Selected Variables Associated with Acceptance of a New Secondary Group as a Reference Group

摘要

The data reported here were gathered as part of a eye- tematic exploration of variables that might be associated with the acceptance of a large, new, nominal membership group as a reference group. A secondary group (rather than a small¬er. and more intimate primary group) was chosen as the focus of this investigation because secondary groups are as likely as primary groups to be the pragmatic objects and beneficiaries of reference group feelings in large and complex so¬cieties such as our own, and from a societal point of view it is the individual's response to his secondary groups that is often critical in determining the quality of his relevant behavior.