It is challenging to call society unified: on the contrary, the maintenance of social balance and stimulation of its development can only come from the diversity and heterogeneity of social groups. There are several different criteria for classification, using which it is possible to differentiate the entire society into separate classes. This essay seeks to discuss such classifications to recognize the diversity of social groups and their essential functions.
Of primary importance is a discussion of what exactly is meant by a social group. In general, a set of individuals united by some criteria should be called a social group. In this case, all scholars form a student group, all working people form a working-class group, and all the elderly can be grouped in a pensioners’ group. In a broader sense, a social group should be understood as a stable form of relationship in which a set of people are united by several traits, sharing the expectations of each other. In this interpretation, one can see that people are not united but still have expectations. For example, in a group of students, individuals clearly understand that their peers should realize academic learning goals.
Additionally, it should be noted that members of one social group are usually easily recognized and distinguished from others: the reason for this precise classification is that the social group has three characteristics. First, all within-group individuals must have and use symbols that are unique to that group. Second, members of a social group constantly interact with other social groups, which only strengthens unity. Third, individuals reinforce and encourage positive stereotypes, while negative stereotypes are rejected and not supported. Thus, using these characteristics, clear differentiation of key social groups of the entire community becomes possible, regardless of the cultural and ethnic background.
When the theoretical foundation for an in-depth study of groups has been explored, it is necessary to study each of them consistently. In this context, special attention should be paid to the impossibility of covering absolutely all social categories due to their multiplicity. For example, ten random people can form one social group and ten, depending on the chosen classification criterion. Therefore, for this division to be more effective, it is necessary to refer to a standard system of differentiation describing four main social groups (Faridi, 2020). This includes primary and secondary, and collective groups as well as categories.
Primary groups should be understood as a community of individuals who are closely related to each other emotionally. The group members usually have a close, strong, and close relationship with each other, and what unites them is implicit. More specifically, the primary group is characterized by mutual love, support, and care. Consequently, examples of such a social group are family, close relatives, close friends, or even neighbors with whom a positive relationship is established. The purpose of the existence of primary groups is not to achieve any goal or benefits as to maintain the relationship itself. Consequently, the main functional feature of primary groups is the facilitation of the individual’s personal development and primary socialization.
On the contrary, secondary groups are characterized by less closeness than primary groups. As a rule, these groups are larger and have less durable structural connections. Moreover, the relations within such groups have a definite purpose, and upon its achievement, such groups are renewed or transformed. For example, students in one class can be called a secondary group because love, support, and care are not necessary criteria for such a group. On the other hand, connections between students are aimed at academic support, joint problem-solving, and, ultimately, receiving a diploma. At the same time, it is evident that the influence on personal development in this category is not so significant, so the functional role of secondary groups is instead reduced to solving specific, unambiguous tasks.
The third primary type of social group is the collective group, whose members have even fewer ties among themselves. As a rule, collectives are created spontaneously and do not have the longevity of ties. In addition, the members of collective groups do not have to unite or interact with each other directly, although they are all characterized by a common goal. In cinema, the goal of the collective of viewers is to watch; in the case of the queue at the store, all members of the collective want to pay for the groceries as soon as possible and go home. Thus, the functionality of this group is individual and does not carry any specific, unambiguous goal. However, it is noteworthy that individuals in this group tend to perform similar actions: sitting in the cinema, watching a movie, standing in line, and paying for goods.
Finally, according to the chosen classification, the last social group is the categorical group, or category. In general, calling categories a group is somewhat inaccurate because category members can become a group only when forming a group is reached. Categories are completely impersonal, and their members may not even be familiar with each other. However, such categories exist much more than individual social groups and thus are more conservative. For example, all residents of the same city can be called a category, as can all Americans of Spanish descent. Thus, it becomes apparent that the separation of groups from categories is substantive and is based entirely on the purposes of such a classification. However, it is essential to emphasize that all members of a category must share at least one common characteristic. The functional role of social categories is to form a commonality for the individual and a sense of belonging to specific categories. Moreover, the very existence of a social category allows the individual to socialize more deeply.
In conclusion, it should be noted that society is characterized by a multiplicity of social groupings, with the choice of specific associations depending on the chosen criterion. In this paper, four main social groups were studied: primary, secondary, collective groups, and categories. Each of the groups is distinguished by its attributes and purpose — or lack of purpose — and individual functional features.
Reference
Faridi, R. (2020). Social groups: The concept. Rashid’s Blog: An Educational Portal.