Introduction to Sociology Sociology 101

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Soc 101 Prof. Townsand Price-SpratlenWednesday,
February 1st - Today in Brief

• Review Points
• What is reflexivity? How related to looking
  gl.?
• What does the Thomas Theorem say?
• For Today
• Primary and secondary groups
• Group dynamics, interaction and goals
• Maintaining group solidarity
• Upcoming Project 2 due Mon 2/06

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Family playing game here
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REVIEW Basic Group Differences Social group A
set of people interacting on the basis of shared
expectations and identity
(Charles Horton) Cooleys Groups (p. 112)
Primary Secondary
Quality Duration Breadth Perception Examples
Personal Instrumental
Long-term (more) Variable
Broad Narrow Ends Means to end
Families, friends Co-workers
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Figure 5-2, p. 115

• How micro-level processes and macro-level
  structure interact
• How does social interaction among
  individuals create social reality?
• How does social structure affect social
  interactions and
• personal definitions of social reality?

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Groups Social Tie Types Social Org.
Primary close/ personal ties, all embracing,
enduring Secondary distant/impersonal ties,
limited, less enduring

• Change from pre-industrial societies (Ferdinand
  Tonnies)
• Gemeinschaft in pre-industrial
• Social org. of society, bonds are personal and
  direct
• Gesellschaft in industrial post-industrial
• Social org., bonds are impersonal and
  self-interested
• Shift from interaction in primary to secondary
  groups
• Shift in reference groups
• Social group as a point of reference for
  decision-making and self-evaluation

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• Goal orientation
• Expressive orientation
• Collective well-being of group, achieving goals
  influencing activities within the group
• Instrumental orientation
• Achieving goals influencing activities beyond
  the boundaries of the group
• Orientation affects resolution of tension
  between intimacy efficiency
• Instrumental -- efficiency secondary
• Expressive -- intimacy primary

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Figure 5-1, p. 113
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• Rites of passage Internally oriented
• Ritual through which everyone must go in order
  to belong/join group
• Marking life course transitions
• Initiation rites when join
• Why do unpleasant experiences make us like a
  group?
• Cognitive dissonance
• Desire to reduce conflict between opposing
  feelings or ideas
• Committed to group because had to earn
  admission
• Experimental Research (Aronson Mills)
• Severity of initiation increases liking for a
  group
• Creates a sense of Us versus Them

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Groups and Group Dynamics

• A Few Critical Points
• Groups, Orgs. micro-macro bridge
• Group size ? Second. Prev. ? soc. complex.
• Conformity, ritual, and belonging
• A Question
• What happens when orgs. get formal, evolve?