SOC 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: United States Postal Service, Georg Simmel, Ideal Type
15 Jul 2020
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Small groups are small enough for all members to interact simultaneously, to talk to each other or be acquainted. But differ from primary in that they don"t need to be intimate. Group size affects the quality of social relationships. In a large group, you can"t speak up as much, but you are free to ignore viewpoints that you don"t agree with. Simmel says that small groups have distinct qualities that disappear as they grow in size. Unifying role: a first baby binds a family. Mediating role: try to keep others from bickering. Formal organizations: special-purpose groups designed and structured for maximum efficiency (ex. Bureaucracy: component of formal organization in which rules and hierarchy are used to achieve efficiency. Red tape: there are so many rules that it"s no longer efficient. Weber"s ideal type: develop a model to which you can compare specific organizations (doesn"t exist in real life!)
