SOC 10000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Georg Simmel, Tertius Of Iconium

• School: Purdue University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 10000
• Professor: Weiss Dan

Document Summary

Social groups form the building blocks for society and for most social interaction. Tertius gaudens-the member of a triad who benefits from conflict between the other members of the group. As group size increases, the number of possible relationships increase. Primary groups-social groups, such as family or friends, composed of enduring, intimate face-to-face relationships that strongly influence the attitudes and ideals of those involved. Secondary groups-groups marked by impersonal, instrumental relationships (those existing as a means to an end); affiliation is contingent . The asch test-this experiment demonstrates the power of conformity within a group. More troubling instances of group conformity may be seen in cases of collective violence such as gang rape, which tends to occur among tightly knit groups like sports teams or fraternities. In-group-another term for the powerful group, most often the majority. Out-group-another term for the stigmatized or less powerful group, the minority.