How do sociologists distinguish among social groups, aggregates, and categories?
How do sociologists distinguish among social groups, aggregates, and categories?
A social group is two or more humans who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and have a collective sense of unity. It includes groups of all sizes, from dyads to whole societies. A society can be viewed as a large group, though most social groups are considerably smaller. Society can also be viewed as people who interact with one another, sharing similarities pertaining to culture and territorial boundaries.
A social aggregate is a collection of people who are in the same place at the same time but who otherwise have nothing else in common. A crowd at a sporting event and the audience at a movie or play are examples of social aggregates.
A social group is a collection of people who interact with each other and share similar characteristics and a sense of unity. In contrast, a social aggregate is a collection of people who are in the same place, but who do not interact or share characteristics.
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