What is Sociometry? Characteristics, objectives and methods

In different university careers, the subject of sociometry is studied, in one way or another. But, What exactly is this research method, what are its characteristics and what objectives does it pursue?

Sociometry is a quantitative (numerical) research method used in sociology, Social psychology and related fields. It seeks to measure social relations within a specific group, to evaluate both individual and general data.

What is sociometry and what is it for?

Sociometry contributes to the application of quantitative measurement methods in the yes of certain groups and social structures, and helps us to understand the capacities, interactions and mental well-being both at the group level and of each one of its members. members.

This method was devised by the psychologist and therapist Jacob Levy Moreno. Since its inception, sociometry has been a very valuable tool for evaluating and measuring the interaction between components of different groups, for example in the academic, educational, labor or sports.

The sociometric method uses several methodological resources belonging to the quantitative approach, for example the questionnaire and the survey, which belong to the spectrum of methodologies of the sociometric test.

History of sociometry

Sociometry was born at the beginning of the 20th century in the United States, where Jacob Levy Moreno lived. This new conceptualization gave rise to the methods that would make sociometry a technique with the capacity to study, diagnose and predict dynamics of group and social interaction, both in groups of few members and in much more complex social contexts and size.

The influence of Jacob Levy Moreno

The Viennese psychiatrist and student of Sigmund Freud he had his first contact with the sociometric study when he collaborated in the organization of a refugee colony in his country. Thus, knowing first-hand the different problems that arose in groups of people, Moreno tried to organize these groups and their members through sociometric planning.

Beginning in the year 1925, Jacob Levy Moreno moved to New York and in that context he developed a solid theoretical basis for his sociometric method. He tested his method on a large scale in the Sing-Sing prison, in the city where he resided.. This test would provide you with a much more detailed view of the multiple variables that influence personal relationships between different groups within a specific physical context.

Using the collected data and using his greatest experience, he refined the method and developed a more polished version of sociograms, a visual form in the form of diagrams that allow studying the good or bad relationships between individuals in the context of a larger group broad.

From that moment on, Moreno would publicize his sociograms among the American academic and scientific community. His methodology was valued very positively, and became part of the most used and effective tools when starting quantitative and psychosocial analyses.

Five years after the first draft of it, already in the thirties, Jacob Levy Moreno would publish a work on interpersonal relationships that would finish laying the foundations of sociometry. It is from that moment that the methodology created by Moreno experiences a boom and is applied in a multitude of contexts and projects. In fact, he even had his own specialized academic journal starting in 1936. In addition, the Institute of Sociometry would be founded in New York, later renamed the Moreno Institute, in honor of Jacob Levy.

Objectives of sociometry

Sociometry pursues different objectives and has different uses. According to Jacob Levy Moreno himself, the main objectives of sociometry are the following:

• Evaluate the level of sympathy that a person arouses in a group of people.
• Delve into the reasons why this is so.
• Analyze the degree of cohesion between the different components of the same group.

1. Detect rejected people

One of the objectives of sociometry is to detect and classify those individuals who suffer greater rejection from the other components of the group.. Likewise, it also deals with the opposite cases: identifying and classifying those individuals most valued by the rest.

In this way, the aim is to work with the former to promote their social skills and reinforce their communication and relationships with the rest, while with the most valued they can enhance their leadership.

2. Detect isolated people

Another of the objectives of sociometry is detect people who are considered apart or isolated from the group. How is this measured? They are individuals who do not generate influence, positive or negative, on the dynamics and relationships within the group.

3. Analyze group dynamics

Another of the opportunities that it offers us in being able to foresee, after studying the dynamics of the group, how it will react and adapt to certain changes, such as the inclusion of new individuals or the departure of others.

These three objectives can be found by sociometry in educational and professional contexts, which are the two groups most commonly analyzed using this technique.

How does the sociometric method work?

The sociometric method developed by Jacob Levy Moreno is commonly used in educational contexts.. It is used to have more data and analysis elements on the level of interaction, sympathy/dislike, and cohesion among peers. It also serves to detect certain positive patterns, or disagreements, that may exist between several of these members, and how these dynamics influence the group.

The basic functions of sociometry are basically two: first, the identification of personal relationships within a group. It should be noted that sociometry rarely deals with the study of large groups, to ensure that the variables at play can be well identified. Once the behavior patterns within the group have been detected, the method is applied through the sociometric test.

The sociometric test is a questionnaire that must be filled in by each member of the group that has been the subject of analysis. It should be administered without compromising or putting pressure on the participants. The test proposes different scenarios and gives the participant the freedom to choose with which other members they would prefer to form a subgroup, and their reasons. In this way, and through the responses of each member, it is possible to know first-hand the dynamics intragroup and the reasons why each participant has a greater or lesser appreciation for the others individuals.

Finally, the method is used to make forecasts. In other words, it can help preview the most appropriate and effective dynamics to resolve tensions between participants and stimulate the good dynamics that have already been detected in the past.

Bibliographic references:

• Forselledo, A. g. (2010). Introduction to sociometry and its applications. Montevideo: University of Higher Studies.
• Jennings, H.H. (1987) Sociometry in Group Relations. 2nd ed. Westport: Greenwood.
• Moreno, J. L. (1951). Sociometry, Experimental Method and the Science of Society: An Approach to a New Political Orientation. Beacon House.
• Page, J. 1988/9. Education and acculturation in Malaita: An ethnography of intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic affinities. Journal of Intercultural Studies. 15/16:74-81. On-line: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/3566/