Definition of Secondary Group
(noun) An impersonal group that is task oriented and interactions are typically formal, based on roles and statuses.
Examples of Secondary Group
- club members
- co-workers
Secondary Group Pronunciation
- IPA Pronunciation
- American English
- /ˈsɛkəndəri ɡrup/
- British English
- /ˈsɛkəndəri ɡruːp/
- American English
- Syllabification: (sec·ond·ar·y group)
Usage Notes
- Plural: secondary groups
- A secondary group is contrasted to a primary group.
Additional Information
- aggregate
- bureaucracy
- demography
- formal organization
- groupthink
- in-group
- member
- organization
- out-group
- population
- resocialization
Works Consulted
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Cite the Definition of Secondary Group
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “secondary group.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 17, 2019 (https://sociologydictionary.org/secondary-group/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
secondary group. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/secondary-group/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “secondary group.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 17, 2019. https://sociologydictionary.org/secondary-group/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“secondary group.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2019. <https://sociologydictionary.org/secondary-group/>.