We explain what membership groups are, how they are classified, why they are important and various examples.
What is a membership group?
A membership group is a certain type of social group, that is, a group of human beings, with whom we share the same notion of self-identity based on fundamental characteristics or traits of ethnic, racial, religious, gender, sexual orientation or simply geographical origin.
More simply put, a belonging group is anyone of which we feel part, since we share with it different central features of who we are.
Human beings are social animals, and the formation of groups and organizations is something that comes to us completely naturally. So much so, that the way we think about ourselves (what we call “identity”) depends largely on our relationship with others, and vice versa.
For this reason, we tend to consider those who are part of our belonging groups as closer and more valuable than those who are not part of it. Thus, people tend to make moral distinctions depending on the groups to which they feel they belong, based on a feeling of solidarity with those “who are similar to us” and caution, however, with respect to those who are not.
Depending on the identity relationship that we establish with them, the membership groups are classified as follows:
- Primary groups made up of those people who we consider closest and most intimate, most similar to us, such as our relatives, our neighbors, etc.
- Secondary groups made up of people who we consider close to us, but not so close, that is, with whom a greater degree of formality and distance intervenes, such as work teams, study colleagues, etc.
- Formal groups which have a defined and clearly organized structure, such as a professional sports team, a dance cast, etc.
- Informal groups which do not have a defined structure and to which we belong in a dispersed, disorganized way, like a neighborhood soccer team, a group that does yoga in the square, etc.
Thus, membership groups are radically distinguished from non-membership groups, that is, from those to which we do not feel that we belong. The latter, similarly, are classified into:
- Aspirational groups to which we do not belong but we would like to, and which serve as a guide for us to judge our own actions or our own life. For many, for example, the upper social class constitutes an aspirational group, but so can the official sports team, etc.
- Dissociative groups to which we do not belong nor are we interested in belonging, so we have no affiliation of any kind with them.
See also: Sense of belonging
Examples of membership groups
Some examples of membership groups may be:
- Muslims especially in a country with a Christian tradition.
- Members of the LGBTQ+ community who are distinguished from cisheterosexual people by their gender identity or sexual orientation.
- Afro-descendant citizens in the United States.
- The exile communities in a foreign country.
- Members of a sports team olympic
- Supporters of a political party whether or not they are registered in their ranks.
- Graduates from the same school or the same university.
Importance of membership groups
Membership groups are vital for human social organization and for the formation of our personal identity especially during adolescence.
We all belong to different social groups and have different considerations about who we are, that is, where we belong. It allows us to relate to others in a simpler way by having a horizon of common expectations.
For example, if two Latin American citizens meet at a party in Moscow, it is likely that each other's company will provide them with some relief and a sense of solidarity will emerge between them. Thus, if one of them finds himself in trouble, the other will surely be more willing to help him than if it were someone of a different origin. This type of logic tends to be unconscious and operate in imperceptible ways.
On the other hand, the possibility of creating new membership groups offers the opportunity to meet different people and to enrich life experiences with others.
For example, two people who belong to a group of artists, but who come from different cultures and religions, can identify with each other and establish a bond of trust and solidarity despite not agreeing in other aspects.
Membership group and reference group
Unlike belonging groups, with which a subject feels identified, Reference groups are those real or imaginary groups that an individual uses to compare their behavior their norms and values of life.
That is, they are groups that serve as a reference both in a positive aspect (to imitate them) or a negative aspect (to avoid them). Thus, a reference group can be any group used by a subject as a standard for self-evaluation.
In that sense, the membership group can also be a reference group: a person who feels part of the identity group of Latin Americans in the United States can perfectly guide their behavior by theirs in a negative sense, avoiding being like them and trying to embrace a different identity.
Continue with: Social needs
References
- “Social group” in Wikipedia.
- “Reference groups” in IPIba.
- “Membership group/non-membership group” in Ethics Unwrapped from McCombs School of Business (United States).
- “Reference group” in the Medical Dictionary of the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (Spain).
