• What is a membership group?
• Examples of membership groups
• Importance of membership groups
• Membership group and reference group

We explain what membership groups are, how they are classified, why they are important and various examples.

A group membership is based on shared characteristics.

What is a membership group?

A membership group is a certain type of social group, that is, a set of Humans, with whom we share the same notion of identity own, based on fundamental characteristics or traits of ethnic, racial, religious, gender, sexual orientation or simply geographical origin.

Said more simply, a belonging group is all that 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 naturally to us. So much so, that the way we think of ourselves (what we call “identity”) depends largely on our relationship with others, and vice versa.

Therefore, those who are part of our membership groups tend to consider them 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 cautious, on the other hand, 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 that we consider closer and more intimate, more similar to us, such as our relatives, our neighbors, etc.
• Secondary groups, made up of people we consider close to us, but not so much, that is, with whom a greater degree of formality and distance intervenes, such as work teams, study partners, etc.
• Formal groups, which have a clearly defined and organized structure, such as a professional sports team, a dance troupe, etc.
• Informal groups, which do not have a defined structure and to which we belong in a dispersed, disorganized way, such as a neighborhood soccer team, a group that does yoga in the square, etc.

Thus, the groups of belonging are radically distinguished from the groups of non-membership, 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 would like to, and that serve as a guide to judge our own actions or our lives. 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 and do not care to belong, so we have no affiliation with them of any kind.

Examples of membership groups

Some examples of membership groups can be:

• Muslims, especially in a country with a Christian tradition.
• Members of the LGBTQ+ community, who are distinguished from ci-sheterosexual people by their gender identity or sexual orientation.
• Citizens of African descent in the United States.
• Exiled communities in a foreign country.
• Members of an Olympic sports team.
• The supporters of a political party, whether or not they are registered in its ranks.
• Graduates from the same college or university.

Importance of membership groups

Membership groups allow establishing bonds of trust and solidarity.

Membership groups are vital for human social organization and for the formation of our personal identity, especially during the adolescence.

We all belong to different social groups and have different views about who we are, that is, where we belong. This allows us to relate to others in a simpler way, by having a horizon of expectations in common.

For example, if two Latin American citizens meet at a party in Moscow, it is likely that the company of the other will bring them some relief and a sense of solidarity will arise between them. Thus, if one of them is in trouble, the other will surely be more willing to help him than if it were someone from a different origin. This type of logic tends to be unconscious and to 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 cultures Y religions different, they can identify with each other and establish a bond of confidence and solidarity despite not agreeing on other aspects.

Membership group and reference group

Unlike the groups of belonging, with which a subject feels identified, the reference groups are those real or imaginary groups that serve an individual to compare their conduct, their rules Y values of life.

In other words, they are groups that serve as a reference both in a positive aspect (to imitate them) or negative (to avoid them). Thus, a reference group can be any group used by a subject as a standard for self-assessment.

In this sense, the group to which they belong 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 direction, avoiding resembling them and trying to embrace a different identity.