Based on the information provided, this is an example of an aspirational reference group. Some key points:
• An aspirational reference group is one that individuals admire and aspire to emulate. They may not currently be a part of this group but seek to resemble them in lifestyle and status.
• In this case, the American middle class served as an aspirational reference group for Japan's rising middle class. They wanted to emulate the American middle class lifestyle and standards of success.
• As Japan's prosperity grew in the late 1960s, the middle class had greater means to model themselves after the aspirational reference group. They started adopting American middle class behaviors, consumption patterns, and cultural signifiers.
• Reference groups influence our attitudes, values, and behaviors as we compare ourselves to them. Aspirational groups motivate us to achieve a certain status and way of living that we admire but do not currently possess.
• Status symbols, lifestyle choices, fashion trends, and cultural norms are often adopted from aspirational reference groups as a way to gain recognition and prestige. This appears to be what happened with Japan's middle class.
• Identification with an aspirational group allows us to feel connected to a standard of success and progress that we are striving to achieve. It motivates emulation of an admired way of living.
• In summary, this case demonstrates the influence of an aspirational reference group (American middle class) on shaping values, consumption, and lifestyle choices in another group (Japan's rising middle class) that aspires to resemble them.
The other options do not fully capture this concept:
• Actual group: Japan's middle class did not actually become part of the American middle class. They were emulating them from afar as an aspirational group.
• Formal group: There is no indication the American middle class was a formally organized group that Japan's middle class officially joined. They were modeling themselves informally after this group's lifestyle.
• Primary group: Although close-knit, primary groups typically refer to small social groups we belong to from birth or childhood. The American middle class and Japan's emulation of them does not seem to meet this definition.
• Secondary group: Voluntary associations and affiliations are typical secondary groups. Again, there is no indication Japan's middle class formally joined the American middle class as a secondary group in this sense. They were aspiring to emulate them.
Does this help explain the concept of an aspirational reference group and why this choice fits the scenario described? Let me know if any part of the explanation is unclear or if you have any other questions!