The concept, functions, characteristics, structure and types of small groups in social psychology

Every day every person, regardless of age, preferences, interests, social status and standard of living, contacts other people at work, studying, among relatives, friends, acquaintances, and sometimes strangers. Various relationships, social ties, contacts are formed. People join in groups of interests, professional specialization and other characteristics. In one way or another, communication with other people directly affects the formation of the personality and the definition of the place of a particular individual in social activities. Knowledge of certain psychological bases for the formation of collectives can help a person to determine the choice of their environment. Professional psychologists need this information to create favorable conditions in the work team, and the leader will help to effectively organize personnel appointments, monitor interpersonal activities of employees. Today we will share information about what kinds of small groups exist and what are their features.

What is a small group in psychology?

In psychology, a small group is usually called the unification of a small number of people who have a single link for all participants of the link, there are some common social ties and joint activities. Such sets are formed in each collective. The types of small groups in social psychology are distinguished by the way they are formed: by artificial or natural means.

The question of how many participants should be in such small associations are discussed by psychologists and sociologists around the world. Some experts say that two people are enough to create a small group. Others meanwhile believe that the types of relationships in a small group consisting of a dyad (two people) are completely different, they have their own characteristics, different from the signs of a small grouping of people. Therefore, supporters of this assumption prove the point of view that the minimum number of participants in a small team should be 3 people.

More disputes arise about the maximum number of people in small groups. In the works of different researchers, the number 10, 12 and even 40 can be found. In the works of the famous psychiatrist Jacob Levi Moreno, who was actively engaged in the problem of social groups, the maximum number of participants in a small group is indicated. In his opinion, it is 50 people. But the formation of an association of 10-12 participants is considered optimal. It is noted that in teams with a large number of people there are often splits, thereby creating new types of small groups.

Features

To define a collection of a small number of people as a small group, the presence of certain distinctive features is necessary:

1. Regular meetings of participants.
2. Formation of a common goal, tasks.
3. General activities.
4. Presence of structure, definition of leader, leader.
5. The definition of the role and scope of each participant.
6. Formation of internal interpersonal relationships in a group.
7. Formation of rules, traditions, norms within a small group.

Natural formation of a small group

Almost always in large teams there is an unintended division of participants into smaller unions. The concept and types of small groups that are formed naturally, are determined by analysis of distinctive traits and characteristics. People are divided according to interests, preferences, life position, psychological compatibility and so on. Such associations are called informal.

In each environment, there are specific features of the division of team members. This should be taken into account by the leaders and organizers of such communities, since the formation of small groups affects the ability to work and the general atmosphere in the team. So, for example, to organize an effective learning activity in a children's collective, it should be taken into account that the composition of informal small groups is changing literally every day, the statuses and roles of participants change. Such associations can exist, being led by an adult leader. In the environment of children of different ages, the manager must win an impeccable reputation.

In professional informal groups for the organization of successful activities should also be a reasonable leader. Uncontrolled associations of workers in different types of small groups can sometimes negatively affect the work of the company. Summarize people's discontent among the participants of leadership, working conditions and other things, which will lead to strikes, mass layoffs. Therefore, in large companies, where time is spent and funds are allocated for the psychology of the staff, a regular psychologist works. One of the tasks of such a specialist is to identify the associations of employees in the team and determine their focus, activities. With the right approach, such groups can be used to improve the efficiency of the company.

Formal group

Isolate formal types of small social groups. The peculiarity of such a collective is that people are united not so much at will and preferences, as much as necessary, status and professional qualification. To formal small groups it is possible to carry, for example, association of a management structure of the company.

At the same time, formal and informal types of small groups in the organization can form, exist and interact. Leaders and psychologists face the task of realizing the activities of such collectives for public purposes, for the development of the company.

Functions of small groups

Small groups perform important functions both in the development and formation of the individual and the collective as a whole. Psychologists distinguish the following functions, which are identical, no matter what types of small social groups exist in a specific union of people:

1. Socialization of the individual. Beginning with the youngest age a person learns to interact with surrounding people, preferences and views, character, place in society are formed.
2. The expressive function is to identify a particular individual in a small group, his place in it. Thus, the level of self-esteem, personal professional qualities is formed, the person's need for encouragement and approval is realized.
3. The instrumental function allows an individual to carry out the selected activity.
4. The function of psychological help is to provide support to participants during the overcoming of life and professional difficulties. Studies were conducted that showed that participants in small groups seek help from their comrades-in-arms even more often than relatives. It is possible to explain such a phenomenon by the fact that an individual does not want to injure and burden his loved ones with his problems. While members of a small team can listen, give advice, but do not take the information to heart, leaving the private space of the individual untouched.

Types and functions of small groups depend on the choice of tasks and goals, the focus of social activities of such associations.

Classification of small groups

What are the characteristics of a small group? Types of small groups, the characteristics of their activities are determined through the analysis of certain indicators.

There is no exact separation of such social cells. Psychologists have developed only recommendations on the classification of such collectives. Below is a table showing the types of small groups.

Structure

The types and structure of a small group are closely interrelated. Depending on the type of small association formed, the internal structure of the community is formed. It is an internal communication, social, emotional and psychological connection between the individual participants. Classify the structure as follows:

1. The sociometric type is based on interpersonal preferences and antipathies.
2. Communicative type is determined by the flow of information within the group, the way of communication between participants.
3. The role structure is to distribute regulations and activities among members of a small group. So, the group is divided into those who make decisions, and those that perform and support actions.

Mutual relations of participants of small groups

The problem of interpersonal relations in the circle of a small group of people is devoted to a lot of psychological and social works, research, experiments. Summarizing knowledge, we can distinguish the following types of relationships in a small group: formal and informal. In the first case, cooperation is clearly regulated by legislative acts: there is a boss and subordinates.

In the second case, everything is much more complicated. Here, thanks to personal qualities, a certain individual becomes an informal leader of the group. Such relations are not regulated by anything, except by sympathy of other members of a small collective. This position is often quite unstable: there may be several leaders at once, complete absence of such leaders, competition between participants, reluctance to accept the role and other problems in communication and distribution of social roles.

Do not underestimate the role of informal relations. Often, such unions lead to changes in the formal circles of leaders.

What is the status of an individual in a small group?

Everyone in society, and in the team in particular, has a certain status. In order to determine it, it is necessary to answer the question: who is this person? At birth, for example, race and gender can be assigned. Status can be acquired or achieved, for example, a doctor or philosopher.

The status of an individual in a group can be determined using sociometric methods. In educational institutions, workers' organizations, interviews are often conducted, which ask questions about the personal relationships of some group members to others. Most often in the form of question cards, or filled with a matrix, where the scale is the indication of the level of sympathy for another person. For example, ask to name a classmate who enjoys the greatest authority in the class. On the basis of the answers received, with the help of specially designed keys, informal leaders, performers and other statuses of participants are determined.

When choosing the means and methods of psychological research of social roles in the team, it is extremely important for specialists to take into account, for the reliability of the results obtained, which types of small groups participate in the survey.

The concept of leadership in a small group

Actively the problem of leadership began to deal with psychologists and scientists as early as the beginning of the twentieth century. Why can some people lead others unhindered? What qualities do you need and what do you need to do for it? Unfortunately, until today no one has given exact answers to these questions. One person can become a leader in certain conditions and in a specific group of people, while in another team he will be completely lost and will perform an insignificant role. So, for example, the leader of a sports team can not always prove worthy in a group of intellectuals. Therefore, the leader is rather a person who correctly weighed his capabilities, defined the goals and ways of solving problems in specific conditions.

There are psychological works in which the necessary personal qualities of the leader are investigated. The most popular is the method of the "big five" R. Hogan, which lists the 5 most important features of a person claiming leadership in the team.

What is the role of the leader in a small group of people? It is easy to conclude that the leader is a person who, under positive conditions, leads the team to achieve the set goals, and under negative conditions can not only not achieve the results desired by the group, but also completely destroy it as such.

Managing Small Groups

In order to streamline, implement goals and objectives, improve, develop and achieve results, a small group needs to be managed. How can this be done? Regardless of what kinds of small groups were formed, in social psychology it is customary to distinguish several styles of leadership:

1. Authoritarian style consists in the expressed advantage of the leader before other participants of the group, which turn out to be only executors.
2. The liberal style assumes the collective activity of each and every member of the group.
3. The democratic style is that the leader directs participants to certain actions, coordinating and discussing the processes with each participant.

Summarizing, it can be noted that the types of small groups in psychology - the concept of inaccurate, changing under the influence of external factors and conditions. But the leader of any kind of collective should be attentive to the formation of both formal and informal internal associations. Since such groups, if properly targeted, can ensure the development of the entire team, lead to better work and effective implementation of tasks.