Question

SOC-P: What are the benefits and drawbacks of belonging to a group (primary groups, secondary groups, reference groups, formal groups, in-groups, and out-groups) and how do people conform to groups?

Answer 1

The following are the benefits of belonging to a group:

• Security. Group membership reduces the insecurity of "standing alone" and allows individuals to be more resistant to threats
• Status. Inclusion in a group viewed by outsiders as important and it provides recognition and status.
• Self-esteem. Belonging to a group increases the feelings of self-worth of the group members.
• Affiliation. Group membership fulfills social needs and allows individuals to enjoy regular interaction.
• Power. What cannot be achieved individually often becomes possible in a group.
• Goal achievement. Some tasks require more than one person and need to pool talents knowledge or power to complete the job.

Drawbacks of belonging to a group:

• Conformity. During decision making, some members may simply agree with the others for the sake of agreement since there are social pressures.
• Non-representativeness. The decisions made by the group may not always be in accord with the goals and objectives that serve the interest of all individuals.
• Conflict. The self- centered interests of group members lead to personality conflicts that may create interpersonal obstacles.

Please post the other questions separately as we are supposed to answer just one question or four subparts of the same question.