Social psychology of a small group. Group opinion and group sentiment

Every day, every person, regardless of age, preferences, interests, and standard of living, is in contact with other people at work, school, among relatives, friends, acquaintances, and sometimes strangers. Various relationships, social connections, contacts are formed. People are united in groups according to interests, professional specialization and other characteristics. One way or another, communication with other people directly affects the formation of personality and the determination of the place of a particular individual in social activity. Knowledge of certain psychological foundations of the formation of teams can help a person decide on the choice of his environment. Professional psychologists need such information to create favorable conditions in the work team, and the manager will help to effectively organize personnel appointments and control the interpersonal activities of employees. Today we will share information about what types of small groups exist and what are their features.

What is a small group in psychology?

In psychology, it is customary to call a small group an association of a small number of people who have a single link for all participants, have any common social ties and joint activities. Such aggregates are formed in each collective. Types of small groups in social psychology are distinguished by the method of formation: artificial or natural.

Psychologists and sociologists around the world are discussing the question of how many participants should be in such small associations. 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 association 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.

Even more controversy arises about the maximum number of people in small groups. In the works of various researchers, you can find the number 10, 12 and even 40. In the works of the famous psychiatrist Jacob Levi Moreno, who was actively involved in groups, the maximum allowable 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, splits occur more often, thereby forming new types of small groups.

Features

To define a gathering of a small number of people as a small group, certain distinguishing features must be present:

Regular meetings of participants.
Formation of a single goal, tasks.
General activity.
The presence of a structure, the definition of a leader, a manager.
Definition of the role and scope of each participant.
Formation of internal interpersonal relations in the group.
Formation of rules, traditions, norms within a small group.

Natural formation of a small group

Almost always in large collectives there is an unintentional division of participants into smaller associations. The concept and types of small groups that have formed naturally are determined by analyzing the distinctive features and characteristics. People are divided according to interests, preferences, life position, and so on. Such associations are called informal.

Each environment has its own characteristics 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, in order to organize effective educational activities in a children's team, it should be taken into account that the composition of informally created small groups changes literally daily, the statuses and roles of participants change. Such associations can exist under the leadership of an adult leader. Among children of different ages, the leader must gain an impeccable reputation.

In professional informal teams, in order to organize successful activities, there must also be a reasonable leader. Uncontrolled associations of workers in various types of small groups can sometimes have a negative impact on the work of the company. The dissatisfaction of participants with management, working conditions and other things can generalize people, which will lead to strikes, mass layoffs. Therefore, in large companies, where time is devoted and funds are allocated for the psychology of personnel, a full-time psychologist works. One of the tasks of such a specialist is to identify associations of workers in a team and determine their focus and activities. With the right approach, such groups can be used to improve the efficiency of the company.

formal group

Allocate formal types of small social groups. The peculiarity of such a team is that people are united not so much by desire and preferences, but by necessity, status and professional qualifications. Formal small groups include, for example, the union of the management of the company.

At the same time, formal and informal types of small groups in an organization can form, exist and interact. Managers and psychologists are faced with the task of implementing the activities of such teams for public purposes, for the development of the company.

Small group functions

Small groups perform important functions both in the development and formation of the individual and the team as a whole. Psychologists distinguish the following functions, which are identical, regardless of what types of small social groups exist in a particular association of people:

Socialization of the individual. Starting from a very young age, a person learns to interact with other people, preferences and views, character, place in society are formed.
The expressive function is to determine a particular individual in a small group, his place in it. Thus, the level of self-esteem, personal professional qualities are formed, the person's need for encouragement and approval is realized.
The instrumental function allows the individual to carry out the chosen activity.
The function of psychological assistance is to provide support to participants while overcoming life and professional difficulties. Studies have been conducted that show that members of small groups turn to associates for help even more often than to relatives. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the individual does not want to injure and burden loved ones with his problems. While members of a small team can listen, give advice, but do not take information to heart, leaving the individual's personal space intact.

The types and functions of small groups depend on the choice of tasks and goals, the direction of the social activities of such associations.

Classification of small groups

How is a small group classified? Types of small groups, characteristics of their activities are determined by analyzing certain indicators.

There is no exact division of such social cells. Psychologists have developed only recommendations for the classification of such groups. Below is a table that reveals the types of small groups.

Structure

The types and structure of the small group are closely interconnected. Depending on the type of small association formed, the internal structure of the community is formed. It represents the internal communication, social, emotional and psychological ties between individual participants. The structure is classified as follows:

The sociometric type is based on interpersonal preferences and dislikes.
The communicative type is determined by the flow of information within the group, the way of communication between the participants.
The role structure consists in the distribution of positions and activities among members of a small group. Thus, the group is divided into those who make decisions, and those who carry out and support actions.

Relationships between small group members

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, and experiments. Summarizing knowledge, we can distinguish the following types of relations 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 a group. Such relations are not regulated by anything, except for the sympathy of other members of a small team. Such a position often turns out to be quite unstable: there may be several leaders at once, the complete absence of one, competition between participants, unwillingness to accept a nominated role, and other problems in communication and the distribution of social roles.

Don't underestimate the role Often these alliances lead to changes in the formal circles of leaders.

an individual in a small group?

Each person 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, such as Doctor or Philosopher.

It is possible to determine the status of an individual in a group using sociometric methods. In educational institutions, organizations of workers, surveys are often conducted, in which questions are asked about the personal relations of some members of the group to others. They are most often carried out in the form of questionnaire cards, or a matrix is filled out, where the scale is an indication of the level of sympathy for another person. For example, they are asked to name a classmate who enjoys the greatest authority in the class. Based on the answers received, informal leaders, performers and other statuses of participants are determined using specially designed keys.

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

The concept of leadership in a small group

Psychologists and scientists began to actively deal with the problem of leadership at the beginning of the 20th century. Why can some people freely lead others? What qualities do you need to have and what do you need to do to achieve this? Unfortunately, to date 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 play an inconspicuous role. So, for example, the leader of a sports team cannot always adequately prove himself in a group of intellectuals. Therefore, a leader is, rather, a person who has correctly weighed his capabilities, defined goals and ways of solving problems in specific conditions.

There are psychological works that explore the necessary personal qualities of a leader. The most popular is R. Hogan's "big five" technique, which indicates the 5 most important features of a person who claims to be a leader in a team.

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

Small group management

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

The authoritarian style consists in a pronounced advantage of the leader over other members of the group, who turn out to be only performers.
The liberal style involves the collective activity of each and every member of the group.
Democratic style is that the leader directs the participants to certain actions, coordinating and discussing the processes with each participant.

Summing up, it can be noted that the types of small groups in psychology are an inaccurate concept that changes under the influence of external factors and conditions. But the leader of any kind of team should be attentive to the formation of both formal and informal internal associations. Since such groups, with the right purposeful approach, can ensure the development of the entire team, lead to the improvement of work and the effective implementation of tasks.

Lecture 10. Group as a socio-psychological phenomenon, problems of a small group in social psychology

The problem of the group in social psychology. Group classification. Psychological features of large groups. Spontaneous groups and mass movements.

The concept of a small group. The main characteristics of a small group. Types of small groups. The main directions in the study of small groups.

Questions:

1. The concept of a small group in social psychology.

2. Classification of small groups.

3. Models for the development of small groups.

4. Psychology of large social groups.

Under the small group is understood as a small group, whose members are united by a common social activity and are in direct personal communication, which is the basis for the emergence of emotional relationships, group norms and group processes.

The general qualities of the group should be singled out directly:

1. Integrativity - a measure of unity, fusion, commonality of group members with each other, (lack of integrativity - disunity, disintegration).

2. The microclimate determines the well-being of each person in the group, its satisfaction with the group, the comfort of being in it.

3. Reference - the degree of acceptance by the members of the group of group standards.

4. Leadership - the degree of the leading influence of certain members of the group on the group as a whole in the direction of the implementation of group tasks.

5. Intragroup activity - a measure of the activation of the group's constituent personalities.

6. Intergroup activity - the degree of influence of this group on other groups.

In addition to these qualities, the following are also considered:

· orientation of the group - the social value of the goals adopted by it, the motives of activity, value orientations and group norms;

organization - the real ability of the group to self-government;

emotionality - interpersonal relationships of an emotional nature, the prevailing emotional mood of the group;

intellectual communication - the nature of interpersonal perception and the establishment of mutual understanding, finding a common language;

· volitional communication - the ability of the group to withstand difficulties and obstacles, its reliability in extreme situations.

A small group, like any other community of people, is united by the unity of spiritual life and the psyche, which has its own characteristics that are not reducible to a simple sum of manifestations of the individual psychological traits of the people who make it up, and which are manifested in the functioning of a complex set of intra-group socio-psychological phenomena and processes. .

The psychology of a small group in a given period of time is characterized by a certain state, mood, a peculiar atmosphere, which, in fact, determine the effectiveness and direction of the group members' aspirations, as well as its influence on the personality and, in general, on the actions and behavior of people.

Since each group is a cell of the social organism, its psychology is characterized by features of larger-scale communities (national, confessional, class, professional, age, etc.). At the same time, the psychology of a small group is specific, which is due to the peculiarities of the life of its members and the originality of their interaction and communication.

Classification of small groups.

Small groups are divided into conditional and real, formal and informal, underdeveloped and highly developed, diffuse, referent and non-referential.

Conditional groups - these are groups united by some common feature, for example, by age, gender, etc. Real groups - these are groups in which people are constantly in daily life and activities. They are natural and laboratory. Natural - these are groups that really exist in society. Laboratory - these are groups created in the interests of their scientific study.

Formal groups- these are groups that have an officially set structure from the outside. informal groups- These are groups that are formed on the basis of personal preferences. The formal group functions in accordance with predetermined, usually socially fixed goals, regulations, instructions, charters. An informal group is formed on the basis of the personal likes and dislikes of its members.

Underdeveloped groups - These are groups that are at the initial stage of their existence. Highly developed groups - these are groups created long ago, distinguished by the presence of unity of goals and common interests, a highly developed system of relations, organization, cohesion, etc.

Diffuse groups - these are random groups in which people are united only by common emotions and experiences.

Reference (reference) groups - these are groups that people are guided by in their interests, personal preferences, likes and dislikes.

Non-reference groups (membership groups)- these are groups in which people are really included and work.

Groups are made up of people, societies are made up of groups. Individuals, groups and societies are three modern realities, they are interconnected. All groups are more or less specialized. Their specialization depends on the needs of the people. Thus, a family in an industrial city has both genetic and educational functions. Other groups perform other functions. Individuals participate in many groups. Some groups require the physical presence of its members. You can participate in several groups at the same time: football team members, educational institutions. There are permanent, temporary, occasional or sporadic groups. Some groups are built to last and strive for it: schools, the village, businesses that are interested in continuing their business. These are the groups that don't want to disappear. Other groups are doomed to a short existence (tourists). Some groups are free, others are mandatory. Thus, when we were born, we did not choose a family, an ethnic group or a nation, other groups that we join at will: a sports club, cultural societies or social association. Formal groups are characterized by an organized structure. Social relations here are impersonal (different parties). In an informal group, there are personal, social relationships that are carried out in roles determined by the internal environment, sympathies (these are friends, buddies, “club of interests”). The primary or limited group is the basis for a person - it is a family. It is the process of culture. Secondary groups are large in size and the relationships in them are formalized. Example: A basketball club with multiple teams is a secondary group. And one team is the primary group.

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1. The concept of a small group
2. Types of small groups
3. The structure of the psychology of a small group
4. Characteristics of socio-psychological processes in a small group

4.1 Small group leadership

4.2 Small group bonding
4.3 Group pressure
4.4 Small group conflict

1. The concept of a small group

A person lives and works together with other people, forming with them various communities, which in ordinary life are presented in the form numerous social communities .

The small group is the initial cell of human society and the fundamental basis of all its other components. elements. It objectively manifests the reality of life, activities and relationships of most people, and the task is to correctly understand what happens to a person in small groups, as well as to clearly represent those socio-psychological phenomena and processes that arise and function in them.

Foreign and domestic scientists, studying a small group for a long time, came to the conclusion that such specific traits and signs like:

* the presence of two or more people; the upper limit of the number of different authors ranges from 7 to 30 people;

* implementation of continuous contacts and communication between them;

* the presence of a common goal and joint activities;

* the emergence of mutual emotional and other ties; manifestation of a sense of belonging to this group;

* awareness by group members of themselves as "we" and others as "they";

* the formation of common norms and values acceptable to all members of the group;

* the functioning of a quality organizational structure and management system (power);

* the presence of sufficient time of mutual existence of people

small group --This is a small in composition, well-organized, independent unit of the social structure of society, whose members are united by a common goal, joint activities and are in direct personal contact (communication) and emotional interaction for a long time.

small group psychology conflict

2. Types of small groups

Small groups are divided into conditional and real, formal and informal, underdeveloped and highly developed, diffuse, referent and non-referential.

Conditional Groups -- these are groups united by some common feature, for example, by age, gender, etc.

Real groups -- these are groups in which people are constantly in daily life and activities. They are natural and laboratory.

natural These are groups that actually exist in society. Laboratory - these are groups created in the interests of their scientific study.

Formal groups -- these are groups that have an officially defined structure from the outside.

informal groups - These are groups that are formed on the basis of personal preferences. The formal group functions in accordance with predetermined, usually socially fixed goals, regulations, instructions, charters. An informal group is formed on the basis of the personal likes and dislikes of its members.

underdeveloped groups -- These are groups that are at the initial stage of their existence.

Highly evolved groups -- these are groups created long ago, distinguished by the presence of unity of goals and common interests, a highly developed system of relations, organization, cohesion, etc.

Diffuse groups -- these are random groups in which people are united only by common emotions and experiences.

Reference (reference) groups -- these are groups that people are guided by in their interests, personal preferences, likes and dislikes.

Non-reference groups (membership groups) - these are groups in which people are really included and work.

3. The structure of the psychology of a small group

The cementing basis of the psychology of a small group, its structural backbone components are such socio-psychological phenomena as: intra-group interpersonal relations, group aspirations, group opinion, group moods and group traditions, which are a direct reflection of the real life and activities of its members.

1. Relationships in a small group - these are subjective connections that arise as a result of the interaction of its members and are accompanied by various emotional experiences of the individuals participating in them.

Relationships in a small group are different types.

Socio-political relations - arise and function in the process of preparing and holding public and other events in the group.

Service Relations -- are formed in the process of joint professional activity of members of a small group in solving various kinds of problems, achieving important goals for its members.

Off-duty relationships -- are formed between members of a small group outside their service (professional) activities: during leisure hours, in the process of joint rest, etc.

2. Group aspirations formed in the course of interpersonal relationships. These are goals, objectives, needs, motives (interests, values, ideals, inclinations, beliefs) that underlie the behavior and joint efforts of members of a small group. The formation and development of group aspirations occurs under the influence of the conditions of social life and people's activities.

3. group opinion (group opinions) - a set of value judgments that expresses the general or predominant attitude of its members to certain facts, events or phenomena that take place both inside and outside of it.

Group opinion advocates indicator the development of the group, its cohesion, the effectiveness of the joint efforts of its members, and in some cases the ideological orientation of its psychology.

Group opinion performs certain features:

* informational , showing at what stage of its development is a small group, what is its cohesion, what is the nature of the relationship between its members, etc.;

* impact function through which all members of the group are influenced in the interests of joint activities, the development of common opinions and judgments, etc.;

* appraisal, with the help of which members of the group express their attitude to certain events and phenomena occurring within the small group and outside it.

The prevailing general opinion of the group is a real and effective moral force . Through it, it influences each of its members, primarily through: informing him about the reactions to his actions and actions on the part of other people; presenting certain requirements to him that correspond to group or social norms and values; constant monitoring and evaluation of his actions, behavior, expressed in the form of evaluation, praise, approval, censure, condemnation. However, it should be borne in mind that the psychological mechanism of the impact of group opinion can manifest itself not only in a positive, but also in a negative impact on a person.

As well as official opinion in the group can exist and informal which, as a rule, is not publicly expressed. This opinion may not coincide with the official one and even oppose it. Most often, its carriers are representatives of informal microgroups that have both a positive and a negative orientation. In any case, an unofficial opinion does not contribute to the strengthening of the group and the stabilization of a healthy psychological atmosphere in it. You should know the origins and direction of the judgments on the basis of which it was formed, correctly take them into account and, if necessary, take or not take them into account.

A single opinion on every issue of life and work is not always formed immediately. The degree of its objectivity depends on such factors as private or temporary discrepancy between the interests of individuals and groups; conflict relations between its individual members and the group itself; inertia or, conversely, the activity of specific people seeking to defend their judgments.

In the process of formation and development of group opinion, there are three stages. On the first stage members of the group directly experience a particular event, express their personal judgments and attitudes towards it. On the second they exchange their ideas, views, assessments and feelings, and as a result of group discussion come to a common point of view. On the third stage a clear and precise group position on the subject of discussion is developed, which is accepted by all members of the group.

4. Group moods - complex emotional states, the general emotional mood of the group members, the totality of experiences that took possession of them in a certain period and largely determine the direction, orientation and nature of all manifestations of the psychology of the group and its individual members.

To them usually relate:

* joint experiences of specific events, facts;

* similar emotional states that have taken possession of a group or part of it for some time;

* a stable mood of emotions and feelings, mediating the actions and behavior of all members of the group.

Group moods enhance the feelings of individual people, affect their lives and activities, i.e. the general pattern of social psychology is manifested, which consists in the fact that the merging of individual moods into one general creates a new whole, which differs significantly from the sum of its components. And this joint mood (common experiences and feelings) often acts as a very strong driving force. At the same time, it should be remembered that some moods (enthusiasm, belief in common success, enthusiasm, elation, a state of general enthusiasm) contribute to the joint efforts and success of the group, while others (a state of decline, disbelief in one's own strength, despondency, boredom, resentment or discontent ), on the contrary, sharply reduce its capabilities.

Periodic activation (spontaneous or purposeful) among members of a small group of appropriate moods, emotional states about specific political, moral, aesthetic, professional and other facts and events can lead to the consolidation of such states, to the manifestation of their stability and, thus, to the emergence, the formation of appropriate social feelings. However, unlike the latter, group moods are characterized by greater dynamism. They arise more spontaneously and are able to spread much faster than feelings in a group, to be transmitted outside of it and to change their polarity.

5. Traditions - norms, rules and stereotypes of behavior and actions, everyday communication between people, which have become the need of each member of a small group, formed on the basis of a long experience of joint activities of its members and firmly rooted in their lives.

The traditions of different groups of people have much in common. National , class, national traditions inherent in each specific community (group, collective). Along with the general ones, within each small group, many specific traditions that are of great importance for their unity. The effectiveness and vitality of traditions is determined by the degree of their emotional appeal, the desire to accept them by the group as a whole and by each of its members individually. And this depends on how much this tradition contributes to the satisfaction of certain subjective needs of people, to what extent they associate their interests with this or that tradition, to what extent ideas about it are associated with social and group ideas, values that are familiar and significant for them.

4. Characteristics of socio-psychological processes in a small group

The small group is in continuous dynamics. The nature of changes in it is determined by such socio-psychological processes as: its formation and development; leadership and decision making; rallying; group pressure; conflicts.

4.1 Small group leadership

Leadership is the process of managing a group, carried out by the leader as an intermediary between social power (the state) and members of the community on the basis of legal powers and norms given to him. It ensures that the group performs such tasks as: goal setting (development of immediate and distant goals of its activities); maintaining mutual understanding of group members on the most important problems for them; informing (transferring to group members the required amount of information and collecting information from them); decision-making (provides the process of forming 1 unanimous opinion of the group on the most important issues of implementing the tasks ahead); control over the activities of the group in the most important areas.

There are three leadership style : democratic, authoritarian and liberal.

Democratic style characterized by the involvement of the majority of group members in the discussion of the main issues and problems, the adoption of certain decisions; mutual distribution of rights and obligations for the development of independence and initiative of people; expansion of mutual control and other activities.

Authoritarian style associated with an excessive increase in the role of the leader. The latter usually decides all issues himself, while he may or may not take into account the opinions of others. There is a constant increased demands on all members of the group, which limits their initiative and independence. Authoritarianism is often accompanied by rudeness, intimidation. Such guidance excludes clarification and persuasion and is reduced to mere demands.

liberal style It is typical for leaders who do not interfere in the activities and relationships of members of a small group, leaving the latter to solve their problems themselves. Leaders in this case do not require responsibility for the failure of tasks by members of a small group, they let the development of events in it take its course.

Studies conducted so far in our country show that in different people the leadership style, as a rule, is a combination of these three main types.

In addition, based on these styles, it is customary to distinguish two main leadership models - directive and cooperative. At the core directive model lie unity of command (and often pressure, dictatorship) of the leader, structural simplicity and the possibility of operational management of all people. This model generates and consolidates frontal and radial connections between the leader and subordinates; limits the business initiative of the group members and contributes to their passivity, hypocrisy in relation to the activity and the leader; increases the danger of a constant increase in the number of intermediate steps in the management of the group, preventing the cooperation of all its members in achieving the goals of common activity; promotes the creation of numerous microgroups; increases the need to control a large number of performers.

cooperative model includes features:

Active communicative and interpersonal exchange between group members and their leader,

Solving complex problems by a small number of subordinates;

Mutual understanding between the leader and subordinates;

Low conflict between people.

In addition, it assumes an extensive group structure, does not limit the information capabilities and personal initiative of its members, generates high satisfaction with joint activities, reduces the number of hierarchical levels in management; increases responsibility and self-control on the part of members of a small group

4.2 Small group bonding

The cohesion of a small group is the process of forming such a type of connections and relations between its members, which allow achieving value-oriented unity, the best results in joint activities, and avoiding conflicts and confrontation. The term "value-oriented unity" was introduced into Russian social psychology by A.V. Petrovsky and means that the relations between the members of the group are mediated by joint activity, the expression of which is the coincidence for the members of the group of orientation towards the social values of joint activity.

Cohesion as a feature of the psychology of a group, expressing the degree of like-mindedness and unanimity of its members, is a generalized indicator of their spiritual community and unity. For members of a small group, cohesion in itself is an attractive goal and value, a group state to be strived for.

4.3 Group pressure

In the course of development in a small group, norms are naturally and naturally formed and consolidated, which are requirements common to all, developed by its members and adopted by them in the interests of regulating relationships. The norms of the group are associated with values, since any requirements can only be accepted on the basis of some social preferences that are formed on the basis of developing a certain attitude towards social reality.

The norms and values of the group must be accepted and observed by everyone. Those who do not obey or ignore them are subject to psychological or other influence, which manifests itself as group pressure. The following can be distinguished functions of such pressure :

1) the desire to ensure the achievement of group goals;

2) preservation of the group as a whole;

3) explaining to the members of the group those principles of life and activity that they should be guided by;

4) determination by the members of the group of their attitude to the social environment.

Pressure -- an important mechanism for maintaining the internal homogeneity and integrity of the small group. Its significance lies in the fact that it serves to maintain general constancy and cohesion in the changing conditions of joint activity. Group pressure is carried out in the form of sanctions applied to those members of the group who do not comply with generally accepted norms or behave defiantly, in conflict with all others. Sanctions are usually of two types - incentives and prohibitions.

Possible four behaviors person in the group:

Conscious, free acceptance of the norms and values of the group;

Forced submission to the group under the threat of sanctions;

Demonstration of antagonism towards the group;

Free, conscious rejection of group norms.

The most common is the second variant of human behavior in relation to the group. The phenomenon of forced acceptance by a person of the norms and values of a group under the threat of losing membership or a stable position in it is called conformity and it can be considered one of the most important factors in maintaining the integrity of the group, strengthening unity in its ranks.

4.4 Small group conflict

The conflict in the group is the prevailing disharmony of interpersonal relations between its members or an imbalance between the structures existing in it.

Conflicts arise not due to the manifestation of objective circumstances, but as a result of their incorrect subjective perception and assessment by people. The following usually lead to conflicts: causes:

* the presence of contradictions between the interests, values, goals, motives, roles of group members;

* the presence of confrontation between different people (a leader with informal leaders, informal microgroups and members of the group of different status, different microgroups);

* rupture of relations within certain microgroups;

* the emergence and steady dominance of negative emotions and feelings as background characteristics of interaction and communication between members of a small group.

Conflict plays like constructive role in a small group (it makes it possible to more deeply assess the individual psychological characteristics of group members, has a positive impact on the effectiveness of joint activities, eliminates contradictions between people, and allows to weaken the state of psychological tension), and destructive (has a negative impact on the mental state of group members, worsens the relationship between them, negatively affects the effectiveness of joint activities). Usually conflicts have the following dynamics:

When a pre-conflict situation appears, the emergence of contradictions between members of the group is fixed;

The awareness of the pre-conflict situation that comes after a certain time activates the participants in the conflict to take the necessary measures;

Conflict interaction causes an acute confrontation between the parties;

The resolution of the conflict leads to the removal or getting rid of the contradictions of conflicting people;

At the post-conflict stage, there is a detente.

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The significance of the group for the formation of personality. Classification, features, signs of a small group. The structure of the psychology of the team. Socio-psychological phenomena that manifest themselves in the course of interpersonal interaction. Components of relationships between people.

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Definition of a small group, its most significant features (principles for identifying small groups). Quantitative parameters of a small group - lower and upper limits. Criteria for the classification of small groups. Socio-psychological approach to small groups.

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The concept of small groups, their essence and characteristics, composition and activities, study in social psychology. Classification of small groups, their varieties and characteristics. Modern socio-psychological research in the field of small groups, their results.

term paper, added 02/10/2009

Theory and practice of social psychology. Large and small groups, their characteristics and features. Research of a small group in domestic and foreign psychology. The place of interpersonal perception in the system of perceptive processes and its features.

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Qualifying signs of groups: by scale, reality of existence, duration of existence. The main parameters of a small group, necessary for its qualitative characteristics in a socio-psychological study. Characteristic features of the team.

Definition of the concept of "small group" and its types. A person lives and works together with other people, forming with them various communities, which in ordinary life are presented in the form of numerous social communities. The small group is the initial cell of human society and the fundamental principle of all its other constituent elements. It objectively manifests the reality of life, activities and relationships of most people, and the task is to correctly understand what happens to a person in small groups, as well as to clearly represent those socio-psychological phenomena and processes that arise and function in them.

Small group as an independent subject of activity and special analysis can be characterized in terms of: a) the content of its psychology; b) the originality of its socio-psychological structure; c) the dynamics of the socio-psychological processes taking place in it.

Foreign and domestic scientists, studying a small group for a long time, came to the conclusion that it must necessarily have such specific features and characteristics as:

The presence of two or more people;

Implementation of continuous contacts and communication between them;

The presence of a common goal and joint activities;

The emergence of mutual emotional and other ties; manifestation of a sense of belonging to this group;

Awareness of group members themselves as "we" and others as "they";

Formation of common norms and values acceptable to all members of the group;

Functioning of a high-quality organizational structure and management system (authorities);

The presence of sufficient time of mutual existence of people.

Thus, small group - This is a small in composition, well-organized, independent unit of the social structure of society, whose members are united by a common goal, joint activities and are in direct personal contact (communication) and emotional interaction for a long time.

Small groups are divided into conditional and real, formal and informal, underdeveloped and highly developed, diffuse, referent and non-referential.

Diffuse groups - these are random groups in which people are united only by common emotions and experiences.

Reference (reference) groups - these are groups that people are guided by in their interests, personal preferences, likes and dislikes. Non-reference groups (membership groups)- these are groups in which people are really included and work.

and which are manifested in the functioning of a complex set of intra-group socio-psychological phenomena and processes.

The structure of the psychology of a small group. The cementing basis of the psychology of a small group, its structural backbone components are such socio-psychological phenomena as: intra-group interpersonal relations, group aspirations, group opinion, group moods and group traditions, which are a direct reflection of the real life and activities of its members.

Relationships in a small group- these are subjective connections that arise as a result of the interaction of its members and are accompanied by various emotional experiences of the individuals participating in them.

Relationships in a small group are of different types. Socio-political relations- arise and function in the process of preparing and holding public and other events in the group.

Service relationships - are formed in the process of joint professional activity of members of a small group in solving various kinds of problems, achieving important goals for its members.

Out-of-work relationships are formed between members of a small group outside their service (professional) activities: during leisure hours, in the process of joint rest, etc.

Relationships in a small group must meet the requirements of certain principles.

Principle of respect and subordination involves the creation of such relationships in a small group that correspond to: the norms of public morality and morality, traditions established in the interests of communication and interaction between people; provide for taking into account the individual and socio-psychological characteristics of all its members, an attentive attitude to their interests, inclinations and needs. The same principle requires subordination in relations between all members of the group, the preservation of personal dignity, professional and social status of each person.

The principle of cohesion members of the group involves the formation of all its members of mutual assistance, support, interaction and understanding. Members of a small group are obliged to highly value belonging to it, to help and support each other, to keep their comrades from unworthy acts.

The principle of humanism implies sensitivity, responsiveness, justice and humanity in relationships in a small group, which should be characterized by trust, sincerity, accessibility.

The system of interpersonal relations, due to its internal psychological conditioning (sympathy or antipathy; indifference or hostility; friendship or enmity and other psychological dependencies between people in a small group) sometimes develops spontaneously. In most cases, it is not organizationally formalized, especially in the initial period of existence. Meanwhile, its significance is very great, therefore, it should be studied and comprehended, since all other components of the psychology of a small group are formed on the basis of interpersonal relations: mutual requirements and norms of joint life and activity; constant interpersonal assessments, empathy and sympathy; psychological rivalry and competition, imitation and self-affirmation. All of them determine incentives for joint activities and behavior of people, mechanisms for the formation and self-development of a small group.

In the course of interpersonal relationships, self-affirmation of the individual in the group is carried out, an assessment of one's own merits in comparison with the merits of other members of the group in order to reveal one's capabilities, prove oneself, and determine one's role in the group.

Self-affirmation is an active, multifaceted mechanism of interaction and relationships, consisting in a person's desire for a high assessment and self-esteem of his personality and the behavior caused by this desire, and therefore a very effective stimulator of his development. It is not only and not so much about the desire to occupy an official official or professional position, but about a moral and psychological position in the system of interpersonal relations, about a position in it that would provide a person with respect, recognition, trust, favor, support, help, protection and thereby contributing to the satisfaction of the need for communication and interaction with other people, the manifestation of the individuality of the individual, his most strengths.

The nature of the development of interpersonal relations in a small group can be very versatile, and sometimes contradictory. They manifest a wide variety of conflicts, situations that affect the behavior, actions, actions, well-being and mood of not only one or another member of the group, but the entire group as a whole, its cohesion and performance results. For example, informal micro-groups may spontaneously form, which have arisen due to various reasons and prerequisites, which have a positive or negative orientation, and have one or another degree of influence on people. In any case, their appearance is a regularity in the development of interpersonal relationships, which must always be taken into account and taken into account.

Based on and in the course of interpersonal relationships, group aspirations- goals, objectives, needs, motives (interests, values, ideals, inclinations, beliefs) underlying the behavior and joint efforts of members of a small group. The formation and development of group aspirations occurs under the influence of the conditions of social life and people's activities.

In the aspirations of the members of a small group, in a complex and generalized way, first of all, tasks and goals common to all and individual for each are expressed, as well as specific needs and interests are realized that meet the aspirations and demands of each individually and all together as a whole. aspirations

orient and lead people in a certain, constantly maintained direction. They allow you to periodically indirectly control the intermediate results of the life and activities of group members, in an integrated form, continuously regulate the joint efforts and direct activity of everyone in various circumstances and conditions of objective reality.

In the system of joint activities of members of a small group, aspirations perform certain functions:

value-normative, indicating the possibility of group aspirations to reflect the needs of all members of the group;

Organizational-functional, during the implementation of which group aspirations in the context of the means and conditions for their implementation act as a way of organizing intra- and intergroup interaction;

Individual motivational, fixing the personal meaning and significance of joint activities for members of a small group.

Thus, the integrating and organizing function of group aspirations in the system of joint activities is manifested at three levels: value-normative, organizational-functional, and individual-motivational.

One of the structural elements of the psychology of a small group is (are) group opinion(group opinions) - a set of value judgments that expresses the general or predominant attitude of its members to certain facts, events or phenomena that take place both inside and outside of it.

Group opinion is an indicator of the development of the group, its cohesion, the effectiveness of the joint efforts of its members, and in some cases the ideological orientation of its psychology.

Group opinion performs certain functions:

Informational, showing at what stage of its development is a small group, what is its cohesion, what is the nature of the relationship between its members, etc.;

The function of influence, through which all members of the group are influenced in the interests of joint activities, the development of common opinions and judgments, etc.;

Evaluative, with the help of which members of the group express their attitude to certain events and phenomena occurring within the small group and outside it.

The prevailing common opinion of the group is a real and effective moral force. Through it, it influences each of its members, primarily through: informing him about the reactions to his actions and actions on the part of other people; presenting certain requirements to him that correspond to group or social norms and values; constant monitoring and evaluation of his actions, behavior, expressed in the form of evaluation, praise, approval, censure, condemnation. However, it should be borne in mind that the psychological mechanism of the influence of group opinion can manifest itself not only in a positive, but also in a negative impact on a person .

The effectiveness of group opinion is explained by:

a) a combination of persuasion and psychological coercion, in which the mind, feeling and will of all members of the group are expressed in a concentrated form (group opinion causes a person to need conscious self-esteem, deeply affecting the field of feelings and giving rise to his active desire for self-improvement);

b) prompt response to events, systematic, publicity and inevitability of assessments of the actions of the individual by members of the group;

c) the ability of a number of group judgments to turn into evaluative standards and influence not only consciousness, but also the subconscious sphere of the human psyche.

Along with the official opinion in the group, there may also be an unofficial one, which, as a rule, is not publicly expressed. This opinion may not coincide with the official one and even oppose it. Most often, its carriers are representatives of informal microgroups that have both a positive and a negative orientation. In any case, an unofficial opinion does not contribute to the strengthening of the group and the stabilization of a healthy psychological atmosphere in it. One should know the origins and direction of the judgments on the basis of which it was formed, take them into account correctly and, if necessary, take or not take them into account (Dontsov A.I., 1984).

The most important component of the psychology of a small group are group sentiment- complex emotional states, the general emotional mood of the group members, the totality of experiences that took possession of them in a certain period and largely determine the direction, orientation and nature of all manifestations of the psychology of the group and its individual members.

These usually include:

Joint experiences of specific events, facts;

Similar emotional states that have taken possession of a group or part of it for some time;

A stable set of emotions and feelings that mediates the actions and behavior of all members of the group.

strength, despondency, boredom, resentment or discontent), on the contrary, sharply reduce its capabilities. In particular*, it has been calculated that depending on the mood of, for example, the shop staff, the productivity of its labor fluctuates within one fifth of the average value (in a good mood, it is 0.8-4.2% higher, and in a bad mood, 2.5% higher). -18% below average).

A significant element of the psychology of a small group are traditions- norms, rules and stereotypes of behavior and actions, everyday communication between people, which have become the need of each member of a small group, which have developed on the basis of a long experience of joint activities of its members and are firmly rooted in their lives.

The traditions of different groups of people have much in common. National, class, national traditions are inherent in each specific community (group, collective). Along with the general ones, many specific traditions are born within each small group, which are of great importance for their unity. The effectiveness and vitality of traditions is determined by the degree of their emotional appeal, the desire to accept them by the group as a whole and by each of its members individually. And this depends on how much this tradition contributes to the satisfaction of certain subjective needs of people, to what extent they associate their interests with this or that tradition, to what extent ideas about it are associated with social and group ideas, values that are familiar and significant for them.

Any group has one or another structure - a certain set of relatively stable relationships

between its members. The features of these relationships determine the entire life of the group, including the productivity and satisfaction of its members.

Psychological structure of a small group. A comprehensive study of the psychology of a small group involves understanding, first of all, its socio-psychological structure, which, as a rule, includes the following substructures: compositional, interpersonal preferences, communicative, functional relations.

Compositional substructure of a small group- this is a set of stable socio-psychological characteristics of group members, extremely significant from the point of view of the composition of the group as a whole. It is necessary to take into account the number of members of the group, on which the functioning of many socio-psychological processes in it depends, such as, for example, cohesion and leadership, the distribution of roles and functions of its members, etc.

It is very important to have clear ideas about the nationality, socio-demographic characteristics of the members of a small group and their social status, which affect the nature of interpersonal relations between them, the originality of the formation of informal microgroups, the status and positions of many people in them. A high degree of homogeneity of the group on such grounds as nationality, gender, age, education, skill level and the presence on this basis of common interests, needs, value orientations, etc., is a good basis for the emergence of close ties between employees. A group heterogeneous according to the indicated characteristics usually breaks up into several informal groups, each of which is relatively homogeneous in its composition.

There are quite a lot of such characteristics of members of this or that community. When studying the compositional structure of a small group, the choice of these characteristics depends on the specific goals and objectives that the researcher sets for himself. As a rule, a general analysis of the composition of the group begins with the clarification of data on social and national belonging, gender, age and professional characteristics, general

1 The socio-psychological structure of a small group is a derivative of its official (business) and informal (informal, emotional) structures.

educational level, marital status, state of health, personal and social interests and requests of its members. Further, it is necessary to clearly understand the strength of the ideological and moral beliefs of the members of a small group, since they affect their psychology, leave an imprint on reactions, behavior, actions and deeds, affect attitudes towards social and intra-group values and interests. In addition, one should know and take into account the characteristics of individual psychology and personal capabilities of each member of a small group, which not only directly affect his behavior, but are reflected in joint activities, can cause interpersonal conflicts. Also noteworthy is the presence of various contact and informal microgroups, as well as the attitude of their leaders to intragroup norms and traditions, which in some cases can lead to future possible transformations of the smallest group and its composition.

Following such a program for studying the compositional components of a small group, the researcher must collect sufficient material for conclusions about the most important characteristics of the psychology of a small group. At least on the basis of this study, one can predict their future or any other development.

Substructure of interpersonal preferences in a small group- this is a manifestation of the totality of real interpersonal relations of its members, existing between people of sympathy and an-I types. They are initially fixed very quickly using the sociometry method.

This method makes it possible to determine a clear system of inter-

: personal and emotional relationships in a small group,

; insofar as it makes it possible to determine the number of preferences,

; given to this or that person, reflect their quality

characteristics manifested in interpersonal reciprocity 1 .

1 It is fixed and displayed by sociometry in the form of mutual choices, which can be given qualitative characteristics. So, in group I, a person can have only one positive choice, but if it is mutual, the person will feel much more confident than if he is preferred by several other people with whom he himself is not oriented. . It is also important for a leader not just to have a great | the number of elections, namely mutual elections. These indicators allow \ to talk about the stability of the position of the individual in a small group.

| 6 Social psychology

Sociometry also makes it possible to identify groups of mutual preference, on the basis of which one can make assumptions about which of them are focused on specific individuals, how people with different roles coexist in these microgroups, what are the relationships between them, etc.

A subsequent, more thorough study of the nature of the relationships between members of a small group using the methods of observation and experiment makes it possible to draw up a complete picture of interpersonal relations in it.

Communicative substructure of the 1st small group - this is a set of positions of members of a small group in the systems of information flows that exist both between themselves and in the external environment, and reflecting, in addition, the concentration of one or another volume of various information and knowledge in them. Possession of the latter is an important indicator of the status of a group member, since access to receiving and storing information provides him with a special role in it, additional privileges.

When analyzing informational group links, the term "communication network" is often used, implying that it can be of two types: centralized or decentralized. Centralized communication networks are characterized by the fact that in them one of the members of the group is in the center of information flows and plays a key role in organizing the exchange of information and interpersonal interaction. Through it, communication is carried out by other participants in the activity, who cannot directly contact each other.

decentralized networks differ primarily in that they have "communicative equality" of all members of a small group, in which each of them has the same opportunities as everyone else to receive, transmit and process information, entering into direct communication with participants in joint activities.

Turning to the analysis of communication networks existing in a small group is especially important in cases where it is necessary to find out the effectiveness of joint activities.

1 It is largely determined not only by the functional position of a member of the group, but also by his communicative potential, which is understood as readiness and ability aimed at self-realization in the process of communication with other people.

or the presence of a negative emotional background in the relationship between its members.

Substructure of functional relations in a small group - it is a set of manifestations of various interdependencies that are a consequence of the ability of group members to play a certain role. The group is an extremely complex organism in which people occupy different positions due to the specifics of the functioning of their individual and socio-psychological qualities. The already mentioned method of sociometry makes it possible to quickly reveal the sociometric status of each member of a small group 1 , reflecting his real role within it, and also giving a certain idea of the general status of his personality.

As a rule, the group distinguishes:

1) sociometric "stars", which are the most preferred members of the group, standing at the top of the hierarchy;

2) high-status, medium-status and low-status individuals, determined by the number of positive choices and not having a large number of negative choices;

3) isolated members of the group who do not have any choices (both positive and negative);

4) members of the group who are neglected, having a large number of negative choices and a small number of positive ones;

5) outcast members of the group (“outcasts”), who, according to the results of sociometry, have only negative choices.

The sociometric status of a group member is a fairly stable value. It not only tends to remain in this particular group, but very often "passes" with a person to another group. This is explained by the fact that status is a group category and does not exist outside the group, a person gets used to fulfilling the roles assigned to him. his permanent status. Certain habitual forms of response to the words and actions of others are fixed in behavior. Facial expressions, postures, gestures and other non-verbal reactions also “adjust” to a certain role.

1 The status is calculated based on the results of the sum of positive and negative choices received by a member of the group in the course of the survey, and has a certain "weight", reflecting the person's place in the socio-psychological hierarchy of the group.

Moving to another group, a person continues to play the usual roles, or at least unconscious elements of behavior demonstrate his typical social role. Members of the group catch the image they offer and begin to play along with the newcomer. At the same time, from the point of view of personality development, it is advisable for a person to periodically “change” his status, which allows him to acquire greater social flexibility, thereby developing interpersonal relationships more adapted to reality and more diverse forms of social behavior, which ensures a lesser degree of his conflict in a small group.

Due to the established role relations in a small group, we can talk about the existence in it of several elements of the substructure of functional relations.

Firstly, the head (managers) and the leader (s) are clearly distinguished, which make up the managerial core. There is a definite difference between them. The leader always acts as an official person who implements the functions of management in a small group, which is due, on the one hand, to the formal legal aspect of his power in the group, and on the other hand, to a number of psychological factors that determine the degree of his authority, among which are: organizational and motivational potential, value attractiveness of the leader's personality for group members (their willingness to share his principles and ideals) and management style.

A leader is a person who has gained authority and the right to influence other members of a small group. It is a product of the relationship structure of this particular community. This structure is determined by the goals of the group, the values and norms that function in it. As a result, a specific leader is nominated. He, as it were, personifies the system of goals and values \u200b\u200bpreferred by other people, acts as their direct guide to life. It recognizes the right to lead other members, to be the last resort in assessing various new situations and circumstances.

In practice, the leader is often revealed through a system of sociometric choices that define him as the most emotionally preferred member of the group. However, it is known that

the sociometric "star" is not always the leader, although the latter in some groups can be both the "star" and the communicative center of the group. Leadership positions and high sociometric status are based on different mechanisms. The leader and the "star" are created or put forward by the group to solve various problems. "Star" can rather be characterized as the center of the group's emotional attraction, as a person with whom it is pleasant to communicate and spend free time.

Secondly, in the substructure of the positional relations of a small group, an asset 1 is singled out, which usually includes its most preferred and high-status members. They are the conductors of the policy, values and tasks of the group, act as a support for leaders and leaders, are distinguished by high productivity of interpersonal communication and great cohesion.

Thirdly, in a small group there is also the bulk of people, which usually includes its middle-status and low-status members. As a rule, they do not stand out in the general system of human relations, participate in joint activities and communication with restraint and unproductiveness, and at the same time almost completely approve the values and norms existing in the group, obediently following the leaders and leaders.

Fourthly, in the substructure of positional relations one can distinguish passive members of a small group, which usually include isolated, neglected, and outcast individuals who are in a completely special position and whom everyone perceives indifferently or, on the contrary, show special antipathy. These people are almost always the “ballast” of the group or the object of ridicule and negative pressure.

The presence and clear outline of the socio-psychological structure of a small group ensure the implementation of its functions:

1) socialization - only in a group can a person ensure his survival and the upbringing of the younger generations, it is in it that he masters the all-round necessary social skills and abilities;

"Isolating the active, the bulk and the passive members of the group is a tradition of social psychology.

2) instrumental, consisting in the implementation of one or another joint activity of people. Many activities are not possible alone. In addition, it, as a rule, provides a person with material means of life, provides him with opportunities for self-realization;

3) expressive, consisting in meeting people's needs for approval, respect and trust. This function is often performed by primary and informal groups. Being a member of them, the individual enjoys communicating with people psychologically close to him;

4) supportive, manifested in the fact that people strive to unite in difficult situations for them. They seek psychological support in the group to help alleviate bad feelings.

All constituent components of the socio-psychological structure of a small group can be modified to a certain extent, which largely depends on the characteristics of the course and development of socio-psychological processes in it.