Sociology

Sociology Study Guide

of smaller, like-minded, individuals inside the larger group. Communication becomes more formal and norms will shift as new members weigh inon beliefs and appropriate behaviors. Group Norms and Roles Norms, again, establish which behaviors are acceptable and which are deviant, both for members inside the group and members acting outside the group. Roles, on the other hand, are spontaneous. Roles are not codified; someone may be the unifier, or the talker, or the idea guy. In most cases, the demands of a group’s structure outweigh a person’s preferences. Within a group, there is the phenomenon of people getting along better when they interact more frequently. They find themselves sharing more common values and norms the more they associate together. This is called extent of association. Leadership within Groups One of the most important elements within any social structure is leadership. A leader is someone who is able to influence the behavior of others, primarily through personality traits. A leaderinitiates, directs, organizes, and/or controls what members do and how they think or perceive something. Leaders are present in almost every type of group. They have some common characteristics, such as: • Height: They are generally taller than everyone else • Physical attractiveness: In general, they are a version of what looks good to the groupmembers • Intelligence • Extroverted with good social and communication skills • Self-confident • Determined • Liberal: More so than other members, at least • Psychologically balanced Types of Leaders: • Instrumental, or task, leader: o Organizes group to achieve goals o Helps define job o Helps determine the best way to achieve goals. • Expressive leader: o Well-liked o Creates harmony, keep morale high, minimizes conflict o Offers emotional support to achieve solidarity o Looks out for emotional well-being of members o Relieves tension, possibly by telling a joke

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