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Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer

Is reference group theory a universally applicable model? Elucidate.

  • UPSC 2023
  • Sociological Thinkers

The term "reference group" was coined by Herbert Hyman (The Psychology of Status, 1942). Robert K. Merton turned it into a general theory in Social Theory and Social Structure (1957). Its mechanism, self-appraisal through comparison, is found everywhere, but its predictions depend on how open a structure is: universal in form, conditional in operation.

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What the full answer covers

  • Grounds for universality
  • Limits to universality
  • Conclusion

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