Essay on Social Groups
In the modern society individuals during lifetime, voluntarily or involuntarily, are bound to numerous social groups that affect their lives in various ways. At birth and for some time after they only belong to their family, but then they face a variety of opportunities of social belonging.
As a little boy, I was greatly influenced by my family members, who constructed the primary social group that affected and is still changing my life. If one should consider a family concerning a social entity namely a social organization mine was the basis for my understanding of basic principles of life, human relations and psychological peculiarities of communication between individuals. My family’s influence was a cornerstone of my mental and social growth. It had also made an enormous impact on my attitudes, relationships with other individuals and groups of individuals and different social behavior.
For millions of people, religion, in any form or trend, is an essential social group that significantly affects their everyday life, personality, behavior, attitudes, and many other aspects of life. The church my family goes to, the community in there, and the religion we share in my family is an essential secondary social group that has elements of the primitive society because as a kid I used to have numerous face-to-face discussions and lessons on religious aspects held by the local church priest. Religious institutions are among the most influential social groups worldwide because they provide a social basis for communication and understanding between the individuals nationwide. The churches and other religious organizations also perform functions of problem-solution and communication centers for numerous followers. They are the last hope institutions and serve as a supportive force for people in need.
The second most influential social group was the youth sports organization I had participated ever since childhood. It served as a primary source of friends and life experience for more than eight years, and I consider it to be one of the most influential social groups in my life. First of all, because sport and team playing develop communication and interpersonal skills, which are being very useful in socialization and future growth. I also believe my instructors, co-players formed my views and outlook and the development programs introduced along the course of numerous sports and entertainment events with took part in. My love for games, team spirit, and understanding of hard work, efforts and persistence helped in personal and professional life.
Although it is a formal institution, I treat my youth sports organization as a primary social group, because the participation in it provided a lot of face-to-face interaction and kin-based relationships with my friends and coaches.
The most influential secondary group in my life is the university I am planning to graduate from with a BA in Aviation Management. The school is, to some extent a bureaucratic institution, because it has a mission given by law, it has a strict hierarchical authority, prescribed roles, and routines, a lot of paperwork, professional codes of conduct and a focus of Loyalty. The bureaucracy in the educational institutions is a valuable source of order and high levels of performance.
Another secondary social group I benefited from was my job. My first job was connected with the IT Company that had several characteristics of ideal bureaucracy stated by Max Weber. The company I worked for had quite a rigid hierarchical authority system and distinct prescribed roles and routines. The positive side of such bureaucratic approach was that every employee had a certain set of responsibilities and a predefined authority and always knew what and when to do.
The negative consequence we have experienced several times was that if some specialist was out of office due to some reasons the work process was slowing down, and numerous problems increased. The same situation occurred when new issues, not assigned to anyone before, were raised. The job I had influenced my life and professionalism in numerous ways. It improved my understanding of general business performance, communication principles within and outside the organizational institution, gave views and public knowledge of my future performance and improved communication and professional skills.
These were the most influential social groups I belonged to for the last 28 years of my life.
Primary social groups like my family and sport club friends had more impact on forming of my attitudes and perceptions, as well as future behaviors. The secondary was less influential in the global context, but they all affected me in a different way and to a different extent and changed my social belonging, world perception and outlook.
