1. The Social Psychology of Groups

2. Groups
 Groups can be any interaction involving more
than one person
 Two friends are a group
 Families are a group
 Communities are a group
 Community organizations form when a group of
people come together to act in a shared interest or
common cause
 People are considered a group if they themselves
are bound to one another in some way
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

3. Group Processes Perspective
 Social Psychologists
 study group behavior
 Have different theories and perspectives of how to
approach the study of group behavior
 Group Procecesses is one of those perspectives
 The Group Processes perspectives explores how
basic social processes operate in group contexts
 Sociologists study the processes that occur in
groups
 Psychologists are interested in the groups
themselves
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

4. Studying Processes
 Certain basic social processes tend to play out in
group contexts, in both small and large groups
 The main processes studied in the group
processes perspective include:
 Power
 Status
 Justice
 Legitimacy
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

5. Power
 According to Max Weber, power is the ability to
control people, even over their objections
 Power exists in the context of our relationships
with others
 To have power, there must be someone to have
power over
 The types of groups in which power processes
operate vary in size
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

6. Power
 Power does not come from the nature of the
individual, but rather their position in a social
hierarchy
 Although personal character likely plays a large role
in one attaining a position of power, the power
emanates from the position itself
 Examples include the President, business
executives, and religious leaders
 The power found in social positions originates in
social agreements pertaining to the position itself
 Formal rules
 Social norms
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

7. Power
 In most group contexts the sources of power are
more subtle
 Examples include power relationships in marriages
and friendship groups
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

8. Status
 Status is a person‘s standing in a group or society
based on prestige and respect
 Status only exists in relation to others
 Status involves social comparisons in groups
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

9. Status
 Research consistently supports the idea that,
when groups get together to complete tasks,
status hierarchies form
 Those who are higher in the status hierarchy tend to
talk more and get more credit for their contributions
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

10. Justice
 Justice is a group process that
involves social comparisons of
fairness or equity
 For example, if someone feels
they are unfairly paid, it is based
on a comparison to others in a
group (whether it be a single
department, company, or society
as a whole)
 Justice perceptions are
perceptions that members of a
group are not being treated fairly
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

11. Justice
 Research has found that our justice perceptions
tend to have a self-serving bias
 For example, in justice perceptions pertaining to
wages:
 We compare ourselves to similar others, however
we tend to seek comparisons that will give the
highest value to the amount we think we should
earn
 We are more likely to perceive an injustice if we feel
underpaid than if we feel overpaid
 Therefore, we tend to apply different criteria to what
is considered ‗fair‘ compensation
 Equal pay distribution
 Equitable pay distribution
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

12. Legitimacy
 The sense that an existing social arrangement is
the way that things should be
 Social arrangements that are viewed as
illegitimate can result in a number of undermining
social outcomes
 Revolutions or political coups
 Protests
 Work stoppages or ‗slow downs‘
 Other forms of resistance
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

13. Group Structures
 The effect of a group on its members depends, in
part, on how the group is configured
 Size
 Function
 Goals
 Et cetera

14. Group Size
 Small groups are defined as groups of two or more
individuals, whose members are able to engage in
direct, face-to-face interactions
 Usually between 2 and 20 people
 It is generally difficult for personal relationships to
develop in groups of more than 20
 Larger groups are often ―broken up‖ into smaller groups
to facilitate interpersonal relationships
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

15. Dyads and Triads
Dyads
Groups of two people
Limited to a single relationship
Triads
Groups of three people
The third person creates two
additional relationships, compared to a
dyad
 Adding a person to a group increases the number of
relationships and decreases intimacy levels in the
group
 The effects of group size on group members‘
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors occur above and
beyond the specific individuals involved in the group
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

16. Does the Size of a Group Matter?
Dyad Triad Larger groups
-more intimate – share - May have one -less intimate
deepest secrets dominant member
Group can survive if
-Requires full attention - One person can some members leave
and cooperation of both temporarily withdraw
-Less intense & more
-Intense & unstable -more stable than Dyads stable (because one
(because if one member member of the group
of the group leaves, the may leave and the group
group will cease to exist) will continue to exist)

17. Types of Groups
 Social psychologists distinguish between three
broad types of groups, which are configured in
different ways and serve different purposes
 Primary groups
 Secondary groups
 Reference groups
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

18. Primary Groups
 friends, family, military units, or peer
groups
 People we are close to and interact with regularly
 Social groups that have face-to-face contact and
emotional ties among their members
 Tend to serve more emotional needs

19. Community
Secondary groups organizatio
ns
 People we affiliate with to achieve similar goals or
needs
 Co-workers or teammates
 Tend to serve more instrumental needs

20. Reference groups
 People we do not necessarily know personally, but
look to as a source of standards and identity
 provide standards for judging our attitudes or behaviors
 There can be some overlap between Reference
groups and primary or secondary groups
Rohall, David E., Milkie, Melissa A., and Lucas, Jeffrey W. (2010). Social Psychology:
Sociological Perspectives (2nd Ed.)

21. Group traits
 Group structure - In addition to size, groups also
vary based on their function, goals, etc.
 They can also vary based on
 How long the group remains together
 The requirements of membership in the group
 You have specific ―requirements‖ for selecting your friends
 Going to the store makes you part of the group of people in
the store. The only requirement is being there at the same
time.
 The norms that exist in the group
 Norms are the rules that govern society‘s behaviors

22. Group vs. Collective Behavior
 Collective behavior refers to the action or behavior
of people in groups or crowds

23. There are 3 Types of Actions
 Conforming
 Following prevailing norms
 Deviant
 behavior that violates the norms of a group
 Collective Behavior
 Neither conforming nor deviant
 Norms are absent or unclear or contradict each
other

24. Collective Behavior
 Characterized by a group of people who
bypass the usual norms governing their
behavior and do something unusual
 It is a broad term and covers a wide range of
acts
 Emerges in ―spontaneous‖ way
Henslin, J. (2008). Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (9th Ed.).
Pearson, Boston

25. Types of Collective Behavior
 Social Movements
 Crowds
 Riots
 Rumors
 Panic
 Fads & Fashions

26. How is Collective Behavior
different from Group Behavior?
Collective Behavior Group Behavior
 Limited & short-term  Remain together
social interaction longer
 No clear social
boundaries, anyone  Membership is more
can be a member of selective or limited
the collective  Eg., groups of friends,
colleagues,
 Generates weak and organizations
unconventional norms  Stronger and more

27. Underlying Causes of Collective Behavior
• Collective behavior usually involves the
underlying conditions in the larger society.
• Strain - occurs when one aspect of society is no
longer in balance with other aspects.
• Relative Deprivation - a gap between one‘s
desired level of need satisfaction and one‘s actual
level of need satisfaction.
• Grievances - discontent with the existing
distribution of resources.

28. Social Movements

29. Overview
 Social Movements are a type of Collective
Behavior
Types of Actions
 Collective Behavior is a type of Action
1. Conforming
2. Deviant
3. Collective
Behavior Collective
Behaviors
1. Social
Movements
2. Crowds Examples of Social
3. Riots Movements
4. Rumors 1. Labor movement
5. Panic 2. Women‘s movement
6. Fads & 3. Populist movement
Fashions 4. Civil rights movement
5. Anti-war movement
6. Welfare rights movement
7. Gay rights movement

30. Social Movements
• Social Movements are a collective activity
that expresses a high level of concern about
some issues.
• People who participate are those who feel strongly
enough about the issue to act.
• Persons involved engage in a
variety of activities;
• signing petitions
• Boycotts
• Marches
• Rallies
• campaigns

31. To Change or to Resist Change
 People engage in social movements either to
bring about change or to resist change.
 A civil rights march vs. protesting a nuclear
plant in your town

32. Development of a Social Movement
 For a movement to appear, people must perceive
their discontent as the result of controllable forces
external to themselves.
 Preconditions include:
 People must experience strain or deprivation.
 People must believe they have a right to satisfy
their unmet needs.
 People must believe that satisfaction cannot be
achieved through established channels.

33. Development of a Social Movement
• Ideology and Framing
 As individuals interact, an ideology must emerge that
justifies collective activity.
 Ideologies are often developed by movement
participants as the movement grows.
 Once social movement groups have identified and
committed to ideological positions, they must
articulate and present their ideas to others in order
to win support, gain members, and gather
resources.

34. Recruitment
 The development and continuing existence of
any movement depends on recruitment —the
process of attracting supporters.
 Recruitment depends on three catalysts; ideology,
identity, and existing social networks.
 Sometimes entire categories of people are
recruited all at once (members of a minority group,
a religious order, or a work or professional group.)
or a
Community
Organization

35. Stages of Social Movements
A community
organization
might be part
of a
―movement.
movement.
A
community
organization
might be the
start of a
movement. You don’t
need to
know the
stages for
the exam
References: Graph from Wikipedia on social movements and is based on Blumer, Herbert G. 1969. "Collective Behavior." In Alfred McClung Lee, ed., Principles of Sociology. Third
Edition. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, pp. 65-121; Mauss, Armand L. 1975. Social Problems as Social Movements. Philadelphia: Lippincott; and Tilly, Charles. 1978. From
Mobilization to Revolution. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1978.