GROUP DYNAMICS  For a long time sociologists Were busy trying to convince a skeptical world that the group  real incl not simply a collection of people Only after World War  sociologists {and scholars from psychology, communications, and management) begin that serious study of small groups [Bales, 1,,; Homans, 1950; Bavelas, 1962]. Group .l#y)clinics the scientific  study of tile illiteracy unhinge small group…

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VOLUNTARY Associations  It has been said that if a planeload of Americanism they :were about to crash they Aquaplaning committee. equestrian century and half ago remarked upon the American, habit of forming associations Am of all ages conditions, and all inconstant formations ‘They have not only co~ and manufacturing companies, in’ which an,.take put, but associations a thousand other kinds, religious moral rills…

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Structural Features  Most voluntary association church organizations PTA, recreational clubs; It neighborhood associations, and other&-have volunteer officers, a minimum constitution (ifanyone can find it), and bylaws or procedures which are highly “flexible” and sometimes forgotten or ignored, In such organizations, the informal aspects greatly overshadow the “formal organization” aspects, as the association operates vaguely and loosely according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Where membership is fairly…

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Functions of Voluntary Associations Voluntary associations come in three main types: personal interest” social service, and political action. They serve the following function OUTLET FOR PERSONAL INTERESTS  When olle wishes to pursue an i_rest which most other people do not share, the usual answer is the voluntary association. Those who enjoy golf can form a golf club, since taxpayers may decline to…

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STRUCTURE FDA CONTINUING SERVICE PROGRAMS. When the social services pioneered by voluntary foundations bone subsidized by or augured by government, these services generally become more genteelly Ina need and more widely available to people. They also tend to. discourage sectary vices replacing them with service programs that are bureaucratic, impersonal, inflexible, elaborately regulated, and enormously more expensive [Glazer, 1983}. Yet voluntary associations continue to provide some…

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CHANNEL FOR POLITICAL ACTION   The volunteer association enables the private citizen to share in making major social decisions. Political-action groups, ranging from Naders Raiders to Moral Majority and from the Ila sue. of Women’s Voters to the Natimal Right to Life Committee have been chants for individuals shareware in the democratic process.

Participation in Voluntary Associations Although voluntary associations provide a means for individuals to increase their social power by banding together, this is more true of some types of people than of others, The middle and upper classes are more likely than the lower classes to enter voluntary associations. St and Freedman [1972, p. 154} summarize the situation as follows All of the work…

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Therapeutic Self-Help Groups Many ‘people face problems which seem beyond their ability to handle. Have you ever tried to lose weight, stop smoking, change  drinking habits, or make some other behavior ” change? Have you ever needed to face the aftermath of mental illness, ‘or loss 01 a loved.one, or accept a disfigurement? If so you can appreciate the circumstances which lead people…

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SOME KINDS OF GROUPS In-groups and Out-groups There are some groups to which I belong my family, my church, ‘my clique, my profession my race, my sex, my nation-any group which I precede with the pronoun, “my These are in-groups, because I feel I belong to them. There are other groups to which I do not belong-other families, cliques, occupations races, nationalities, religions,…

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SOCIAL DISTANCE  We are -not equally involved in all our in-groups. One might, for example, be a passionate Democrat and a rather indifferent Rotarian. Nor do we feel equally distant from all our out-groups. A loyal Democrat will feel far closer to the Republicans than to the Communists. Bogardus [1958, 1959] and others [Westie, 1959] have developed the concept social distance to measure the…

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