The term "social group" is one of the most common in the social sciences. Whatever problem is discussed, one can never do without mentioning these peculiar public entities. However, despite such great popularity, difficulties often arise with understanding the very essence of social groups.
In many ways, this state of affairs is explained by the diversity and specific features of the social groups themselves. At the same time, in modern social science there are several different approaches to the interpretation of the concept of "social group", each of which identifies its own set of features.
The most common and simple definition of a social group is the following: a social group is a collection of individuals connected by formal or informal membership, a communication system and having mutual expectations regarding each other. Accordingly, as the main features of a social group, one can single out the presence of certain interactions between participants and mutual expectations regarding each other. After all, the set of people at a transport stop also looks like a group, but it is not, because it does not imply internal interactions and expectations. People at the bus stop do not perceive each other as a single community.
In the social sciences, it is customary to distinguish several types of social groups: small and large, formal and informal. Small are called groups in which all participants can directly interact with each other. Examples of such groups include a classroom, a lab or department workforce, and a group of friends. In a large group, its individual members may not interact with each other in any way, but at the same time act in concert, within the framework of certain rules. For example, a large group is the labor collective of the enterprise, a large army unit, etc. Accordingly, a small group can be both formal and informal, formed on the basis of personal sympathies and common goals. A large group can only be formal, existing within the framework of formal rules and codes.
Whatever type a particular social group belongs to, a definite system of roles is always present in it. Each member of the group is always well aware of his position in the group, the attitude of his other members to himself and their expectations. All members of the group follow their roles even in cases where they are not formalized and not voiced. Any noticeable deviation in the participant’s usual behavior is perceived as incorrect and entails censure by the group members until the expulsion of the violator.
