2. In social sciences, a social group
has been defined as two or more
people that interact with one
another, share similar
characteristics, and have a
collective sense of unity.
What are?
3. Social groups can have many characteristics, such as:
Characteristics
• Plurality of individuals- It is necessary to
exist more than one individual; a collective is
a must;
• Social interaction- There
needs to be interaction between
individuals of the group;
• Objectivity and exteriority- Social
groups are superior and exterior to the
individual;
4. • Common objective- Members of the same group unite
themselves around certain principles or values in order to
achieve a common goal;
• Collective’s consciousness- It is the group’s own way of
thinking, feeling and acting. There is a more or less strong
feeling of sharing a group of ideas, values and ways of acting;
• Continuity- Brief interactions are not enough to form
stable social groups, for that to happen, it is necessary
that interactions have a longer duration, just like it
happens at school or in family, for example.
5. Classification
We can classify social groups in:
• Secondary groups- In contrast with primary ones, these are usually big
groups which direct or indirect relation are only formal and/or institutional,
an example is school;
• Intermediary groups- Groups that can alter and complete
themselves in two ways of social contacts: Primary and secondary;
One of those examples is friends.
• Primary groups- These consist of small groups
where personal relations are established, which are
often daily interactions, like family;
