social group
two or more people who interact with one another, and who share a common identity and a sense of belonging or "we-ness
primary group
a relatively small group of people who engage in intimate face-to-face interaction over an extended period
secondary group
a large, usually formal, impersonal, and temporary collection of people who pursue a specific goal or activity
ideal types
general traits that describe a social phenomenon rather than every case
in-groups
people who share a sense of identity and "we-ness" that typically excludes and devalues outsiders
out-groups
people who are viewed and treated negatively because they are seen as having values, beliefs, and other characteristics different from those of an in-group
reference group
a group of people who shape our behavior, values, and attitudes
groupthink
a tendency of in-group members to conform without critcally testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas, which results in narrow view of an issue
social network
a web of social ties that links an individual to others
formal organization
a complex and structured secondary group that has been deliberately created to achieve specific goals in an efficient manner
voluntary association
a formal organization created by people who share a common set of interests and who are not paid for thier participation
bureaucracy
a formal organization that is designed to accomplish goals and tasks through the efforts of a large number of people in the most efficient and rational way possible
alienation
a feeling of isolation, meaninglessness that may affect workers in bureaucracy
iron law of oligarchy
the tendency of a bureaucracy to become increasingly dominated by a small group of people
glass ceiling
attitudes or organizational biases in the workplace that prevent women from advancing to leadership positions
social institution
an organized and established social system that meets one or more of a society's base needs