Social Groups and Culture

• A group is formed when two or more people interact, influence each other and share a common objective
• Status refers to a person's position in the hierarchy of a group
• Social power refers to the amount of influence that an individual can exert over another person.
• In general, the higher a person's status, the more power they exert
• Status may be based on lineage, occupation, or wealth
• People recognise the different statuses and have accepted norms of treatment for people of high or low status.
• A person could have high status and a lot of social power in one situation or group, but not in another
• Sometimes a person's social power can be subtle and they may not realise that they are influencing others
• Types of social power:

  • reward
  • coercive
  • legitimate
  • referent
  • expert
• Reward social power

  • based on the ability to reward a person who complies with the desired behaviour
  • teachers, employers
• Coercive social power

  • based on the ability to punish a person for failure to comply
  • fines and imprisonment are used to control behaviour
• Legitimate social power

  • based on our acceptance of a person as being part of an established social order
  • elected leaders, teachers, parents
• Referent social power

  • we refer to the person for direction
  • we want to be like the person
  • celebrities, sporting heroes
• Expert social power

  • we recognise a person has knowledge or expertise in a specific field because of their training and experience
  • doctors, lawyers, engineers
• Collectivist cultures

  • value groups needs or interests over the interests of individuals
  • prioritise loyalty to the group (as the belief is that the group will in turn support the individual), as well as interdependence, and understanding your role within the group
• Individualist cultures

  • value individual interests over the interests of groups
  • view people as independent and accept that individuals' actions are focused on the attainment of their goals and the meeting of their needs over any broad group goals
  • promote the interests of the individual and encourage the development of independence and personal identity
• Cultures that operate horizontally prioritise equality, hence the term horizontal to represent the apparent evenness of the society
• Cultures that operate vertically accept that inequalities exist and stress the importance of status and hierarchies
• Horizontal-individualist

  • individuals are encouraged to be autonomous but see others as relatively equal
  • equality is encouraged and embedded within the culture
  • e.g. Australia and Sweden
• Vertical-individualist

  • individuals are encouraged to be autonomous, with others seen as different
  • inequality is accepted as not all members of the culture have the same degree of status
  • competition is encouraged within this cultural system
  • e.g. USA and France
• Horizontal-collectivist

  • the individual is part of a larger in-group, where all members are seen as similar to each other
  • all members of the in-group are considered equals
  • e.g. israeli kibbutz and rural cultures in Central America
• Vertical-collectivist

  • the individual is part of a larger in-group, but all members are different
  • inequality is accepted as not all members have the same degree of status
  • it is generally accepted that some members of society will have to serve and some will have to make sacrifices, all of which benefit the in-group
  • e.g. Japan and South Korea