SOCIAL GROUP I. Definition: 1. Group- collection of two or more persons who are in social interaction, who are guided by similar norms, values, and expectation and who maintain a stable pattern of relations over a period of time 2. Social Group-unit of interacting personalities with interdependence of roles and statuses existing between and among themselves. It is a collection of people who interact with each other in accordance with the position they occupy in the society. 3. Aggregates- cluster of people who may be on close physical proximity but do not interact with one another. This is the case of people gathered in an unstructured manner in a bus or jeepney stop; people sharing an escalator, or people lining up to buy their movie tickets. 4. Collectivity- cluster of people interacting with one another in a passing or short- lived manner. They are temporary collections of people who may disperse immediately upon the satisfaction of their individual or collective interests. 5. Social Category-collection of people who are classified or categorized in accordance with some status characteristics. II. Characteristics of Social Group 1. Group members interact on a fairly regular basis through communication. 2. The members of the group develop a structure where each member assumes a specific status and adopts a particular role. 3. The members of the group agree to some extent on important norms, goals and values. 4. The members of the group feel a sense of identity. III. Types of Social Groups 1. According to social ties- the degree of emotional relationships or quality of the bond that brings the members together. a. Primary Group- it is a long-lasting group whose members have intimate, personal, continuous face-to-face relationship. It is usually characterized by strong ties of love and affection, personal identity with the group, mutuality of interests, cooperation and a “we” feeling. b. Secondary Group- groups with which individual comes in contact later in life. These groups have characteristics which are the opposite of primary groups.