Reflection Paper - Case Study Example

Case Study, Journalism, Mass Media and Communication A reference group is a real or fictional social group that a personassumes that has important relevance on their behaviors and aspirations. My preferred reference group is individuals that have a specific level of prosperity known as a positive reference group where most people wish to be accepted by this group. The group includes actors, politicians, business people and sports people who have been successful in life. On the other hand, the negative reference groups are the people that I would not wish to be identified with but they act as my source of self- assessment.

A good instance is a person who is avoiding members of a certain religious group that is affiliated with certain beliefs and acts. A Christian may avoid or depict an Islam based on the acts of terrorism that are linked to Muslims. The notion of reference group is significant in appreciating conformity, socialization, and how individuals take in and assess themselves (Koch 56). A reference group offers a setting of reference that has a positive or negative effect on the attitude and conduct of a person.

These groups also carry out a comparable role by playing the role of a standard figure against which persons can do self-evaluation and other people (Sheehy 127). The reference group is likely to be different due to a different culture or a different society. For instance, a person who was raised in the Middle East countries in the Islam religion and teachings is likely to have a different reference group from an individual who has been brought up as a Catholic Christian. A reference group plays the primary source of self-evaluation and attainment of certain goal in life.

An individual who decides to become a lawyer starts to be categorized with that reference group due to their goals and expectations.Works CitedKoch, Jeffrey . Social Reference Groups and Political Life. Lanham: University Press of America, 1995. Print.Sheehy, Paul. The Reality of Social Groups. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2006. Internet resource.