This document discusses social groups and their influence on health and sickness. It defines primary groups as small, intimate groups like family where interaction is face-to-face, and secondary groups as larger, more impersonal groups like workplaces where membership is optional. Primary groups strongly influence health through close social support, while secondary groups like hospitals and workplaces provide important health services and influence through formal rules and roles. Both group types play key roles in hospitals and rehabilitation by meeting different needs of patients and supporting their recovery and reintegration into social life.

1. SOCIAL GROUPS
Unit IV
Sociology of Allied Health Sciences

2. Social Groups
• The Concepts of social groups.
• Influence of formal and informal groups
on health and sickness.
• The role of primary groups and secondary
groups in the hospital and rehabilitation
setup.

3. Concept of Social Groups
• No normal man can lives alone.
• His activities start as a participating member of
group such as family.
• When he goes out for work, there he interacts
with a number of people working there.
• On coming back, meets several people and
share common ideas and feelings.
• It means man lives in social groups.
• Man lives in groups continuously and also
creates groups.

4. Concept of Social Groups
• Group is not a mere aggregate of human beings,
but it is a collection of human beings who enter
into meaningful relationship with each other.
• A person may belong to several different groups
at the same time to meet different needs.
• We are bounded together by some common
needs and interest.
• A group may be of only two or three persons or
even a collection of millions of people ex.
Family, Sports club, a political party, trade
union etc.

5. Definition of Social Groups
• Maciver and Page – “Any collection of Social beings,
who enter into distinctive social relationships with one
another”.
• Ogburn and Nimkoff – “Whenever two or more
individual come together and influence one another,
they may be said to constitute a social group”.
• Horton and Hunt – “Groups are aggregate or
categories of people who have a consciousness of
membership and of interaction”.

6. Characteristics of Social Group
1-Reciprocal Relations.
2-Sense of unity.
3-We felling.
4-Common Interests.
5-Group Norms
6-Collection of Individuals
7-Group Size
8-Groups are Dynamic
9-Stability

7. Characteristics of Social Group
• Reciprocal Relations:
• A gathering of persons from a social group only when
they are interrelated.
• Reciprocal relations is an essential feature of a group.
• We felling:
• Members of a group help each other and defend their
interests collectively.
• Sense of Unity:
• Members of a group are united by a sense of unity and a
felling of sympathy.

8. Characteristics of Group
• Common interests:
• Interests and ideals of a group are common.
• It is for the realization of common interests that they
meet together.
• Group Norms:
• Every group has its own rules or norms which the
members are supposed to follow.
• Collection of Individual:
• A group cannot be formed without the gathering of
individuals.

9. Characteristics of Social Group
• Group Size:
• Size of group varies from smaller to a bigger size.
• Groups are Dynamic:
• Social groups are not static but dynamic in nature.
• Group are subject to change according to changing
needs and pressures from within or outside.
• Stability:
• Most of the groups are permanent and stable in
nature.

10. Classification of Social Groups
American Sociologist Charles Horton Cooley has
introduced the term “primary group” in his book
“Social organization”.
• Primary Group: Such as family, small and long lasting
has close contact and face to face relationship, that
are informal.
• Secondary Groups: Such as school, is a collection of
individual with common interest and aims but lack of
intimacy. Membership is voluntary and relationship
are formal.

11. Primary or Informal Group
• Primary group is a small group like a family,
neighborhood, Play group of children etc.,
• The contact between members of group is
intimate.
• Face to face interaction among the members.
• According to Lundberg – “Two or more
persons behaving in relation to each other in a
way that is intimate, cohesive and personal”.

12. Characteristics of a Primary Group
Main Characteristics of Primary Group
–Close Contact
–Small Size
–Stability
–Similarity of background
–Limited self-interest
–Intensity of Shared interests

13. Characteristics of a Primary Group
• Close Contact:
– The people of primary group are closely related and have face to
face interaction.
– The close contact provides an opportunity to the members to
express their views, ideas, opinions.
• Small size:
– The primary groups are of small size. The members of small group
can understand each other and develop a group feeling and
intimate relations.
• Stability:
– To promote intimacy of relationship, the primary group should be
stable to some extent:

14. Characteristics of a Primary Group
• Similarity of background:
– The members of a primary group must be not only close and
near to each other but also approximately equally
experienced and intelligent.
• Limited self-interest:
– The restricted common interest must predominate in their
minds.
• Intensity of shared interests:
– In a primary group the common interest is shared by every
member and by being shared by all the interest acquires a
new significance, a new emphasis and new valuation.

15. Importance of Primary Groups
– Maintain social control over its member.
– Helps in process of socialization.
– The group is an important factor in shaping the
personality of the individual.
– Teaches its member to work according to rules in
society.
– Provide cementing force like sympathy, love, tolerance,
mutual help and sacrifice to social structure and
prevent social disintegration.

16. Secondary Groups or Formal Groups
• Secondary groups are large groups like a trade unions,
political parties, corporation, factory, Rotary club and
student technologists association etc.,
• Here human contacts are superficial and undefined.
• He communicate with them by such indirect means as
the written word. No face to face relations.
• H.T. Mazumdar – “When face-to-face contacts are not
present in the relations of member, we may call that is
secondary group”.

17. Characteristics of Secondary Groups
• Main Characteristics of secondary groups:
– Formal and impersonal relations
– Large in size
– Option of membership
– Active and Inactive members
– Relations – not face to face
– Formal rules
– Individuals status
– Goal orientation

18. Importance of Secondary or Formal
Groups
 The primary group have an important place in a simple
and small society.
 But in modern era the trend is towards secondary groups.
 The changing trends of modern society is that now man
depends for his needs more on secondary groups rather
then the primary groups.
 Efficiency (the emphasis is on getting the job done).
 Open channels of opportunity.
 Wider Outlook.

19. Influence of Secondary or Formal Groups on Health
and Sickness
• There are some social groups in society formally organized,
regulated and guided by written rules and roles.
• They are deliberately formed and their membership in
compulsory and goal oriented.
• A formal group always has a normative hierarchical structure
or status system
• Violation of rules by the groups leads to punishment.
• The formal groups are also known as secondary groups.
• Plays an important role in determining the health status of the
people and directly influence the health status of individual.

20. Influence of Secondary or Formal Groups on Health
and Sickness
Hospitals
• Hospitals are the examples of the formal groups those play an important
role in promotion of health, prevention of sickness and curative of clients.
• Hospitals may be government, private or corporate hospital.
• There is a definite organizational structure and have their organizational
chart that shows the hierarchical position of the staff working in the
government health agencies.
• These hospitals may be of general, charitable and specialized in nature.
• Other government health agencies are also working for the promotion of
health and prevention of sickness.
• They organize awareness camps, treatment camps at the door step of the
people.
• The birth of a child takes place in a secondary atmosphere of the hospital.

21. Influence of Formal Groups on Health and Sickness
• The Hospital provides scientific equipments.
• Trained staffs and safety to child and mother.
• Total health team is included in formal group to rehabilitate the clients in different
settings.
• Government and Non- Government organizations.
• After birth government and non-government organizations are emphasizing on
immunization.
• Later in schools and college medical camps are conducted and student gets
medical treatment.
• Many private and government organizations conduct awareness camp, etc.
• Many types of health benefits are also provided by certain agencies like ESI,
health allowances, safe drinking water and proper sanitation to improve the health
of people.

22. Influence of Formal Groups on Health and
Sickness
Industry
• Industries provides health services regularly through employee
state insurance scheme.
• They provide maternity benefits, sickness benefits, medical benefits
to the employee , who suffer from health problems.
• Apart from that, industries provide low cost nutritious food .
• Sometimes industry safety measures are not adequately
implemented facilities like, ventilations, light, drinking water,
canteen, etc.
• Pollution control measures are poor in any industries. Tanneries of
Kanpur are example of this.
• Such conditions caused various diseases
• However government is taking steps to improve upon the
conditions in industries through its various departments.

23. Influence of Informal or Primary Groups on Health
and Sickness
• Role of Family during illness
• The most Important primary group that influences an
individual is his family.
• Family may be nuclear, joint and extended. According to
closeness every member of family take full participation in
curative measures and prevents deterioration of health.
• The economic condition of the family also play an important
role.
• Richer families are able to provide their children nutritious
and delicious food, while poor or hand to mouth families find
it difficult to give even meal for a day to their children.
• This causes malnutrition leading to health problems.

24. Influence of Informal or Primary Groups
on Health and Sickness
• The educational level of the family also plays an important role. Highly
educated parents are aware of health and sickness. They take adequate
measures to prevent health problems and cure it.
• But in uneducated family people are relatively lacking health awareness
due to ignorance and hence do not know the ways to promote health and
to cope with the health problems.
• Family members fulfills the basic needs of client for e.g. Physiological
needs, Psychological needs, social and economical needs.
• In physiological needs they look after the needs like hunger and thirst
means food, water, rest, sleep and clothing etc.
• Psychologically they also support, and remove the fear of death and
worseness of disease and fulfill the love and emotional needs.
• They also contributes money to cope with economical crisis during
hospitalization and up to rehabilitation phase.

25. Influence of Informal Groups or Primary on
Health and Sickness
Role of friends and Peer Group during illness
• The next primary group influencing the health of an
individual is his peer group.
• The Playmates, friends and peer group also play an
important role in fulfilling the basic needs of
individuals, family and community during the time of
illness.
• They help in the form of providing monetary help,
physical and psychological help.
• The peer group where individuals of the same age and
more or less of same social position, help each other to
recover them as early as possible.

26. Influence of Primary Groups or Informal Groups in the
Hospitals and Rehabilitation setting
• Every individual’s life style and habits are generally
influenced by the peer group.
• Positive life style and habits acquired by the influence of
the peer group promote and maintain health.
• They constitute the some groups those participate and
organize health camps and health welfare services.
• They avoid unhygienic environment to promote health.
• They keep vigilant eye on bad practices like smoking,
alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling and other unethical
issues.

27. Influence of Secondary Groups or formal Groups in
the Hospitals and Rehabilitation setting
• Secondary groups include health team e.g. Physician, Surgeon,
Nurse, Technologists, Dietitian, Medical Social worker,
Physiotherapist, Occupational therapist and other team member
skilled and unskilled.
• They play a vital role in fulfilling the specific needs of client like
cognitive, aesthetic, self- actualization and self esteem.
• In hospital setup, the health team members establish good
interpersonal relationship with the patient and develop rapport and
win the confidence.
• Disabled person now have a wide range of services available to help
him to lead as normal and active life as possible.
• Social services are provided by social welfare department, including
financial assistant.

28. Influence of Secondary Groups or Formal in the
Hospitals and Rehabilitation setting
• The patient will fell comfortable and cooperative
with health team in improving health by
implementation of remedial measures.
• Counsellor by counselling helps him in adopting
new life style to improve health and reducing
sickness.
• In rehabilitation setting client will get training by
experts or physiotherapists to maintain the
activity of daily living.
• Rehabilitation may help him in occupational
training and enable them financial sound.

29. Influence of Primary Groups or Informal Groups
in the Hospitals and Rehabilitation setting
Rehabilitations
• Rehabilitation is the restoration to health and working capacity of a
person incapacitated by disease, mental, physical.
• Rehabilitation stands for the combined and coordinated use of all the
available medical, social, educational and vocational measures, for training
and retraining the persons to the highest level of functional ability.
• Social rehabilitation is a process the aim of which is to attain functioning
ability.
• Rehabilitation emphasizes on the fact that the duty and obligations of
doctor who cares for a patient do not end simply curing the patient.
• There is also an obligation to assist the patient in getting rehabilitated to
that he/she gets fully adjusted in the family and social milieu and live a
happy and productive life.

30. Influence of Primary Groups or Informal Groups
in the Hospitals and Rehabilitation setting
• The patient also needs to be trained in some
vocation so the he/she can make a living.
• The patient’s family and society have to be
educated to accept the patient as a normal
human being and not as one cursed by the God.
• The patient would be emotionally weak and also
need to be emotionally supported.
• All these activities comes under the purview of
‘Rehabilitation’( Re-restore into, habitat- the
original home or environment of the person).

31. Influence of Primary Groups or Informal Groups
in the Hospitals and Rehabilitation setting
• Accordingly, rehabilitation in undertaken in four dimension:
• 1. Medical Rehabilitation
• This is done through medical/ surgical procedure to restore the
anatomy, anatomical functions and psychological functions to as
near as possible.
• 2.Vocational Rehabilitation
• This includes steps involving training and education so as to enable
a livelihood.
• 3. Social Rehabilitation
• This involves steps for restoration of the family and social
relationships.
• 4. Emotional and Psychological Rehabilitation
• This involves steps to restore the confidence and personal dignity.

32. Influence of Primary Groups or Informal Groups
in the Hospitals and Rehabilitation setting
Rehabilitation for Mental Disorders
• In India rehabilitation should include, development of social
support system, educational system, educational facilities
for patients, informational support, vocational support, day
care centers, long term care facilities.
• Community care should include avoidance of stigma
discrimination against patient, allowing them full social
participation and also guaranteeing patients full human
rights and treating them with dignity they deserve.
• The Government of India set up a Rehabilitation council of
India Act , 1992, It came into force from 31st July 1993.
• This is under the administrative control of ministry of social
justice and empowerment.

33. Difference between Primary &
Secondary Groups
Primary Group
 Meaning: Groups which re
characterized by face-to-face
relations, mutual aid are
primary group. Ex: family,
friends etc.,
 Nature of Social Relations:
Social relations are face-to-
face, direct intimate,
personal, non-partisan in
character.
Secondary Group
 Groups which provide
experience lacking in
intimacy are secondary
group. Ex: political parties,
trade unions etc.,
 Social relations are indirect,
impersonal, contractual,
specialized, and more
economic nature.

34. Difference between Primary &
Secondary Groups
 Size: Primary groups are smaller in
size.
 Physical proximity: Group are
confined to a small geographic
area.
 Communication: Its not only
direct but also quick and effective.
 Group interest: interest of
members are not specific but
general.
 Nature of co-operation: co-
operation is direct.
 Secondary groups are relatively
bigger in size.
 Groups are not characterized by
physical area.
 Members are spread over a vast
area direct communication is
difficult. Indirect in nature.
 Interest of members are more
specific. Hence groups are called
special interest groups.
 Co-operation is mostly indirect.

35. Difference between Primary &
Secondary Groups
 Group structure: its very
informal. The group is not very
much organized in the modern
sense.
 Durability: groups are
relatively durable.
 Effects on personality: the
group has a long-lasting
influence upon the personality.
 Nature of group control:
informal means of social
control.
 Group structure is formal. The
organization of the group is
carefully planned and worked
out.
 Groups may be temporary or
permanent.
 The impact of group on the
personality of the members is
rather limited.
 Formal means of control.

36. Thanks