Week 3 Online: H.W 5: Socialization and Personal Development - Due 4/7

H.W 5: Socialization and Personal Development

1. Why do groups exist and what are the types of groups that exist in society?

Groups exist because they are a fundamental part of social life. They can be very small from just two people or very large who share some attributes and interact with one another. These groups can also be rewarding to the members as they have a sense of belonging and to society as a whole. But these groups can also bring a variety of problems that can be dangerous. The types of groups that exist in society are called a primary group. A primary group is primarily small and tightly unified, by a very strong sense of belonging. They engage in an intimate face-to-face environment over an extended period. It can also be a supportive place where members can turn for emotional, social, and financial help. They also can have a powerful influence on the members’ identity since they interact with them regularly over many years. Since the members within the group care about each other they usually contribute to one another’s personal development, security, and well-being. Some examples of primary groups are friends, family romantic partners, and members of religious groups. Another type of group that exists in society is a secondary group they differ from primary groups. They are large and impersonal groups, whose members are merged by a shared goal or task-oriented activity rather than strong emotions. They are a functional group that is formal and temporary that carries out a task or achieve a goal. Unlike primary groups and secondary groups consist of many rules and regulations, the members care little about each other personally or relationships. You can find secondary groups in companies, students, teachers, and administrators in an educational setting. There are also voluntary and in-voluntary groups. The voluntary group is composed of a member in which they get to choose to join a group. They join this group according to their preference and they can withdraw at any given time. You can identify voluntary groups in secondary groups. An in-voluntary group is a membership assigned. The member has no choice in wanting to be in the group but is obligated to be in the group. For example, a civilian in prison has no choice whether they want to join or not join; they are there for a reason. Neither does conscript soldiers; they have no choice in denying the military draft since it’s the law. Additionally, to these groups, there’s also in-group and out-group. The in-group is composed of members who share a sense of identity and “we-ness” that excludes and devalues outsiders. The members of this group identify themselves with their group like a family, tribe, college or occupation by their likeness. The out-group contains people who are viewed and treated negatively because they’re seen as having values, beliefs, and other characteristics different from those. For example, “us” vegetarians are healthier than “those” meat-eaters. Lastly, in-groups and out-groups can become reference groups. Reference groups include members who shape our behavior, values, and attitudes. They influence who we are, what we do, and who we’d like to be in the future. Sounds like primary groups but unlike them, reference groups rarely provide personal support or face-to-face interaction over time. An example of reference groups can be a college club, recreational athletic team, teachers or doctors.

2. Where do you prefer to shop, eat out, or grab a cup of coffee? Large chains like Walmart or smaller retailers? Starbucks or a local restaurant? Does this section change how you think about these choices? Why or why not?

There’s a variety of shops I like to shop in from large chains like Amazon, American Eagle, Sephora, Target, Apple Store, Aerie, Lululemon, Macy’s, Old Navy, Goat, Aritzia, Zara, Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Abercrombie & Fitch, Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, Petco, and Uniqlo. The large chains I dine in or grab food from are Whole Foods, Chipotle, Target, Dominos, Starbucks, Sweetgreen, Chopt, Buffalo Wild Wings, Olive Garden, Foodtown, Subways, McDonald’s, and many more. The small chains I support to dine in are Yayas located in Chinatown, Geisha Sushi a local restaurant located around my neighborhood, Smoothie shop located in the corner of my neighborhood and finally a Ramen shop located in the village. I enjoy tasting new flavors and exploring my taste buds. Depending on what I will like to eat I do not discriminate whether I go out to eat in small shops or large shops. I support them both in the sense that the quality of the food will be to my standards. But besides that, I don’t support the idea that large chains want to take over small businesses because of competition. How are small businesses expected to grow and succeed if big companies take over constantly? Small businesses struggle with finding customers to come in since well-known companies have people working for them to find new customers and prioritize other things. This is just one of the issues small businesses face, but from the looks of it small businesses have employed 1.8 million people and they are growing economically.

4. Share some of your social group affiliation and roles with a group. What is the purpose of this group and what role do they play in terms of your personal development, socialization or what contributions has this group made to the community or society at large?

A group affiliation I participate in is a dance team made up of 14 members and we dance folkloric Ecuadorian music. We created this group to bring awareness to our Ecuadorian culture since members of this country are forgetting their culture and roots. We create dances and participate in competitions or charity events for religious beliefs. Since I started dancing at a very young age and have been in the “system” the longest, I was recommended by fellow members to become the leader of the group. As the leader of this team, I play a big role in the dancing aspect of the team. I’m required to create the steps, teach the steps and lead the team while dancing. That being said I never expected to play a huge role. It came naturally and since I’m passionate about dancing it worked well. Being the leader in this environment helps me develop leadership characteristics outside this group as I have become more independent, finer at communicating with others at different levels. I’m able to use these skills in my future career and everywhere I go. This group helps expose the Ecuadorian culture to younger generations who are not aware of them since it’s barely spoken or taught about in this country as it is with other countries.

1 Comment

  1. Where do you prefer to shop,eat out or grab a cup of coffee? Large chains or small businesses?
    I personally like going out to small business to grab a coffee and just chill i don’t like big chains where it popular and where you will most likely have to wait a couple of minutes for your item.As well in my opinion i fee in small business you are more acknowledge and treated with kindness then a busy environment where everyone just trying to get you in and out of their business.Although many times when were in rush and we just trying to grab something fast i believe large chains come into benefits as in the idea that there are various locations and larger amounts of workers which should have fast business pace of getting customers in and out.Although for many purchases of good quality items like makeup and clothing and sneakers many turn to big chain business to buy from because the quality or the higher stock rate compared to small business.

    Why do groups exist and what are the types of groups that exist in society?
    I believe groups exist because they are a part of society itself .The two types of groups that exist are primary group and secondary group.Groups can be small or they can be large too. Primary groups are usually small scale and include intimate relationships and consist of long lasting.Most of the time people in the primary group feel connected to each other.Secondary group are more the opposite of primary group, for example they more short term and the groups could be small or large and it more like short term and impersonal.

    Share some of your social group affiliations and roles with a group.what is the purpose of this group and what role do they play in terms of your personal development, socialization or what contributions has this group made to the community or society at large?
    One of the social groups that I’m affiliated with is volleyball, which I play in the summer. I join teams and play all around the five boroughs during the summer period.The purpose of this social group is to become better at volleyball , also to stay fit and just for the fun of it and competing with others athletes.The contributions that it makes to the community is that it gives young and older people to interact with each other and to join each other company.Another group that I’m affiliated with is a music club. I like to interact sometimes with singing or playing the drums just for the fun of it and to just ease my mind and interact with my friends.The role i play is a musicians among other musician.This group contributes to culture and the community because our music serves the community and it bring culture alive of different nationalities and races.