Primary Groups
Charles Horton Cooley coined the term Primary Group to refer to an intimate social group with the shared values and common standards of behaviours and frequent direct personal contacts. According to Cooley, the primary group has following characteristics:
- Relatively small size
- Face to face association
- Unspecialized character of that association
- Relative intimacy
- Durable relationship
The family, children's playgroup, intimate friendship group and old fashioned neighborhoods are considered to be primary groups. The are characterized by a sense of belonging, emotional warmth and cooperation. the sense of we-feeling fosters a strong identification with the group. Fundamentally, these groups are harmonious and affectionate but competition, self-assertion and passionate contentions also emerged. These passions, Cooley suggests, are socialized by sympathy and come or tend to come under the discipline of common spirit. The individual will be ambitious but the chief object of his ambition will be some desired place in the thoughts of the others in the group.
Reference Group
Any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behavior a reference group.Reference groups provide the benchmarks and contrast needed for comparison and evaluation of group and personal characteristics. Robert K. Merton hypothesized that individuals compare themselves with reference groups of people who occupy the social role to which the individual aspires. Broadly there two types of reference groups:
Informal groups are not structured with a specific goal in mind. They also interact on a very personal level. Examples of informal reference groups include:
- Families
- A group of local mothers
- Peer groups
Formal reference groups have a specific goal or mission. They also have a specific structure and positions of authority. Examples of formal reference groups include:
- Labor unions
- Mensa, a society for people with high IQ
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
