Lesson 1: Roles and Group Influences

To summarize:

• Roles define the way people act or behave.

• People step into or step out of roles at various times.

• Roles are packages of benefits and obligations.

• Roles are interdependent behaviours that fit into networks or systems.

• A social relationship is a set of reciprocal roles.

• Roles are based on sex (gender identity), age, kinship, and residence.

• Roles are arbitrarily or randomly assigned to each sex.

• Male roles have traditionally higher status than female roles.

• The focus on extended kinship has been replaced by the nuclear family.

• Roles are ascribed (automatic at birth) or achieved (earned on merit and effort).

• New roles are learned through the socialization process, which means the child observes and imitates others, usually family members.

• Gender identity is an important element in socialization.

• Maleness and femaleness are determined by biological factors.

• Masculinity and femininity are behaviours that arise from the cultural perspective of the sexes.

• Role conflicts may arise because roles are misunderstood or because roles change, which causes disruptions.

• Androgyny is the flexibility of combining male and female traits.

• Changes in roles may be uncomfortable, but often changes are necessary for improvement.

• Rites of passage are an initiation tests that people must pass before they are given full status in certain roles.

• Birth order proposes interesting theories about the personalities of first borns, middle children, and last-born children.

• Group behaviour is quite different from the behaviour of individuals.

• Human beings have strong social needs that are satisfied through interaction with groups.

• The family helps in the socialization process, which refers to lessons about how to live in a culture.

• Peers are people who have equal status; reference groups give us our beliefs and values.

• The crowd is a transitory group of people who have a sense of togetherness for a particular objective.

• The clique is organized around class lines and is more cohesive and closeknit.

• People identify with an in-group; those outside the group are the outgroup.

• The goal of inclusive groups is to expand activities and membership.

• The objective of exclusive groups is to limit membership to a special inner circle.

• Task-oriented groups perform specific tasks or activities.

• Interaction-oriented groups highlight social contacts with others.

• A person’s locus of control (external or internal) determines if the person believes in group control or self-determination.

• The risky-shift hypothesis states that the group will be more brave in decision-making with the support of the whole group.

• The cautious-shift hypothesis states that group decisions are conservative in nature.

• Many factors affect leadership. Sometimes people assume leadership because they can handle difficult situations; others are leaders because they are organized and have qualities that appeal to people.

• A democratic leader has the respect and commitment of the members.

• An autocratic leader is dictatorial.

• A laissez-faire leader lets the group do what they like.

• A sociogram studies the small group by examining which people interact best with each other.

• Communication is an important aid to group solidarity.

• People outside a group may experience loneliness and rejection.

• Fear of people outside one’s group may lead to hatred and xenophobia.

• Close friendships that last a lifetime are the strongest form of group belonging.

• The Winning-with-people model divides people into four quadrants with special characteristics.