defined
In Western sociological literature, especially the works of sociology in the United States, understanding of the concept of a small group of very inconsistent. Summed up in three different definitions of the following: ① a group of people on the social status and role relationships more or less interdependent, they have shared values and norms of social behavior coordinated with each other. ② regarded participated in one or more face to face meetings, a group of people leaving a deep impression on each other. These people have mentioned the name of a person which in hindsight, its image immediately rose before his eyes. ③ polymeric several persons considered together, does not emphasize the above-described relationships. 3 different definitions reflect the study of small groups of different positions and directions. Sociology is the study of small groups from the first view, the concept of small groups and often the primary groups in the same sense, that small groups are seen as the primary group. In fact the two are not identical.
difference
From the point of view of the size of population, the primary group in general is also a small group. However, it is called primary group, not so much because of its size, mainly among members of the group have primary intimate relationships. For small groups, when a group of memory in the primary relationships, it is the primary group; but when it is little or no relationship, then it is a secondary group. Under certain conditions, small groups will be converted to the primary group. This is because small groups of fewer personnel, the opportunity to contact each other face to face interaction and more, as time goes on, deepening friendship between each other, small groups may gradually become the primary group.
scale
Numbersmall groups is directly related to a series of questions and cohesive properties of small groups and other groups. Studies have shown that small-scale community has greater cohesion than the large-scale groups, showed strong stability. Because with the increase of population size, interaction and communication between members of the group gradually reduced. Sociologists on the number of small groups raised various different views. Some believe that the number of small groups of three to five people or ten people to limit; some believe, may be more than twenty or thirty people; some even think that can be increased to four or five people, namely, the primary classes number. Meaning
research
sociologists, social psychologists are very research on small groups of attention. Sociologists study for small groups focused on the relationship between small groups and society, small groups of people for social significance, as well as small groups, especially small working group that is the type of social group work and other aspects. China is a small community there are a lot of social relationships, reveal various relationships within the small groups and the impact on various aspects of social life, is an important topic in current sociological research.