Fuzzy boundary between group and togetherness situation : A variety of identity found at a park in every early morning

Abstract

Many studies of group in social psychology have distinguished "groups" from other aggregates by some peculiar standards and piled up research focusing only on them. In reality, however, there are various aggregates that have many different characteristics. In the course of participant observation and interviewing at a park in early morning, the present study presents an aggregate which exists between group and togetherness situation. The circle of people here had characteristics of a group as follows: 1) it is an organization which has the shared purpose; 2) each member has particular status and role to each other; 3) There are the same norms shared by members. At the same time, however, it also had aspects of a togetherness situation as follows: 1) the membership (whether one is a member or not) is not clear; 2) deviants are not punished; 3) outsiders are not excluded. Based on these findings, the present study tries to document the continuity between group and togetherness situation and to propose a new viewpoint to see a variety of individual's identity which is salient in various aggregates.