SOCIETIES TO SOCIAL NETWORKSCHAPTER 5

SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION

Groups- people who interact with one another and who think of themselves as belonging with each other

Society- largest group Consists of people that share a

culture and/or territory Sets stage for life experiences,

influences behavior, how we see the world

Set boundaries for our lives Technology creates changes in

society through time As society changes so does

nature and types of groups

SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION

Hunting and Gathering Societies Fewest social divisions Basic social division is by sex, few other

social divisions Groups have a shaman that can

influence spiritual forces Major unit of organization is the family Most group members are related by

ancestry or marriage Family distributes food, educates

children, nurses sick, provides virtually all needs

Societies are small Groups are nomadic Place a high value on sharing food Egalitarian society They have few material possessions No rulers, decision is reached by

consensus Most leisure of all groups

SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION Pastoral and Horticultural Societies 10,000 years ago groups found they could

tame, breed animals and cultivate plants Developed permanent villages, organized

by clans Domestication of plants and animals first

social revolution Dependable food supply created changes Division of labor- specialized jobs and

created a surplus of objects and this stimulated trade

Set stage for social inequality Led to feuds, war and slavery Wealth and power grew more concentrated Individuals became leaders of groups

(chiefs) More possessions led to lesser equality Where people located within society

determined what happened to them in life

SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION

Agricultural Societies Invention of the plow made land

more productive, created food surplus, called agricultural revolution

Development of cities, culture (art, literature, music)

Inequality became fundamental feature of society

Some gained control over resources, to protect power they developed armies, levied taxes

Conflict theory- concentration of power and resources, oppression of people led to rise of modern state

Females became subject to males (men were farmers, took care of livestock left women subsidiary tasks) when metal became attached to plows

SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION

Industrial Societies 1700’s invention of steam

engine led to Industrial Revolution

Human and animal power replaced by machines

Social inequality grew greater

Surplus was greater, huge effect on social life

Industrialists gained control of means of production (land, labor, capital)

Inequality reversed as time went on, now industrial societies enjoy a high standard of living and greater equality

SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION

Postindustrial (Information) Society Fourth social revolution- Societal transformation

based on microchip technology Basic component is information and specialized

knowledge Individuals don’t produce anything, just use

information to provide services others are willing to pay for

New technology allows us to work at home, changes communication and consumer patterns

GROUPS WITHIN SOCIETY

In 1933 Emile Durkheim concluded to prevent sense of not fitting (anomie) in we needed to belong to small groups

Groups act as a buffer between individual and society, give meaning and sense of purpose

Two terms often confused with groups- aggregate and category

Aggregate consists of individuals that share same physical space, but do not see themselves as belonging together

Category- statistic, people with similar characteristics

GROUPS WITHIN SOCIETY Primary Groups- give

basic orientation to life Develop early in lifeA. Family our first primary

groupB. Provide intimate face to face

relationshipsC. Give us identity D.Essential to our well beingE. Meets a basic human need F. Values and attitudes

become part of our identityG.Difficult to separate self

from primary group

GROUPS WITHIN SOCIETY

Secondary Groups- larger and more anonymous

1. Formed with a specific goal and roles are interchangeable

2. Based on common interest, more impersonal

3. Members interact based on specific status

Fail to satisfy need for association, consequently they break down into primary groups

Primary groups serve as a buffer between us and demands secondary groups pale on us

GROUPS WITHIN SOCIETY In-groups are groups we feel

loyalty to Out- groups group toward

which one feels antagonism Identification with group gives

sense of belonging, loyalty Membership produces rivalries Consequences 1. Membership can produce

discrimination and hatred2. Identification with in-groups

basis for racial, ethnic division3. View traits of in-group as

virtues, same attributes in out-group seen as vices

4. Divides world into we and they Natural part of social life

GROUPS WITHIN SOCIETY Reference Groups Groups we use as standards

to evaluate ourselves Can be family, classmates,

co-workersA. Exert influence over our

lives by providing a yard stick

B. Operate as a form of social control, give us frame of reference for our achievements

C. We want our behavior to measure up to the groups standards, can lead to inner turmoil if they do not match

SOCIAL DIVERSITY :RACE, CLASS AND GENDER

Social diversity influences group contact, can perpetuate social inequality

Large groups turn inward -only have contact among themselves

Social diversity can promote separatismHeterogeneous groups turn

outward- internally diverse groups are more likely to interact with outsiders

Physical boundaries create social boundaries- less likely to interact with other people

SOCIAL NETWORKS Large groups break down into

cliques (internal factions within groups that interact with each other)

Form social networks (social ties radiating outward from self that link people together)

Technology has created a new type of group electronic community where members communicate about any topic

Nature of interest give them feelings of belonging together, possibly can have an equalizing effect on groups

Young, well educated, live in large cities have larger social networks

Men include more business contacts in their networks

Women include more family members in their social networks

GROUP DYNAMICS Group dynamics refer to interaction within groups, how

they influence us and how we affect groups Small groups- few members, interaction with all other

members, can be primary or secondary Group size Dyad- smallest, two people Most intense form of group interaction, if one member

decides not to participate, group collapses Triad- three people, addition of third person alters

group Interaction between first two decreases and can create

strain Stronger and more stable than dyads Tend to form coalitions that can cause instability One member also can become mediator during

disputes

GROUP DYNAMICS

As small groups become larger they become more stable but intimacy, intensity decrease

1. As they grow they develop more formal structure, leaders emerge and specialized roles develop, helps group survive over time

2. Group size diffuses responsibility

3. Speech and action becomes more formal

4. Breaks down into smaller groups for more effective communication

GROUP DYNAMICS

Leadership Leaders are people who influence

the behaviors, opinions or attitudes of others

Perceived by group members as strongly representing their values or as able to lead group out of crisis

Leaders tend to be more talkative, express determination and self confidence

Taller, better looking people often become leaders

Types of leaders Instrumental- keeps group moving

toward their goal Expressive- increases harmony,

minimizes conflict (harder to identify)

Difficult for person to be both

GROUP DYNAMICS

Leadership styles- three basic types Democratic-leads by consensus Authoritarian- leads by giving orders Laissez- faire- leads by being highly

permissive Different situations require different types of

leadership Peer pressure, and the pressure of authority

are ways groups influence our individual lives (Asch and Milgram Experiments)

GROUP DYNAMICS Power of authority and

peers can lead to groupthink

Collective tunnel vision that group members develop

There is only one right way and any different point of view in seen as disloyal

Groups surround themselves with an inner circle that reflects their own views, leaders cut off from information that does not support their opinions

To avoid groupthink they need to allow diverse opinions

TYPES OF FORMAL ORGANIZATIONS Utilitarian Organizations- pays

people for their efforts, most people have to join one to make a living

Normative organizations- pursue a goal that they think is worthwhile (community service, political party)

Coercive groups- membership is involuntary, has special physical features to separate people from society

Some can be all three for example a mental hospital coercive for a patient, utilitarian for a staff member and normative for a hospital volunteer

BUREAUCRACY Organization designed to perform a task efficiently Developed during the industrial age Six key elements1. Specialization- assigns individuals highly specialized jobs2. Hierarchy of offices- few at the top, many at the bottom3. Rules and regulations- guide operation4. Technical competence- set standards for job performance5. Impersonality- put rules ahead of personnel6. Formal written communications- heart of organization is

paperwork not people Typically individuals create informal networks of communication to

spread information quickly “grapevine”

PROBLEMS OF BUREAUCRACY

Alienation- does not respond to personal need of workers

Inefficiency and ritualism- focus on rules and regulations to the point of undermining goals (red tape)

Inertia- tendency to perpetuate themselves (creates busy work to justify existence)

CHANGING NATURE OF WORK

1. Work is opening up to more women that leads to companies striving to be more flexible and democratic

2. Technology (email) have led to less formal communication structures

3. Postindustrial society is information based and has caused other changes in nature of work organization

A. Creative autonomy- workers given creative freedom

B. Competitive work teams reduce alienation

C. Flatter organization- spreads responsibility with fewer levels in chain of command

D. Greater flexibility- respond quickly to changes

“MCDONALDIZATION” OF SOCIETY Organizational principles of

McDonalds have spread across society

“Big Box” stores, 10 minute oil changes, etc.

Large impersonal organizations Three Organizational principles1. Efficiency- done quickly

equals good2. Uniformity- designed to be

mass produced, leaves nothing to chance

3. Control- automated equipment, makes job as simple as possible, little room for employee error

System can be efficient but dehumanizing