IMPACT 0F VARIOUS SOCIAL GROUPS ON ONE'S PERSONALITY

 Ever since our birth, besides our name, place and date of birth, we are also identified greatly on the basis of our social groups. Social groups are interaction of a group of humans based on a common purpose or interest. Social groups can be further divided into : Formal and Informal.

Formal Groups:

Formal groups are where people behave according to a set rule of formal regulations by the head or the superior position of the group. They aim at achieving a combined goal of the group through their individual goals. The role of an individual in a formal group is often restricted. Formal groups might have direct impacts on political and financial aspects of a person, but lesser psychological impacts as compared to informal groups. A person gets the status of his power and financial positions by the formal groups that he becomes a part of. Formal groups are also often “Chosen” and not given by birth.

The company a person works in, might be the best example of a formal group. Everyone working in the company have a common goal to expand the company and gain profits. Non-profit organisations share a common goal to serve the society. From the CEO to the working labour, everyone in the company have restricted roles to play depending on their positions and work for the betterment of the company by accomplishing individual goals. The financial status of a person is judged by how big is the name of the firm he works in, and at what position in that firm. Behaviour of fellow employees or superiors might have an impact on a person, but in most cases they are transient in nature.

Informal Groups:

Informal groups are where members behave according to the interests of individuals or the group as a whole. Informal groups are partly given by birth, and partly have the potential to be chosen. For example, a person born as a Hindu, will be identified in the group of Hindus by birth, but potentially after attaining legal age, if that person chooses to pursue islamism, he can be identified as the member of the group of Muslims. The roles and duties in informal groups are wide and no where restricted. There is no specific pattern in which an individual must behave or a specific activity that he must perform. Every individual is directly and greatly impacted by the informal groups that he is a part of.

Families, friends, religious groups, castes, gender groups are some of the best examples of informal groups. How a person behaves as a human, whether positive or negative, is greatly impacted by the groups that he has taken a birth in. In fact, in practice, it is these groups who have termed specific patterns of behaviour as “positive” and some other as “negative”. The psychological effects of these groups on humans are immeasurable. A person relies on these groups to be emotionally vulnerable, to find mental peace, to celebrate happiness, sadness, joy, anger, and every ounce of emotion that he faces in his lifetime. Often, a person who isn’t well recognised in any of these informal social groups finds himself lonely in the crowd and suffers greatly. Hereby we know how social groups as a whole have a vigorous impact on our lives, and how life without their presence seems unimaganable.

                                                                                               Source : Google Images