Social Group

A Social Group is a group of cooperating social agents.

• Context:
  • It can (typically) establish Group Identity through shared characteristics.
  • It can (typically) develop Group Dynamics through member interactions.
  • It can (typically) maintain Group Cohesion through social bonds.
  • ...
  • It can (often) overlap with other Social Groups through intersectionality.
  • It can (often) be defined by Social Group Member Characteristics.
  • It can (often) influence Social Structure through group actions.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Human Social Group to being an Animal Social Group to being an Artificial Social Group, depending on its agent type.
  • It can range from being a Small Social Group to being a Large Social Group, depending on its group size.
  • It can range from being a Formal Social Group to being an Informal Social Group, depending on its organization level.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Human Social Groups (to enable human cooperation), such as:
    • Identity-based Groups (to share common characteristics), such as:
      • Demographic Groups like age cohorts and gender groups.
      • Cultural Groups like ethnic communitys and religious congregations.
    • Purpose-based Groups (to achieve shared goals), such as:
      • Professional Groups like teacher associations and medical teams.
      • Social Movement Groups like activist organizations and reform coalitions.
  • Kinship-based Groups (to maintain family bonds), such as:
    • Family Structures (to organize familial relations), such as:
      • Extended Familys like multi-generational households.
      • Nuclear Familys like parent-child units.
  • Community-based Groups (to foster local connections), such as:
    • Geographic Communitys (to share physical space), such as:
      • Urban Neighborhoods like city districts.
      • Rural Communitys like village settlements.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • an Asocial Individual, who avoids or lacks social interactions.
  • an Ecosystem, where interactions are biological rather than social.
• See: Social Network, Autonomous Agent, Society, Social Sciences, Interdependence, Collective Behavior, Group Dynamics.

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References

2015

• (Wikipedia, 2015) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/social_group Retrieved:2015-7-25.
  • A social group within social sciences has been defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. Other theorists disagree however, and are wary of definitions which stress the importance of interdependence or objective similarity. Instead, researchers within the social identity tradition generally define it as "a group is defined in terms of those who identify themselves as members of the group". Regardless, social groups come in a myriad of sizes and varieties. For example, a society can be viewed as a large social group.

2014

• (Kapitan, 2014) ⇒ Tomis Kapitan. (2014). “The Reign of ‘Terror’.” In: NYTimes Blogs 2014-10-19
  • QUOTE: ... As long as groups perceive themselves to be victims of intolerable injustices and view their oppressors as unwilling to arrive at an acceptable compromise, they are likely to answer violence with more violence. ...

1962

• A. P. Hare. (1962). “Handbook of small group research.” Macmillan.

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