Emotions play a big role here. If more people are added, then new relationships are restored in the group, not always good ones.
Often one person separates from the group, who will become its leader or leader. If the group is small, then it can do without a leader, and if it is large, then its absence will settle chaos in the group. If a person falls into a group, then he has the ability to make a sacrifice, the control over his body and thoughts weakens. This is an indicator that social groups play a significant role in the life of mankind.
Like any social subjects, large social groups are classified according to various signs. By the nature of the connection, two types of large communities of people are distinguished:
1) social classes, ethnic groups, etc.. The basis of objective social ties. The belonging of people to these groups is not caused by their will, consciousness, but is a consequence of the action of objective factors;
2) parties, public, professional associations, etc. A person joins them as a result of a conscious desire to unite on the basis of certain goals and values.
According to the duration of existence, longer (classes, nations) and shorter (rallies, crowds, etc.) large social groups are distinguished.
According to the nature of organization, large social groups are divided into those that arose spontaneously (crowd, public, etc.) and those that were organized consciously (associations, parties, etc.).
Social Psychology highlights also conditional(gender and age, professional) and real big groups. An important feature of the classification is contact and interaction.
So, rallies and meetings are primarily referred to real large groups with close contacts. Large groups may be closed and open. The most common is the division of large groups into social groups that have formed in the process historical development societies play a role in the system public relations and are marked by duration, stability (ethnic, professional, gender and age groups, etc.),
And spontaneously formed communities that are unstable, short-lived (crowd, public, audience). General signs large social groups
Large social groups are under the influence of specific regulators social behavior- customs, traditions, morality. These regulators are shaped by the social practice with which the group is associated. An important characteristic large social groups is the language. Ethnic groups cannot exist without it. A sign of other groups (professional, age, etc.) is jargon as a kind of language. Features of the life position of large social groups, together with the regulators of behavior, form their way of life.
Lifestyle of a large social group- a set of stable typical forms of community life. Typical forms of vital activity of peoples, classes, other social groups, individual individuals are manifested in material and spiritual production, in the socio-political and family spheres. On the basis of lifestyle, one can determine how people live, are guided by interests, what their thinking is. The subject of analysis can also be special forms of communication, the type of contacts and relationships, interests, values and needs. The way of life of the community testifies to its relation to society, to work, to other communities and individuals. Since each type of large social groups is endowed only with its inherent properties, differs significantly from others (an ethnic group differs from a professional one), their general characteristics should have a specific content. Ethnography and ethnopsychology are involved in the study of large social groups, comparative studies, sociology, statistical analysis, psycholinguistics, etc.
The structure of the psychology of large social groups The structure of the psychology of large groups is formed by various mental properties, mental processes and mental states. More precisely selection essential elements psychology of large groups covers the mental warehouse as a stable formation ( national character, traditions, customs, tastes) and the emotional sphere as a dynamic formation (needs, interests). The mental make-up of a group and the mental make-up of a person who belong to it are not the same thing, since the formation of the psychology of a group is influenced by collective experience, the degree of assimilation of which is determined by individual psychological features. So, psychological characteristics groups are not a simple sum of traits inherent in each individual, but express the typical, characteristic of all individuals.
The second answer to this question
Large groups- these are communities of people that exist on the scale of society and develop according to the socio-psychological patterns of manifestations of the mass psyche and, unlike small groups, do not require mandatory personal contacts. In large groups, as a rule, generally accepted norms of behavior, cultural values and traditions, common opinion and mass movements are formed. Large groups include classes, social strata, ethnic groups (nations and nationalities), confessions, sometimes large parties and public organizations, age and professional groups, etc. Traditionally, their needs and interests are considered as the leading feature of large social groups. In this case, needs and interests appear not as individual, but as group psychological and socio-psychological phenomena. The degree of satisfaction of the needs of large social groups is manifested in the coefficient of their resilience. This coefficient is determined taking into account the following indicators: average life expectancy, infant mortality, the spread of genetic deformities, the quality of products, the concentration of heavy industry enterprises per unit area, the percentage of budget expenditures on social and economic programs, etc. The resilience coefficient of large social groups is determined by a six-point scale. Parties are created to represent the interests of classes and groups of society. They arise in a clearly structured society; they cannot be created artificially. The reasons for the unification of people in the party are connected with the psychology of attraction to power. It is no coincidence that a party is understood as any political group that participates in elections and is capable of bringing its candidates to power through elections. Large social groups also include mass movements. It is worth noting that mass movements are an association of people, as a rule, fragile and unstable, whose members are united only by the presence in one place at one time. The interaction between them has the character of mutual strengthening of emotions.
The socio-psychological signs of mass movements are as follows:
a) lack of organization;
b) weak interaction between members;
c) anonymity.
People unite to protect the environment in movements for civil, consumer and other rights. There are political, religious and racial movements. Movements are divided into "reformist" and "revolutionary". Among them are distinguished: national-cultural movements. their goal is the study and polarization of the traditions of the past, the revival, preservation and development of relevant cultures, crafts, social and ethnic identity; professional movements such as the Anti-AIDS Association. They are created, as a rule, to unite the efforts of specialists in a particular industry, in particular for the distribution and development of a specific area of activity. To movements of this type, close associations of people, for whatever reason, found themselves in a difficult position and united for mutual assistance; cultural and educational movements, in particular - "Peace through the family"; so-called funds. Sometimes they are created on a professional basis, sometimes on the basis of a charitable organization; support committees belonging to the communities of short-term, operational action. The psychology of large social groups is formed and manifested in the process of social relations and mass communication. It is in the process of interaction that interests, group opinion, rumors, traditions and other mass social and psychological phenomena arise and are realized. The interests of social groups are such a socio-psychological phenomenon that plays a decisive role in the institutionalization of society. Each social institution meets the interests of a specific social group and serves to satisfy its needs. This is what determines the relationship between social groups. The interests of some social groups are by no means always consistent with the interests of others.
group opinion(as a form of civil thought) performs the following functions:
Expressive
control
Directive.
As the experience of many countries shows, an important form of taking into account public opinion, a democratic means of identifying the positions of the majority of the population on topical problems of society is a referendum. Other channels for displaying public opinion are the following: a survey of the population, the media, gatherings, demonstrations, and a nationwide discussion.
group opinion- this is a publicly expressed and widespread judgment containing an assessment and attitude to a particular event, which is of interest to the community.
Group opinion manifests itself in a number of functions:
Regulates and specifies norms of behavior;
Expresses an assessment of events and facts;
Encourages to certain actions and actions.
Forms of manifestation of group opinion:
a) assessment, complaints;
b) advice, blame, approval;
c) discontent, condemnation, disapproval, disagreement, protest.
At the same time, reasonable and unreasonable assessments, complaints, disagreements, etc. are distinguished.
Religious communities. There are four main types of religious organizations: church, sect, denomination, creed, and cult. The Church is a religious organization that has close contacts with the general public and operates within it. A sect is an organization that rejects the values of another society, that is, a small group of church representatives separates and creates a new religion. A denomination is an intermediate link between a church and a sect. A cult is an extreme form of a sect. Despite their specificity, religious groups have common features. Such general characteristics include group interests, needs, norms, values, opinions, goals. In religious groups, believers are instilled with a certain system of value orientations that arise from faith. In religious faith, imagination plays an important role, which manifests itself in vivid religious images, ideas that arise on the basis of religious myths, cult art images. Religious representations are formed on the basis of this religious and artistic material. Consider some features of the crowd. An unorganized crowd and an organized demonstration may consist of the same people, but their behavior will be different, since the essence of these communities is not the same. From a socio-psychological point of view, the crowd is a contact, unorganized community, which is characterized by a high degree of conformity of individuals acting emotionally and relatively unanimously. The crowd exerts strong psychological pressure on individuals. In the crowd, in conditions of anonymity, the individual responsibility of its members dissolves.
There are such socio-psychological features of the CROWD:
An increase in group suggestibility and a decrease in the effectiveness of counter-navigation mechanisms;
Increasing the emotional perception of reality;
Suppression of a sense of responsibility for their actions;
The emergence of a sense of power and awareness of anonymity.
Mass communication, having the property of psychological impact, has an impact on the behavior and activities of crowd members. The main means of psychological impact that crowd members have is the word, and mostly expressive, emotional vocabulary: shouting, whistling, calls, etc. according to the content of messages (agreements, threats, rumors, blackmail). Suggestion is always verbal. It is a conscious activity on the part of the subjects of influence.