Social circle
Encyclopedia
Social circles are groups of socially interconnected people. A Social circle is distinguished from a social pyramid
in that there are two perspectives that can be used to describe a social circle: the perspective of an individual who is the locus of a particular group of socially interconnected people; and the aggregate perspective of a group of socially interconnected people, such as cohesive blocks. While a social pyramid
considers all of the people with whom an individual has contact and defines a structure to support and empower (or disempower) that person; a Social Circle can have narrowly defined boundaries, often all of the members of the circle have been in contact with each other, and there may be a process of social initiation required for people to gain membership. It has been said that what you bring to your Social Circle is what you create in your social pyramid
.
Social circles are interconnected through social network
s and connections between individuals. The theory of six degrees of separation
points out that mathematically, there are on average 6 steps between any two living people on Earth. Social circles also overlap. For example, there may be people who work together who are also in the same tennis club or coffee clatch, or one may know someone independently of a mutual friend.
Social circles tend to have unique sets of norms and values. When an individual does not comply with them, the individual may be ostracized, admonished, or even embarrassed by other members of the group. Hierarchical social structures with socially-defined positions provide an excellent example how norms and values are applied within social circles. For example, a social pyramid could be a Toastmasters club, where there are executive positions that are held by a clearly defined process. Alternatively, a social circle could be a group of Cricket
enthusiasts who gather in a local pub once a week to watch a game. In the second case, group leadership and membership is informal in nature.
Social Pyramid
A social pyramid is a model of social people. The people with whom an individual has the least amount of social intimacy are placed at the foundation of the pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is the individual. And on each subsequent layer going down, the individual has less and less intimacy...
in that there are two perspectives that can be used to describe a social circle: the perspective of an individual who is the locus of a particular group of socially interconnected people; and the aggregate perspective of a group of socially interconnected people, such as cohesive blocks. While a social pyramid
Social Pyramid
A social pyramid is a model of social people. The people with whom an individual has the least amount of social intimacy are placed at the foundation of the pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is the individual. And on each subsequent layer going down, the individual has less and less intimacy...
considers all of the people with whom an individual has contact and defines a structure to support and empower (or disempower) that person; a Social Circle can have narrowly defined boundaries, often all of the members of the circle have been in contact with each other, and there may be a process of social initiation required for people to gain membership. It has been said that what you bring to your Social Circle is what you create in your social pyramid
Social Pyramid
A social pyramid is a model of social people. The people with whom an individual has the least amount of social intimacy are placed at the foundation of the pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is the individual. And on each subsequent layer going down, the individual has less and less intimacy...
.
Social circles are interconnected through social network
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
s and connections between individuals. The theory of six degrees of separation
Six degrees of separation
Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer...
points out that mathematically, there are on average 6 steps between any two living people on Earth. Social circles also overlap. For example, there may be people who work together who are also in the same tennis club or coffee clatch, or one may know someone independently of a mutual friend.
Social circles tend to have unique sets of norms and values. When an individual does not comply with them, the individual may be ostracized, admonished, or even embarrassed by other members of the group. Hierarchical social structures with socially-defined positions provide an excellent example how norms and values are applied within social circles. For example, a social pyramid could be a Toastmasters club, where there are executive positions that are held by a clearly defined process. Alternatively, a social circle could be a group of Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
enthusiasts who gather in a local pub once a week to watch a game. In the second case, group leadership and membership is informal in nature.