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The “Basic Law” or “Constitution” of a Small Group
Author(s) -
Weyrauch Walter O.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1971.tb00653.x
Subject(s) - constitution , sanctions , scope (computer science) , group (periodic table) , law , group behavior , political science , frame (networking) , law and economics , sociology , social psychology , psychology , engineering , computer science , telecommunications , chemistry , organic chemistry , programming language
Law can be viewed as a network of small group interaction. Basic characteristics of legal systems govern the interaction and permeate each individual small group. The rule structure within a small group forms a kind of behavioral constitution containing provisions on fundamental policies, internal and external relations, sanctions to be imposed for breach of rules, and so on. The use of a legal frame of reference in small group analysis expands the scope of inquiry and may furnish insights into current social problems. The constitution of a particular experimental group, confined for about three months in a penthouse on the Berkeley campus, is presented as illustration.