A social group grows out of a situation which permits meaningful inter-stimulation and response between the individuals, focusing of attention on common situation or interest, the development of certain common drives, motivation or emotions’ said by Gllin Gliin. It is very important to know the importance of social group for physiotherapist.

1. SOCIAL
GROUPS
Dr. Nidhi Agarwal
MPT
Rama Institute Of Paramedical
Colleges

2. DEFINITION
‘A social group grows out of a situation which permits meaningful inter-stimulation
and response between the individuals, focusing of attention on common situation or
interest, the development of certain common drives, motivation or emotions’—Gillin
and Gillin
It is system of social interaction—H M Johnson
Any collection of human beings who are establishing human relationships with one
to anothe—Maciver RM and Page

3. CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUP LIFE
The members of the group are related to each other and possess a sense of
‘we’ feeling
Group involves a sense of unity
• The interests, ideals, values of the group members are common
• Similarity of behaviour among the group members is observed
• There are certain norms, customs and procedures which are acceptable and
everyone in the group to obey the norms, rules and regulations of their own
group

4. • The members of the group are affected by its characteristics
• Homogeneous
• Good interpersonal and interactional relationship
• Collective perception of their identity and unity
• Shares certain goals, values and beliefs
• Emerges social control over the behaviour
• Cooperation
• Power relations
• Members behave in a natural and relaxed manner
• Membership is by voluntary, automatic in informal groups, with some purpose in
formal groups
• Joining in a group may be motivated by a variety of personal needs
• Individuals who has similar values and beliefs will join together

5. GROUP STRUCTURE
Group structure is based on stability, and becomes structured.
Group norms and standards, positions/authority, responsibilities are
developed to regulate the actions of its group members.
The group power (expert power, legitimate power, assumed power) is
the ability to control some aspect of the behaviour of others by giving
some rewards or punishments.
Group structure may be based on communication, as communication
is essential in transforming information and coordinating the
activities of individuals in groups.

6. Stabilisation of particular line of communication is essential. Eg: Two-
way communication in family, students and teacher relationship.
Group structure has an impact over the quality of employees’
relations; flat structure increases the group morale by decreasing the
length of vertical communication. Self-actualisation, self-realisation,
independent activities and effective thinking raise the morale of an
individual.

7. HANDLING OF CONFLICTING
SITUATIONS
• Carefully the leader has to handle the clashes of opposing demands
Healthy, conducive and peaceful environment has to be created
• Show concern for the group interest and their welfare
• Measures to increase potentials of individuals
• Resolution of group conflicts, maintaining adequate interpersonal
relationship results in positive team spirit and cooperation
• Conflict resolution is one of the important responsibility of a group
leader
• Control of absenteeism and tardiness
• Collect factual information, analyse and take necessary actions to
over come the problems
• Identify fatigue and monotonous jobs, provide varied activities

8. CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPS
Charles Cooley: Primary group. Eg. Family, friends. Secondary group.
Eg: Social institutions, or social organization
WB Sumner and Kellerr: In group and out group.
Miller and PA Sorokin: Vertical and horizontal. Gidden’s: Public and
private.
Elwood: Sanctioned and unsanctioned
W.B. Sumner and Keller :-
Classification : In group • The members in the group will have ‘we’
feeling and a common attitude and treats the group members as one.
Eg: Family, group of friends
• Based on ethnocentrism.
• People exhibit good behaviour with one to another

9. Out group :-
• People will develop a sort of hatred feeling on a particular group
and treat the group completely away from them
Cooley’s Classification
Charles Cooley has classified social groups on the basis of
importance and the form of relationships among the group members
Primary group :-
• People will have intimate face-to-face, close, cooperative
relationship. • Play fundamental role in forming the social nature and
ideals of an individual. • Participation in primary group leads to a
fusion of individualities in a common whole. • Wholeness involves the
sympathy and natural identification for which ‘we’ is the proper
expression. • People will have close intimacy and nearness in
relationship. • It is very important to form satisfaction of the child
and also the development of childs’ personality

10. CHARACTERISTICS
• Physical proximity: The relationship among the group members is close
and they will have intimate contact with each other. Exchange of their ideas
and opinions will take place.
• Small in size (to develop intimate and personal relationship, the group
should be small).
• Stability in nature (to promote closeness).
• Continuity in relationship (by meeting frequently and by exchanging
thoughts the intimacy increases). When this chain is broken, the relationship
does not remain the same.
• Spontaneous, personal and inclusive relationship (every member of the
group feels intimacy for others in a natural way, there is nothing like
compulsion or pressure between them).
• Maximum control over group members in the family affair

11. IMPORTANCE OF PRIMARY GROUP
To develop the personality.
• The efficiency of the members will be increased and persons of the
group get help, inspiration and cooperation from one another.
• Satisfaction of total needs (physical, emotional, psychological,
social and spiritual) of the individual.
•Group members will provide love, security, belongingness to the
persons and satisfy their desires of loving and beloved, a person gets
the benefits of companionship, sympathy, exchange of thoughts and
satisfies most of their psychological needs.
•The primary groups are the foundation of the whole society, the
individual acquire the basic attitudes towards people, social
institutions and the world around them.
•The individual acquires the attitudes of kindness tolerance, love,
generosity, mutual concern and affection

12. SECONDARY GROUP
Groups are constituted for some specific aims, after achieving the
goal the members will not maintain required relations within the
group. The relationships are indirect, short and formal. They are
representatives of a cold world.
• Individuals do not have any interest in the pleasure and pain.
• Relations among them are competitive, casual and impersonal.
• Demands of person receive segments of their time and attention
Characteristics of secondary group:
• Position of a member depends upon their role and status.
• Individuality develops in the persons because their relations are
based on self-interest.
• Self-dependence among members.
• Large size.

13. • No physical closeness.
• Formed for some purpose after attaining it they are no more
required.
• Group cannot exercise control to that extent due to large size.
• Lacks stability and personal relationships. The group covers wide
area, but not formed on the basis of identical, common ends. Status
is determined by the function.
• Has the limited acquaintance and responsibility.
• Group form with definite objective, its function is not spontaneous.
• Members play active and passive role.
• Possibility of development in individualism

14. IMPORTANCE OF SECONDARY
GROUP
•The needs are satisfied in the group with the advance of technology and associated
with social change.
•Rules formed by the group, will increase the efficiency of the work.
• Delegation of authority, coordination and planning of the activities will be
implemented.
• Channels of opportunity is wide, individuals can develop themselves by using their
talents.
• Wider outlook: It has to accommodate large number of members/localities which
widens the outlook of its group.
•It breaks the barriers of class, caste, and province.
•Must articulate with primary group.

15. ROLE OF SECONDARY GROUP
The health care professionals are considered as secondary
group and play a vital role in fulfilling the specific needs of clients
like esteem, cognitive, aesthetic and self-actualisation.
In hospital setup, the health team members establish good
interpersonal relationship with the patient and develop rapport and
win the confidence. patient will feel ease and comfortable and
cooperate with the team members in planning, implementing and the
remedial measures either in hospital and rehabilitation settings.

16. The multidisciplinary team plays their respective roles in
fulfilling the cognitive needs of the patient by counselling and
explaining about the prognosis of the disease. As the cognitive needs
fulfills simultaneously the patient adopt appropriate measures for
better prognosis.
In the process of recovery, when the patient is able to perform his
activities independently or with little assistance by health team,
automatically the self- esteem increases.
In rehabilitation settings the individual will be given sufficient
training by the experts to the highest possible level of function
ability. When the patient is able to perform productive role, he
actualises himself about his capacities, abilities and limitations and
mould himself to accommodate to the changing situations.

17. DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN PRIMARY
AND SECONDARY
GROUP

18. RELIGIOUS GROUP
Man is a spiritual being and religion is a major concern of man.
Religion is universal and permanent in nature. Man has to fulfill
religious needs also.
Religion influences all endeavours of the man, eg: Economic, political
movement, educational task, scientific and artistic developments.
Definition-
Unified system of beliefs and practices related to sacred things—Durkheim (The elementary
forms of the religious life)
Belief in powers superior powers to man which controls the nature of human life—James G
Frazer
The relationship between man and some higher power— Maciver and Page

19. CHARACTERISTICS
Religion is recognised as a power or force
• Ambiguity in nature
• Non-utilitarian
• Non-empirical
• Strengthens, supports worshippers

20. COMPONENT
Belief in supernatural power:
Man’s adjustment with divine
Defines righteous and sinful activities
Method of salvation

21. THE SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
The basic insight of sociology is that human behavior is shaped by the groups to which
people belong and by the social interaction that takes place within those groups.
The sociological perspective invites us to look at our familiar surroundings in a fresh
way.
It encourages us to take a new look at the world we have always taken for granted, to
examine our social environment with the same curiosity that we might bring to an
exotic foreign culture.
Sociology also helps us understand ourselves better. Without the sociological
perspective (which has been called the "sociological imagination"), people see the
world through their limited experience of a small orbit of family, friends, co-workers.
The sociological imagination allows us to stand apart mentally from our limited
experience and see the link between private concerns and social issues

22. GENDER, DISABILITY AND
DEVELOPMENT
Women with disabilities have been described as being doubly marginalised on
account of their disability and their gender.
They may be more vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion, and often have
limited social, political and economic opportunities and lack of access to basic
services.
Women with disabilities may also be at greater risk of sexual and physical violence
and abuse. Girls with disabilities often experience discrimination, for example in
education and family life.
women have either a significantly higher prevalence or worsened experience in
visual impairment, psychological disorders and physical disabilities.

23. Nature and culture, sex and gender, have their reflection (though not mirror
images) in the distinctions between impairment and disability.
Impairment has been used to describe functional limitations accruing to an
individual as a consequence of embodied differences; while disability has been
used to refer to a system of social relations that limit the individual in their
daily lives.
Gendered analysis of disability has been particularly valuable in demonstrating
the web of social and biological factors that disable people, not just women.

24. THE GENDERED EXPERIENCE OF
DISABILITY
Disabled people have often been represented as without gender, as asexual
creatures, as freaks of nature, the ‘Other’ to the social norm.
In this way it may be assumed that for disabled people gender has little
bearing. Yet the image of disability may be intensified by gender - for women a
sense of intensified passivity and helplessness, for men a corrupted masculinity
generated by enforced dependence.
Moreover these images have real consequences in terms of education,
employment, living arrangements, and personal relationships, victimisation and
abuse that then in turn reinforce the images in the public sphere.

25. ACCESS TO PUBLIC HEALTH CARE
AND LIVELIHOOD
Access to health care is a major health and development issue. Most governments
declare that their citizens should enjoy universal and equitable access to good quality
care. However, even within the developed world, this goal is difficult to achieve, and
there are no internationally recognized standards on how to define and measure
“equitable access”
Evidently, big disparities exist between the poor and the better off with respect to
access to health care services and health status . Gaps in child mortality between rich
and poor countries are wide, as well as between the wealthy and the poor within
most countries. Poor children are not only more likely than their better off peers to
be exposed to health risks and have less resistance to disease, they also have less
access to preventive and curative interventions.