ABSTRACT
THIS chapter * deals with the third aspect of community, the existence of interlocking reference groups. Membership of a reference group cannot always be clearly established by observing interaction; it is best validated by studying ideals and aspirations. A reference group allegiance is the wish to be accepted into a certain social group or stratum; this is by no means identical with success in gaining acceptance into the desired group. The research for this chapter therefore involved two requirements. Firstly, it was necessary to find a method of allotting families unambiguously to reference groups. Secondly, it was necessary to study the extent to which membership of these groups gradually began to overlap.
