Social Influence and Group Processes
Group structure and types of groups
Explain how extreme cohesiveness can harm a group.
Every group develops a structure: stable patterns that guide how members behave. Four elements:
- Roles: the behaviour expected of a person in a given position (leader, treasurer, goalkeeper).
- Norms: the group's unspoken rules about how members should behave.
- Status: the respect a member gets. It can be ascribed (given, for example by age or seniority) or achieved (earned through expertise or hard work).
- Cohesiveness: the 'we feeling': how strongly members are bound together.
Cohesiveness is usually good: members cooperate and stay loyal. But extreme cohesiveness can harm a group. Irving Janis called this groupthink: members care so much about agreement that they stop thinking critically. There is an illusion of unanimity (everyone seems to agree), doubts are kept silent, and the group makes poor decisions.
Example: the US government's escalation of the Vietnam War (1964–1967): advisers went along with the plan despite warning signs.
Remedies for groupthink: encourage critical thinking and dissent; invite outside experts; have someone play 'devil's advocate'.
Types of groups:
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Primary: given, not chosen; close, face-to-face | family, caste, religion |
| Secondary: chosen; more distant and impersonal | political party membership, a club |
| Formal: with stated functions and written rules | a university, an office |
| Informal: based on close, personal relations | a circle of friends |
Structure guides behaviour in every group.
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