Chapter 6: Group Structure
• group structure—the underlying pattern of roles,
norms, and networks of relations among
members that define & organize the group
• norms – defined and regulated members’ action
*Despite widespread differences among groups, all share a
common structural core: examining group structures is like
studying an individual’s personality
NORMS
*Norms are the emergent, consensual standards that regulate
group members’ behaviors. They are emergent, in that they
develop gradually during the course of interaction among
members—in some cases through deliberation and choice but
often only gradually as members’ actions align. They are also
consensual because norms are shared rules of action; norms
are social standards that are accepted by a substantial
proportion of the group.
• prescriptive norm – A consensual standard that identifies
preferable, positively sanctioned behaviours
// define the socially appropriate way to
respond in a social situation
Ex. “Food should be shared equally,” “Those who are not
injured should work to help those who are injured,” and
“Follow the orders of the leader,”
• proscriptive norm – A consensual standard that identifies
prohibited, negatively sanctioned behaviours
// ; they define the types of actions that
should be avoided if at all possible
Ex. “Do not urinate inside the airplane” and “Do not take more
than your share of food and water.”
• descriptive norm – A consensual standard that describes
how people typically act, feel, and think in a
given situation.
Ex. In a business group, for example, most people arrive for
the meeting on time. Very few people fall asleep during the
meeting. Most people clap when the speaker finishes.
• injunctive norm – An evaluative consensual
standard that describes how people
should act, feel, and think in a given
situation rather than how people do act, feel,
and think in that situation.
*People who do not comply with descriptive norms may be
viewed as unusual, but people who violate injunctive norms
are negatively evaluated and are open to sanction by the
other group members. // those who failed to do their fair
share of work were criticized by the others, given distasteful
chores, and sometimes even denied food and water
Simple behaviors such as choice of clothing (“Wear
shoes in public”), manners (“Do not interrupt others”), and
conventions of address (“Call the professor ‘Dr.’”) reflect
norms, but so do general societal principles of fairness (“Help
others when they are in need”), morality (“Do not lie to
members of the group”), and value (“Work hard for the
group”).
The Development of Norms
*norm emergence process by taking advantage of the
autokinetic (self-motion) effect: when people made their
judgments in groups, their personal estimates blended with
those of other group members
*Over time, individuals with the highest and lowest estimates
revise their judgments to match the group average.
*Sherif confirmed that norms emerge, gradually, as group
members’ behaviors, judgments, and beliefs align over time.
The Transmission of Norms
*even though the other group members were no longer
present, the individuals retained the group norm
internalized the norm
*researchers gave groups feedback that suggested that their
norm about how decisions should be made was causing them
to make errors, but this negative feedback did not reduce the
norm’s longevity across generations Because norms tend to
resist revision, some group’s norms may seem pointless and
arbitrary rather than reasonable and functional
• pluralistic ignorance – When members of a group privately
vary in outlook and expectations, but publicly they all act
similarly because they believe that they are the only ones
whose personal views are different from the rest of the group
