Family is the primary social group that we acquire our beliefs, norms, and values. A person’s family helps them gain a better understanding of their identity as well as provide individuals with a sense of belonging. Religion plays a vital role in how individuals structure their families.

Following are the important characteristics of social group:

• Mutual Awareness:
• One or more Common Interests:
• Sense of Unity:
• We-feeling:
• Similarity of Behaviour:
• Group Norms:
• Closeness or Physical Proximity:
• Smallness:

Social groups are important because that is how we interact and relate to each other. We can share ideas and build off those ideas and create something great. Two groups I am in are my friend group and volunteering group. A social network is a series of relationships that link individuals to those they know.

An in-group is a group of people who identify with each other based on a variety of factors including gender, race, religion, or geography. Our tendency to distinguish between in-group and out-group members has moral implications.

primary group: It is typically a small social group whose members share close, personal, enduring relationships. Secondary groups: They are large groups whose relationships are impersonal and goal-oriented.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Working in a Group:

Terms in this set (9)

• safety/protection. advantage.
• can quickly spot danger. advantage.
• cooperate to defend themselves. advantage.
• companionship. advantage.
• overtake large prey. advantage.
• spreading diseases. disadvantage.
• you need more food in order to share it. disadvantage.
• competitions for mates, food, and shelter, disadvantage.

The two main costs of living in a group are: an increase in competition and an increase in the spread of diseases. The increase in competition can be seen when considering food and mates. When a large group of animals lives together, there are more mouths to feed which means more competition for the best food.

Individuals in groups may benefit from more efficient management of energy or water reserves, for example in the form of reduced water or heat loss from groups of animals huddling, or through reduced energy demands afforded by shared participation in tasks.

For one, living in groups helps some animals avoid getting eaten by predators. Some even join forces to take down prey bigger than them with less risk and effort. Working together can also help them find more food. Being part of a big group is also helpful when it comes to caring for young animals.

Group situations can improve human behavior through facilitating performance on easy tasks, but inhibiting performance on difficult tasks. The presence of others can also lead to social loafing when individual efforts cannot be evaluated.

When animals form groups for survival, they can help each other raise the young, hunt, keep watch, gather food, find shelter, and survive. Animals in groups have more eyes looking for predators or prey. Animals in groups often survive better than if they lived alone.

Examples of human social behavior include:

• shaking hands.
• flirting.
• conversation.
• religious rituals.
• snubbing or “putting down” another person.
• exchanging nonverbal signals (like smiles or frowns)
• offering reassurance or consolation.
• sharing a meal.