In social psychology - the main subject of study. The scientists collected a wealth of theoretical and experimental material, which made it possible to make scientific generalizations and create a methodological basis for the discipline. Let's consider the main provisions.

Malaya is an association of individuals who have direct personal contact and are connected by some kind of activity, family or emotional closeness. Its members are aware of belonging to it and recognized by others.

Such a community usually includes a small number of individuals, and the composition is determined by social characteristics (age, gender, education, nationality, etc.) and size.

A small social group has a different structure, which can be determined by:

• firstly, the duties of its members in joint activities;
• secondly, the roles (expected actions) of a person who is assigned specific responsibilities;
• thirdly, norms (prescriptions, requirements, wishes of socially approved behavior).

A small social group can be classified according to several parameters.

First, according to the method of formation, there are:

• formal, which arise to perform specific functions in an organization, and the group has from three to fifteen people;
• informal, formed on the basis of mutual sympathies and interests, in which there can be from three to ten people.

Secondly, according to the degree of formation of interpersonal relations, the following are distinguished:

• differential small social group, which they enter of their own free will;
• team formed as needed.

Thirdly, the following groups are classified according to the importance of each individual in them:

• all members must be present (as a rule, these are formal associations);
• a reference small social group is a conditional or real community with which each individual will relate himself as a model, and on the assessments, values, opinions and norms of which he will be guided in behavior.

Such social communities have certain functions:

• Normative and comparative. It implies that it forms the standard and norms of behavior, as well as assessments of others and a particular individual.
• Instrumental is connected with the fact that the organization of joint activities is necessary.
• The supportive and expressive function is associated with the provision of the emotional needs of each individual.

Within small social groups, various processes take place, as a result of which the group changes its form and develops.

The main one is It refers to the processes of disunity or cohesion of the group, the emergence of formal and informal leadership, the formation of norms and rules, the development of informal associations within the formal, as well as antipathies and sympathies.

In addition, no less important is the process of establishing the norms of the existing group, that is, the emerging rules of behavior for each individual individually. Such standards contribute to effective group interaction, and a small social group will be more cohesive. Thanks to the existing rules, the pressure on each individual will increase. Therefore, the group, with their help, can force everyone to follow the norms, maintaining the integration of members in the group.

The third process is that a certain hierarchy arises in the small. A leader stands out, which can be either formal, who was appointed officially, or informal, who was chosen by the group itself. The remaining members of the community must clearly know their functions and responsibilities.

Small groups are socio-psychological communities that play an important functional role in the life of society. Small groups reflect all those social relations in which people are included and which are refracted into peculiar intra-group relations (national, professional, family). Small groups are the most important element of the socialization of the individual, preparing him for life in society.

The main subject of research by sociologists is the formation, functioning, development and disintegration of small groups. Their analysis highlights the following conceptual approaches:

In sociology, small groups are considered as certain microsystems in which many social relations are realized: division of labor, interaction, leadership, hierarchy of prestige, customs, traditions, symbols, etc. The features and main features of small groups are considered to be small in number; commonality of group norms, values, goals and lines of behavior; immediacy and stability of interpersonal contacts; general activities, etc. . Based on this small social groups can be defined as associations of people small in composition, which are characterized by a commonality of norms, values, interests, direct contacts of group members and play the role of the microenvironment where the socialization and self-realization of the individual takes place.

Researchers define quantitative limits small groups:

lower limit- two or three people (German sociologist Georg Simmel used the terms "dyad" and "triad");

upper limit - 7-12 people, because only in such groups stable and direct contacts are maintained. In a group of 20–25 or 30–35 people, direct contacts exist, but there are already certain limitations. If this is, for example, a school class or a student group, then such restrictions will be the time frame of studies or social activities. Direct contacts are more stable in cohabitation groups (in a family or student hostel), in interest groups, etc.

Typology of small groups

The classification of small groups can be based on various criteria.

Depth, stability and nature of relationships between members. According to this criterion, there are primary and secondary groups.

Primary groups are associations of people that are characterized by emotionally colored, close mutual contacts "face to face", as well as stable informal relationships (family, close people, friendly company, neighbors, relatives). Members of primary groups are socially identified, they perceive themselves as a collective unity, i.e. "we". In such groups, problems, contradictions and even conflicts can also arise.

"It should not be assumed that the unity of the primary group is the unity of continuous harmony and love. It is always a differentiated and, as a rule, competitive unity, allowing self-affirmation and various ... passions."

Primary groups give the individual the earliest and most complete experience of social unity: they help to master social roles in a team, form the foundations of social consciousness, i.e. contribute to its primary socialization and lay the foundation for its entry into other social groups. In particular, a family as a primary group, it is a specific microenvironment in which an individual is formed and self-realized. Here he acquires a culture of interpersonal relations, masters the first social roles, learns the norms of behavior, experience of leadership or democratic relations. Interpersonal relationships in the family are built on mutual attractiveness and responsibility of its members for each other. Family conflicts are very often the cause of the breakdown of this collective unity. As P. A. Sorokin notes, the collective unity "ceases to exist only when the interaction between the part and all its members ceases." To some extent, this also applies to other primary groups: neighbors, play, etc. In general, primary experience teaches people to realize common interests and support each other.

Secondary groups- these are associations of people in which contacts between members of the group are utilitarian, impersonal; their interactions are formalized and functional in a certain way. Friendship, personal relations are not obligatory between group members, everything is determined by social roles in a professional team, sports club, student group, brigade, etc. Secondary groups are characterized by the presence of common goals and objectives. They almost always contain a number of primary groups (for example, a student group includes a group of people living together in a hostel, a group of students who sympathize with each other, it may also include married couples).

Secondary groups are more focused on achieving the goal, while primary groups are more focused on strengthening interpersonal ties and relationships within the group.

A way of organizing group activities and forms of social control. According to this criterion, formally organized (formal) and informal groups are distinguished.

Formal groups are associations of people whose activities are strictly regulated by official rules, institutions, documents (law, contract, regulation, charter, instruction, etc.). The system of intra-group relations in them is characterized by a clear distribution of roles (leader - subordinate, head of the student group - deputy, public figure - an ordinary student, etc.), their strict assignment and the need to fulfill them. As a rule, the structure of a formal group is predetermined by a system of a higher rank: by the administration of the organization or the subdivision to which the given group (brigade, sports team, deputy commission, department) is included. Social control in such groups is also exercised from the top down. Proceeding from this, the system of intra-group relations in formal groups is based not on group interests, but on "legislative" prescriptions, failure to comply with which threatens with certain sanctions, up to forcible isolation from the group (dismissal or exclusion). In terms of its parameters, a formal group is very close to an organization.

informal groups- these are groups spontaneously or consciously formed on the basis of common interests, norms, values, mutual sympathy. Intra-group relations in them are built on the principle of relative independence and freedom, characterized by a vaguely expressed goal of the relationship of group members, and social control is carried out horizontally and is based on traditions, expressing group opinion. The specificity of informal groups is that they can be situational groups. those. formed in connection with the occurrence of certain situations (rock bands, jogging groups, etc.); as a rule, they are short-lived and can disappear with a change in the situation. In informal groups, roles are usually not prescribed, but arise spontaneously. According to the nature of interests, the significance of norms and values, informal groups are divided into socially significant and asocial. The former include friendly companies, amateur sports associations, interest clubs, etc.; the second - deviant groups (hooligans, drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, etc.).

Informal groups are formed both in open communities (school, institute, enterprise, etc.) and in closed structures, for example, in the army;

Duration of operation. The determining basis is the strength, stability of relationships and interactions of group members. According to this criterion, sustainable and temporary groups.

To stable groups to a greater extent include primary (family, relatives), formal (workshop, brigade, firm, military unit) and status (professional) groups.

Temporary small groups are divided into two types:

a) target groups. They are specially created to solve any specific problems. These may include associations formed for creative purposes (scientific groups, design groups), experimental groups created to conduct biomedical, social or other experiments, as well as control groups formed to check the purity of the experiment and its methodology.

Target groups can be pressure groups. If such a group influences from outside, this is actually Group pressure, if it is formed inside a small group, - grouping. Both the pressure group and the grouping are a kind of temporary small group in which people unite to achieve common goals and interests. They are characterized by a single tactic of behavior in the matter of exerting pressure to make the necessary decisions;

b) situational groups. They are most often formed spontaneously in connection with a specific situation, with the disappearance of which the group also disappears. An example of such groups can be weekend tourist groups, excursion groups, picket groups, compartment passengers, etc.

Reference groups(terminology of M. Sheriff, R. Merton) are distinguished by the degree of the individual's attitude to social norms and values. These are the so-called comparison groups, the values ​​and norms of which a person chooses for himself, although he himself may not belong to them. There are three types of reference groups in the literature:

Reference groups can be real or imaginary. The latter include groups whose norms and values ​​are reflected in the minds of individuals as ideals to follow. Real reference groups act for the individual as a model of norms, values, thoughts and behavior (cosmonauts, scouts, masters of sports, etc.). In sociology, the reference group can be a source of social mobility.

Finally, according to the degree of interaction between society and the group, the level of freedom in intra-group relations, groups are distinguished closed(formal groups, organizations) and open(usually informal).

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Society is a collection of very different groups: large and small, real and nominal, primary and secondary. The group is the foundation of human society, since it itself is one of such groups. The number of groups on Earth exceeds the number of individuals. This is possible because one person is able to be in several groups at the same time.

social group

This is a set of people who have a common social attribute and perform a socially necessary function in the general structure of the social division of labor and activity. Such signs may be gender, age, nationality, race, profession, place of residence, income, power, education, etc.

This concept is generic in relation to the concepts of "class", "social stratum", "collective", "nation", as well as in relation to the concepts of ethnic, territorial, religious and other communities, as it captures the social differences that arise between individual populations. of people. The first attempts to create a sociological theory of groups were made at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century by E. Durkheim, G. Tarde, G. Simmel, L. Gumplovich, C. Cooley, F. Tennis.

In real life, the concept of "social group" is given a variety of interpretations. In one case, this term is used to refer to a community of individuals physically and spatially located in the same place. An example of such a community can be individuals traveling in the same carriage, being at a certain moment on the same street, or living in the same city. Such a community is called an aggregation. Aggregation

This is a certain number of people gathered in a certain physical space and not carrying out conscious interactions.

Some social groups appear unintentionally, by accident.

Such spontaneous, unstable groups are called quasigroups. Quasigroup

This is a spontaneous (unstable) formation with a short-term interaction of any one species.

The significance of a social group for an individual lies primarily in the fact that a group is a certain system of activity, given its place in the system of social division of labor. In accordance with the place in the system of social relations in sociology, large and small social groups are distinguished.

large group

This is a group with a large number of members, based on various types of social ties that do not require mandatory personal contacts. Several types of large groups can be distinguished. First, these are nominal groups. Nominal groups

(from lat. nomen - name, name) - a set of people allocated for the purposes of analysis on some basis that does not have social significance. These include conditional and statistical groups - some constructions used for the convenience of analysis. If the attribute by which the groups are distinguished is chosen conditionally (for example, blonds and brunettes), then such a group is purely conditional. If the attribute is significant (occupation, gender, age), it approaches real groups.

Secondly, large real groups. Real group

These are such communities of people who are capable of self-activity, i.e. they can act as a single whole, united by common goals, they are aware of them and strive to satisfy them with joint organized actions. These are groups such as class, ethnos and other communities that are formed on the basis of a set of essential features.

small group- this is a small group in which relations act in the form of direct personal contacts and whose members are united by a common activity, which is the basis for the emergence of certain emotional relationships, special group norms, values, and behaviors. The presence of direct personal contacts (“face to face”) of each with each serves as the first group-forming feature that turns these associations into a socio-psychological community, whose members have a sense of belonging to it. For example, a student group, a school class, a team of workers, an aircraft crew.

There are various approaches to the classification of small groups. There are primary and secondary groups. Primary group

A variety of a small group, characterized by a high degree of solidarity, spatial proximity of its members, unity of goals and activities, voluntary entry into its ranks, and informal control over the behavior of its members. For example, family, peer group, friends, etc. For the first time, the term "primary group" was introduced into scientific circulation by C.H. Cooley, who considered such a group as the primary cell of the entire social structure of society.

Group is one of the main elements of the social structure of society and is a collection of people united by any significant feature - a common activity, common economic, demographic, ethnographic, psychological characteristics. This concept is used in jurisprudence, economics, history, ethnography, demography, psychology. In sociology, the concept of "social group" is usually used.

Not every community of people is called a social group. If people are just in a certain place (on a bus, in a stadium), then such a temporary community can be called "aggregation". A social community that unites people on only one or a few similar grounds is also not called a group; the term "category" is used here. For example, a sociologist might categorize students aged 14 to 18 as youth; elderly people to whom the state pays allowances, provides benefits for paying utility bills - to the category of pensioners, etc.

Social group - it is an objectively existing stable community, a set of individuals interacting in a certain way on the basis of several signs, in particular, the shared expectations of each member of the group regarding others.

The concept of a group as an independent one, along with the concepts of personality (individual) and society, is already found in Aristotle. In modern times, T. Hobbes was the first to define a group as "a certain number of people united by a common interest or common cause."

Under social group it is necessary to understand any objectively existing stable set of people connected by a system of relations regulated by formal or informal social institutions. Society in sociology is considered not as a monolithic entity, but as a set of many social groups that interact and are in a certain dependence on each other. Each person during his life belongs to many such groups, among which are a family, a friendly team, a student group, a nation, and so on. The creation of groups is facilitated by similar interests and goals of people, as well as the realization of the fact that when combining actions, you can achieve a significantly greater result than with individual action. At the same time, the social activity of each person is largely determined by the activities of the groups in which he is included, as well as the interaction within groups and between groups. It can be stated with full confidence that only in a group a person becomes a person and is able to find full self-expression.

The concept, formation and types of social groups

The most important elements of the social structure of society are social groups and social communities. Being forms of social interaction, they are such associations of people whose joint, solidarity actions are aimed at meeting their needs.

AT modern sociology There are many definitions of the term "social group". So, according to some Russian sociologists, a social group is a collection of people who have common social characteristics and perform a socially necessary function in the structure of the social division of labor and activity. The American sociologist R. Merton defines a social group as a set of individuals interacting with each other in a certain way, aware of their belonging to this group and recognized as members of this group from the point of view of others. He distinguishes three main features in a social group: interaction, membership and unity.

Unlike mass communities, social groups are characterized by:

sustainable interaction, contributing to the strength and stability of their existence;

a relatively high degree of unity and cohesion;

clearly expressed homogeneity of the composition, suggesting the presence of signs inherent in all members of the group;

the possibility of entering into broader social communities as structural units.

Since each person in the course of his life is a member of a wide variety of social groups that differ in size, nature of interaction, degree of organization and many other features, it becomes necessary to classify them according to certain criteria.

There are the following types of social groups:

1. Depending on the nature of the interaction - primary and secondary (Appendix, scheme 9).

primary group, by definition, C. Cooley, is a group in which the interaction between members is direct, interpersonal in nature and has a high level of emotionality (family, school class, peer group, etc.). Carrying out the socialization of the individual, the primary group acts as a link between the individual and society.

The secondary group is a larger group in which interaction is subordinated to the achievement of a specific goal and is formal, impersonal. In these groups, the focus is not on the personal, unique qualities of the members of the group, but on their ability to perform certain functions. Organizations (industrial, political, religious, etc.) can serve as examples of such groups.

2. Depending on the method of organization and regulation of interaction - formal and informal.

A formal group is a group with a legal status, interaction in which is regulated by a system of formalized norms, rules, and laws. These groups have a consciously set goal, normatively fixed hierarchical structure and act in accordance with the administratively established procedure (organizations, enterprises, etc.).

An informal group arises spontaneously, based on common views, interests and interpersonal interactions. It is deprived of official regulation and legal status. These groups are usually led by informal leaders. Examples are friendly companies, informal associations among young people, rock music lovers, etc.

3. Depending on the belonging of individuals to them - ingroups and outgroups.

Ingroup- this is a group to which the individual feels a direct belonging and identifies it as "mine", "our" (for example, "my family", "my class", "my company", etc.).

Outgroup - this is a group to which the given individual does not belong and therefore evaluates it as “alien”, not his own (other families, another religious group, another ethnic group, etc.). Each ingroup individual has his own outgroup rating scale: from indifferent to aggressive-hostile. Therefore, sociologists propose to measure the degree of acceptance or closeness in relation to other groups according to the so-called Bogardus' "social distance scale".

Reference group - this is a real or imaginary social group, the system of values, norms and evaluations of which serves as a standard for the individual. The term was first proposed by the American social psychologist Hyman. The reference group in the system of relations "personality - society" performs two important functions: normative, being for the individual a source of norms of behavior, social attitudes and value orientations; comparative acting as a standard for the individual, allows him to determine his place in the social structure of society, evaluate himself and others.

4. Depending on the quantitative composition and form of the implementation of connections - small and large.

small group- this is a directly contacting small group of people united to carry out joint activities.

A small group can take many forms, but the initial ones are the “dyad” and “triad”, they are called the simplest molecules small group. A dyad consists of two people and is considered an extremely fragile association, in triad actively interact three persons, it is more stable.

The characteristic features of a small group are:

small and stable composition (as a rule, from 2 to 30 people);

spatial proximity of group members;

sustainability and longevity:

a high degree of coincidence of group values, norms and patterns of behavior;

intensity of interpersonal relationships;

a developed sense of belonging to a group;

informal control and information saturation in the group.

A large group is a group that is large in composition, which is created for a specific purpose and the interaction in which is mainly of an indirect nature (labor collectives, enterprises, etc.). This also includes numerous groups of people who have common interests and occupy the same position in the social structure of society. For example, social-class, professional, political and other organizations.

A team (lat. collectivus) is a social group in which all vital connections between people are mediated through socially important goals.

Characteristic features of the team:

combination of interests of the individual and society;

commonality of goals and principles that act for the members of the team as value orientations and norms of activity. The team performs the following functions:

subject - solution of the task for which it is created;

social and educational - combination of the interests of the individual and society.

5. Depending on the socially significant signs - real and nominal.

Real groups are groups identified according to socially significant criteria:

floor - men and women;

age - children, youth, adults, the elderly;

income - rich, poor, prosperous;

nationality - Russians, French, Americans;

marital status - married, single, divorced;

profession (occupation) - doctors, economists, managers;

place of residence - city ​​dwellers, rural dwellers.

Nominal (conditional) groups, sometimes called social categories, are allocated for the purpose of conducting a sociological study or statistical accounting of the population (for example, to find out the number of passengers-benefits, single mothers, students receiving nominal scholarships, etc.).

Along with social groups in sociology, the concept of "quasi-group" is singled out.

A quasi-group is an informal, spontaneous, unstable social community that does not have a specific structure and system of values, the interaction of people in which, as a rule, is of a third-party and short-term nature.

The main types of quasigroups are:

The audience is a social community united by interaction with the communicator and receiving information from him. The heterogeneity of this social formation, due to the difference in personal qualities, as well as the cultural values ​​and norms of the people included in it, determines the different degree of perception and evaluation of the information received.

Crowd- a temporary, relatively unorganized, unstructured accumulation of people united in a closed physical space by a common interest, but at the same time devoid of a clearly perceived goal and interconnected by the similarity of their emotional state. Allocate the general characteristics of the crowd:

suggestibility - people in the crowd are usually more suggestible than those outside it;

anonymity - the individual, being in the crowd, as if merges with it, becomes unrecognizable, believing that it is difficult to “calculate” him;

spontaneity (contagiousness) - people in the crowd are subject to rapid transmission and change of emotional state;

unconsciousness - the individual feels invulnerable in the crowd, out of social control, therefore his actions are "impregnated" with collective unconscious instincts and become unpredictable.

Depending on the way the crowd is formed and the behavior of people in it, the following varieties are distinguished:

random crowd - an indefinite set of individuals formed spontaneously without any purpose (to watch a celebrity suddenly appear or a traffic accident);

conventional crowd - a relatively structured gathering of people influenced by planned predetermined norms (spectators in a theater, fans in a stadium, etc.);

expressive crowd - a social quasi-group formed for the personal pleasure of its members, which in itself is already a goal and result (discotheques, rock festivals, etc.);

acting (active) crowd - a group that performs some kind of action, which can act as: gatherings - an emotionally excited crowd gravitating towards violent actions, and revolting crowd - group characterized by particular aggressiveness and destructive actions.

In the history of the development of sociological science, various theories have developed that explain the mechanisms of crowd formation (G. Lebon, R. Turner, and others). But for all the dissimilarity of points of view, one thing is clear: to control the command of the crowd, it is important: 1) to identify the sources of the emergence of norms; 2) identify their carriers by structuring the crowd; 3) purposefully influence their creators, offering the crowd meaningful goals and algorithms for further actions.

Among quasi-groups, social circles are closest to social groups.

Social circles are social communities that are created for the purpose of exchanging information between their members.

The Polish sociologist J. Szczepanski identifies the following types of social circles: contact - communities that constantly meet on the basis of certain conditions (interest in sports competitions, sports, etc.); professional - gathering for the exchange of information solely on a professional basis; status - formed about the exchange of information between people with the same social status (aristocratic circles, women's or men's circles, etc.); friendly - based on the joint conduct of any events (companies, groups of friends).

In conclusion, we note that quasi-groups are some transitional formations, which, with the acquisition of such features as organization, stability and structure, turn into a social group.

Small social group

1. Characteristics of a small group

Small social group - an association of people who have direct contact with each other, united by joint activities, emotional or family closeness, aware of their belonging to a group and recognized by other people.

Group members

Number and characteristics (by age, sex, education, nationality...)

Group structure

It implies the functional responsibilities of group members in their joint activities, role set(a set of expected actions from a person who is assigned certain functional responsibilities) and set of norms(a set of prescriptions, requirements, wishes of socially approved behavior).

Group processes

They imply the processes of cohesion or separation of the group, the development of group norms. formation of leadership, development of likes and dislikes, etc.

2. Types and functions of small groups

By type of activity

(industrial, educational, amateur)

By way of occurrence

formal - arising to perform certain functions within higher-level systems (3 - 20 people)

informal or contact - arising on the basis of mutual sympathy, interests. The limits of their numbers are the limits of the emotional capabilities of a person (3 - 8 people)

According to the degree of development of interpersonal relationships

From differential groups to collective

The importance of the individual

membership groups (all people in the group)

reference groups (significant social circle for the individual)

Group functions

Reference groups are characterized by a comparison function and a normative function. The comparison function implies that the group forms a standard of behavior and assessment of the individual himself and those around him.

The instrumental functions of groups are associated with the organization of joint activities.

Expressive and supportive functions are associated with the emotional needs of the individual.

3. Group dynamics

Group dynamics includes the following processes:

cohesion or disunity of groups;

the process of formation of informal groups within formal groups;

the formation of group norms (this is the most important process), i.e. spontaneously emerging standards of individual behavior. Such norms - standards make the individual's behavior predictable, contribute to the effectiveness of group activities.

The formation of group norms increases the cohesion of the group and at the same time increases group pressure on the individual.

Conformity- characterization of the individual's position relative to the position of the group, the measure of the individual's subordination to group pressure.

Conformity can manifest itself in a change in the opinion and behavior of a person in the direction of greater agreement with the group.

The opposite side of conformism is negativism.

One of the most important processes in the dynamics of groups is the selection of a leader. Leader - a member of a small group who has a certain influence on aspects of her life. Influence is based on authority (recognition of the group and personal qualities of a person). The nomination of a leader is connected with the functional task of management.

Management - a set of actions including:

goal setting (including decision making)

coordination of joint actions

control over compliance with the standards of group behavior and the implementation of decisions made.

Control sets the relationship of subordination (ordering from top to bottom), coordination (ordering horizontally), re-ordination (ordering from bottom to top).

Management is necessary to optimize joint activities, however, each of the spheres of the group's life can initiate its own leaders, and then the cohesion of the group will depend on the relationship between them.

A small group is a systemic social object. Its elements (as well as elements of other social systems) are people and the relations that arise between them.

In relation to small groups, the principle of hierarchy applies. That means. that a small group acts as a part of systems of a higher level (for example, a study group is included in a faculty), acts as a subsystem.

A small group is a dynamic system, which is evidenced by the processes of group dynamics. It is an open system, i.e. it exchanges matter, energy, information with the external environment.

With the above in mind (in italics), consider

Leader direction:

The implementation of these directions illustrates the complimentary function of the leader (the leader must do what the group cannot do).

The task of management is constant, and the ways of its implementation depend on the characteristics of the group, as well as on the situation in which the group operates.

Models (styles) of management

Democratic

Liberal

Anarchist

The differences between these models can be established:

by the nature of the relationship between the rulers and the governed

Governor dominance

Constructive equality of the parties

Dominance of the ruled

by way of decision making

1 person makes the decision. The quality depends on his knowledge, qualifications, experience, etc. The speed of decision-making increases, and the implementation of decisions is associated with increased external control of the leader over the members of the group.

The decision emerges as a result of collective discussion. The quality of the decision depends on the ability of the group members to express their opinions and listen to the opinions of others, as well as the ability of the leader to organize the discussion and, if necessary, involve an expert. The speed of decision-making slows down, however, the participation of everyone in decision-making increases, the importance of self-control during the implementation of decisions increases.

Minimization of control can lead to the fact that the decision will not be made

according to the characteristics of the groups for which this or that model is applicable

The higher the level of education of the members of the group, the more creative the content of their activities, the less acceptable the authoritarian style.

according to situations in which the use of a particular model is justified

For example, extreme situations justify the use of an authoritarian model, and in a situation of group cohesion, a democratic style is better.

Small social groups attracted the attention of sociologists in the 1920s. XX century due mainly to the development of applied research, which did not exclude the theoretical level of their study. The theme of small social groups gained great popularity in the second half of the 20th century. This is due to the special relevance of the topic.

Firstly, an individual is not a member of society on his own, without connection with other individuals, but only as a member of one or several small social groups (family, student group, labor collective, public organization, sports team, etc.). People have always united in groups. This or that necessity prompted them to do so. For sociology, collectives are of the greatest interest, the members of which are formally free with respect to being in a given community. The need to form small groups remains, but takes on a different form. Most often, people are driven into collectives by the need to obtain a livelihood. Behind this exciting activity is the best part of life. It would seem that when the material need disappears, people will leave the collectives. However, the employee does not want to change his place of work, where he knows everyone and everyone knows him for another job with a higher salary, the veteran does not want to go on a well-deserved rest, since there is no rest outside of work. In a team, a person does not just work, he lives in it. A person's personal position on many issues is formed in a small group, since his socialization takes place in it. Therefore, the connection "individual - small social group - large social group - society" is quite logical.

Secondly, small social groups are formed not only spontaneously, but are also consciously organized. Not only buildings, machines, roads, canals, etc. are subject to design, but human teams are also designed. When designing, the personal qualities of individuals are taken into account. In quantitative terms, design is no less difficult than in terms of quality. How many people should be in this small group? - this is the main question of purposeful creation of the group. Theoretically, there is no answer to it, the answer can only be justified empirically. The fact is that the small size of the group (dyad, triad) does not allow the members of the group to create the effect of collectivity. The judgment that the optimal size of the group is 5-7 people is unreasonable, since it is not associated with the specific circumstances of its existence. A company of friends is one thing, and a team of builders or a military team, for which this number may not be sufficient, is quite another. On the other hand, the excessive size of the group leads to a decrease in the collective effect of the activity, and the group itself is divided into subgroups. The division into subgroups, if it does not express the fragmentation of functions, is a very important milestone in the life of the group. This is a signal that the group is about to break up. All living things reproduce by division. And the researcher faces all the same questions: how many students should be in a class, soldiers in a department, peasants in an artel, and so on.

The study of small groups necessarily involves their correlation with large social groups. In terms of the content of their activities, small groups are similar to large ones, which creates the impression of the identity of their structures, for example, the primary party organization and the party as a whole, a religious community and a confession, a cultural society and a nation, a youth group and a generation, etc. But the structures of small and large groups are not identical, since the ways of their existence are different. Just as a village is not a small town, even if its living and cultural conditions are the same, so a small group is not a smaller copy of a large group. It is unlikely that the American sociologist T. Mills is right when he calls small groups “a microcosm of large societies”. Large social groups and society would be very easy to know if their structures and properties were identical to the structures and properties of small social groups. In the same way, the properties of territorial communities, which are also small social groups, cannot be extended to the whole society. Understanding a large society as a set of territorial communities is fraught with serious mistakes in the internal policy of the state. The whole is something other than the sum of its parts.

There are other differences, however, even the above ones quite clearly show both types of groups as different fragments of social reality. Small social groups are communities of people, all members of which systematically directly communicate with each other.

Types of small social groups:

1) The primary small social group is a group whose members are connected not only by common interests, but also by spiritual unity. It is characterized by love, friendship, or at least respect. Members of the group are guided by the constancy of relationships, trying to achieve a higher quality of life. So, for example, to a simple question: “Why are you starting a family?” usually give a stupid answer about the need for procreation. Some individuals have gotten the hang of procreating outside the family; the family is created for the sake of a higher quality of life. Many people prefer a life of two, three, etc. to a lonely life. For the same reason, animals are brought into the house. A higher quality of life encourages people to form kinship and friendships outside the family. Each member of the group sees in the other person a personality, individuality and treats him as himself. The primary group is not divided into subgroups, there is no coercion to join the group.

It is in such groups that a person can experience the greatest satisfaction with life, since in them there is absolutely no alienation between members of the group. Such are the family, the circle of close relatives outside the family, a company of friends, a religious sect, a club of fans of some idol, etc. The motto of the primary small social group could be the words from the song: “Our youth team, the team without which I cannot live!” .

2) Secondary small social group - such a group whose members are connected by common interests and focused on achieving private and temporary goals. Spiritual unity is usually absent. One person sees in another not an end, but a means or a companion. There is some alienation or a certain distancing of group members from each other. This fact is not necessarily assessed negatively, since all people are pragmatists to one degree or another and sometimes prefer a hundred rubles to a hundred friends.

In the secondary group, there is a tendency to realize statuses and roles. Secondary groups are often divided into subgroups. The motto of the secondary group could be the words of one of the British lords: "Britain has no permanent friends and enemies, it has permanent interests." If one imagines "Britain" as an individual, everything else will correctly characterize a member of the secondary group. Hand on heart, analyze your attitude towards the members of your group and make sure that the motto is correct.

3) Reference group. If the division into primary and secondary small social groups is made according to the nature of the relationship between members of the group, then the division into referent and non-referential ones is made according to the value orientation of the individual.

The reference group is a group with which the individual relates himself as a standard and to the norms and values ​​of which he is guided in self-esteem and behavior.

The reference group can be both primary and secondary group. For example, the wife is satisfied with other family members and considers her at least “normal”. Her “colleague” from another family complains about the shortcomings of her husband or son (student) and mentally looks up to an exemplary family: “People live ...”.

The secondary group (student group) is a reference group when the student is satisfied with it: the headman does not note the absence of his classes, the neighbor does not let you get bored at the lecture, decorating the desk with paintings and poetry, he, along with other students, attends a disco, shares cheat sheets on the exam, performs with his comrades against the “hostile class” of teachers, etc. What more could you want from such a group? She is perfection. It is a different matter when the group lacks the indicated “merits”. In this case, the group is “bad” and “unfriendly”.

Reference groups are often outside the group to which the individual belongs. Whether the group is good or bad, the young man likes the pop ensemble.

Factors of rallying individuals into small social groups.

A factor is one or another circumstance of life or a personal property of a person, which directly predetermined the membership of an individual in a given group. Factors may be similar or different for group members.

1) Interest, that is, the orientation of the activity of the individual to satisfy his needs or desires. This is the most typical factor, on the basis of which the goals of the group members are formed, which often coincide. For example, your stay in a student group is an expression of the similarity of your interest with the interests of other students.

2) Similar or close statuses and roles. In-group people typically value other people as equals and form systematic relationships on that basis. These are, for example, residents of an apartment building, summer residents, “elites” of the local class, etc.

3) Similar or close conditions of activity. Members of different "circles" may constitute a small group due to the circumstances in which they find themselves. So, for example, both a private and a general create a partisan detachment together, foreign scientists and Papuans study New Guinea together, a priest and a thief sit in the same prison cell, etc.

4) Psychological compatibility. Even with the spontaneous formation of a small group, people often come close in similarity of temperaments, in ideals, in values, in vocation or inclinations. This factor is taken into account in the purposeful creation of teams: the crew of a submarine or spaceship, a sports team, etc. The expression of former front-line soldiers “I would go on reconnaissance with you” means psychological compatibility, if it is not understood too strictly from the point of view of psychological science.

5) Someone else's will. This factor is usually rarely mentioned in the works of sociologists, which gives the impression that the rallying of people into groups occurs voluntarily. But a criminal is serving his term in a colony against his will, a soldier serves in the wrong place and with the wrong people, where and with whom he would like to serve. It is superfluous to talk about the secondary nature of such a small group. However, objectively, this is also a small group, and it has some of the general properties of small groups.

Properties of small social groups.

1) Leadership. A small group cannot exist without a leader. Leadership is based on the superiority of one of the members of the group in terms of qualities valued in the group (strength, intelligence, dexterity, etc.). The leader more or less tactfully suppresses the members of the group and subordinates to his will.

2) In a small group, there are obligations of each member to fulfill common requirements and protect common values, even if they are contrary to morality and law. The most significant are such values ​​as solidarity and mutual assistance. For example, in criminal groups there is a kind of "trade union" that provides material assistance to family members of convicted accomplices.

3) The more numerous the small group, the more “loose” and fragile it is. And, on the contrary, the smaller the group, the more intense the interactions between the members of the group. Random people are eliminated, the most-most remain ...

4) "We" prevails over "I". Egoism moves from the individual level to the group level. I am a member of this group and because whatever this group does, it is always right. The predominance of “We” over “I” also has a positive meaning: in a team, each individual person becomes stronger in comparison with his individual existence.

5) Identification of the individual with the group is objectively necessary. This is “my” group, and the other group is “foreign”. Identification occurs on the principle of "friend or foe". It is in human nature to strive for such identification. This property is used in cases where it is necessary to create an image of the enemy. Since someone is not “ours”, he is “alien”, therefore, an enemy. Those who are not with us are against us.

But not only does the individual identify with the group, the group can also accept him or not. Critical for a newcomer are the first days or even hours of being in a new team: they try him, test him and decide whether he is “their own” or “white crow”, “black sheep”, etc.