Groups

Kelsey Holt
Social and Political Theory
032403
Midterm

Group Influence

If I had a chance to travel back in time to speak with Herbert Spencer and Emile Durkheim, what
would they tell me? One thing is for sure; they would both say, "We are what our groups make us." This is
a statement that ties in with both men's theories. I'll start with the ideas of Spencer.
Herbert Spencer was a firm believer of Tabula Rosa. He compared newborn humans to a blank
slate. The future personalities, morals and ideas of these people would be later determined by
surrounding outside forces. These outside forces vary widely, and together they form what Spencer
called the heterogeneous society.
A heterogeneous society is formed when the equilibrium of a homogeneous society is disturbed.
In other words, when outside forces come and form groups that are different from the homogeneous
center. An example of this would be the Protestant religion effecting an all Cath...