Social Groups - Personal Essay

Social Groups

The major social experiences are face to face interactions, talking and texting on a phone, as well as social media. Primary groups are intimate relationships with the people that are closest to us, like our family, close friends, and romantic relationships. Secondary groups come together for a specific purpose and have few emotional ties. An in group is a social category to which individuals feel they belong. Any social category that a person feels they do not belong to is an outgroup. Sometimes there is a group that is compared to another group or even another individual, and this is called a reference group. These are all social networks, a network of social interactions and personal relationships.

My family is a huge part of my life, making them a primary group for me. My immediate family is composed 5 people. My mom, sister and I have been through a lot together and we share very similar personalities as well as physical features. We tend to do very similar things, and even though my sister and I aren’t blood related to my mother we still share similar physical features. Before my sister and I moved out of the house we did everything together. My step-dad is a huge part of my family as well. He chose out family which was great. My mother and I are still extremely close, making her someone I can go to for any problem that I have and that is why she is one of the stronger influences in my life and a strong contributor in my primary group.

My relationship with my boyfriend is another strong primary group in my life today. This group is very small, being composed of only two people, making it a dyad. My boyfriend and I share many of the same interests like hockey and music. This group is a reference group because he influences me and makes me think about myself and my behavior differently. Everyday he helps me be a better person by pushing me to my limits and influencing me to do my best in everything. He helps me put me first. Without him I’d be much more depressed. He helps me stay happy and active in my hobbies and future goals. We mainly talk face to face in a personal manner but when we are unable to, we use technology, like Snapchat or Facebook, to communicate.

My boyfriend lives just across town from me but it is difficult for us to have the same schedule with my work schedule. We mostly use Snapchat to communicate but we also use messenger when we need each other's company in a more personal manner when we are unable to be together. I consider this relationship to be a strong primary group because I am very close to my boyfriend and feel like I can truly be myself around him, making him a very important part in my life. Before I pursued my college education, I attended Northland Pines High School where I was