Lesson : Forms of social life, Interaction

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 Lecture Contents

●Social Structure.
●The society.
●Social interaction.
●Cooperation.
●Modes of cooperation in a social life.
●Competition.
●Conflict.
●Accommodation.
●Assimilation.
●Differentiate between competition and conflict.
●Are all types of conflict harmful to society?
●co-operation, competition and conflict
●Status & Roles

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 Introduction

●Human behavior is not random, it is patterned,

Regularity and order can be found in the actions
of all humans.
●In this chapter we will examine a wide range of
different patterns of social relations.
● Social structure
●Groups
●Organization
●Institutions
●Society

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 Social Structure

●Social structure are regular patterns of social interaction

and persistence social relationships.
●by the ongoing interaction of people. They can change
over time.
●Structures tend to have some persistence, over time.
●Eg. The socioeconomic status
●Social structure are constructed system with its different
social classes.
●The social class structure of the society is observable
through the way people interact with each other, These
patterns of interaction do not change much over time.
●The interaction goes on within the context of the cultural
values and social norms ( culture).

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 The society

●A society is a population living in a given territory,

with a social structure, and sharing a culture.
●Societies are commonly described in terms of their
economic systems.
Hunting and gathering societies
Horticultural societies: grow their own food in
gardenlike plot, established permanent communities

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Cont…The society

Agrarian societies: large scale of food

production at subsistence level
Industrial societies: in which the predominant
economic activity of manufactured goods,
agricultural production must continue.
Postindustrial societies, a society that was
formerly industrial but is now primarily engaged
in producing services and information rather than
manufactured goods

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 Social interaction

●Man/women is a social being. They always live in

various groups and associations. As members of
these groups they Act and behave in a certain
manner. The behavior of each individual is affected
by the behavior of the other. This interaction is the
essence of social life. It is the key factor in all social
lives.

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Cont…Social interaction

●Green defines social interaction as” the mutual

influences that individuals and groups have on one
another in their attempts to solve problems and in
their striving towards goals.”
●Thus, social interaction is the dynamic interplay of
men within social structures. It is the basic process
through which human nature and social structure
develop and are changed.

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●Sociologists have classified and discussed social
relationships in terms of kinds of interaction.
●The major forms of social interaction are -,
●Cooperation
●Conflict
●Competition
●Accommodation
●Assimilation

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 Cooperation

●Cooperation is one of the fundamental processes of

social life. It is that basic form of human interaction in which
men strive jointly with each other for a good goal or value.
●At the same time, cooperation is the most pervasive and
continuous of the social processes. It is an integrating
activity. It means working together in the pursuit of
common interests or common goal.

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Cont... Cooperation

●Green defined cooperation as ” the continuous

and common endeavor of two or more persons
to perform a task or to realize a goal that is
commonly cherished. “
●Cooperation is a universal phenomenon.

●Cooperation for human beings is both a

psychological and a social necessity.

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There are two modes of cooperation in a
social life

●Direct cooperation – includes “those activities in which

men do like things together ” – play together , worship together ,
etc.
●Indirect cooperation – is found wherever people perform
unlike tasks towards a single end – like where there is a division
of labor or mass production.
●All the progress that mankind has made in various fields is to be
attributed to the cooperating spirit of the people.
●Collective goals in our social life cannot be achieved without
cooperation

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 Competition

●Competition is the most fundamental form of opposition

or social struggle. It is a struggle of two or more persons
for the same object which is so limited that all cannot
share it.
●“competition is that form of social action in which we
strive against each other for the possession of or use of
some limited material and non-material good.”
Anderson and Parker

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Cont… Competition

●In our society, for instance, there is competition for

jobs, for goods, power , social position, fame and all
other things one cannot get by mere asking.
●It performs many useful functions in our society.
●Competition tends to stimulate economy, efficiency,
and inventiveness. It tends to increase one’s ego and
to give one satisfaction

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 Conflict

●Conflict is universal and occurs in all places and at all time.

There has never been a time or a society in which some
individuals or groups did not come into conflict .
●A.W. Green defines conflict as ” the deliberate attempt to
oppose, resist or coerce the will of another or others .
●Mac Iver and Page defined conflict as – that form of
struggle in which “men contend against one other for any
object . “

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Cont… Conflict

●Conflict generally occurs due to individual

differences, cultural differences, clash of
interests and social changes. Conflict serves as
constructive and positive ends. In corporate
conflicts – that is, between groups and societies,
solidarity and fellow-feelings are increased. But
conflict in its extreme form brings war and
destruction of lives and property.
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 Accommodation

●Accommodation means resolution of conflict by

adjusting oneself to the new environment.” The term
accommodation refers particularly to the process on
which man attains a sense of harmony with his
environment. ”
●Accommodation is the term used by the sociologists
to describe the process by those once in conflict who
can work together in common enterprises. It brings
arrangements which permit groups to work together.

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Cont… Accommodation

●A structure of interdependent roles arises and

organizes people in ways which permit them to
live and act in spite of differences in latent
hostility. Thus, the social order arises through
the process of accommodation.
●Accommodation is thus, the basis of all social

organizations.

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 Assimilation

●Assimilation is the process whereby persons and groups

acquire the culture of the other persons and groups in
which they come to live – by adopting its attitudes and
values and its way of life.
●Assimilation is therefore, another form of interaction
which cannot be neglected in the social process. But the
same time , the extreme differences in cultural
background, prejudice and physical differences usually
Act as barriers to assimilation.

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Differentiate between competition and
conflict

-Competition is impersonal whereas conflict is personal in nature.

In the process of competition, attention is placed on the desired goal or
end rather than on the competitors.
- Competition does not involve coercion whereas Conflict involves coercion
- Competition is a continuing process whereas conflict is a specific event.
Competition increases occurrence of cooperation whereas conflict puts an
end to cooperation
●Cooperation and competition can go together simultaneously though under different
banners but neither puts an end to the other.
●Conflict on the other hand, puts an end to cooperation – at least temporarily.

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 Are all types of conflict harmful to
?society

●Conflict by its very nature is harmful to human society because it

breaks down the unity and gives rise to disintegration and
disharmony in the society. It spreads out an environment of
tension among the members of the society. But at the same time,
certain conflicts are not at all harmful to the society because it
performs certain positive functions also
●Conflict tends to increase the morale and promote the solidarity
of the in-groups
●Conflict leads to redefinition of value systems

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Cont.. Are all types of conflict harmful to
?society

●It may lead to a change in the relative status of the conflicting

parties
●It may form a new consensus
●Conflict serves as a constructive and positive end. In conflicts
between groups and societies, solidarity and fellow feelings are
increased. But those conflicts which cause wars or may take
hostile form , may destroy lives and property of the people –
may cause great negative psychological and moral change.

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 Interrelation / Inter-dependency of the 3 forms of
social interaction -
co-operation, competition and conflict
●In real life, however, cooperation, conflict and competition are interrelated.
They are ever present processes in human relations. It is evident that whenever
there are human beings living together – they become involved simultaneously
in all the 3 processes of cooperation, conflict and competition.
●In a cooperating group there is some point where interests diverge or where
attitudes are not in accord.
●Even conflicts involves some cooperation. In every conflict there is some

hidden basis of compromise or adjustment.

●There is no competition which will not contain the seeds of conflict. As

competition becomes more personal – it shades into conflict.

●Finally competition also involves cooperation. A competitive struggle implies

some agreement among the competitors.

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 Status & Roles

●A status is a socially recognized position in a

social system.
●A Role; is the behavior generally expected of one
who occupies a particular status.
●In all societies males and females have socially
recognized positions with certain expectations
about one will or will not do.
●Gender is always a status that carries with it some
expected behavior.
●Roles are always connected with gender.

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 Status

●Status can be of two types: Ascribed and

Achieved
1.An Ascribed Status is one into which individuals
move or are placed, irrespective of their efforts or
capacities.
2.An Achieved status is a socially recognized
position in a social system.
In general, the people who fill a status understand
the expectations and follow the behavior expected
to them.
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 The Role

●A Role, is the behavior generally expected of one

who occupies a particular status.
●However, not everyone in a particular status
behave in exactly the same way.
●First; the role expectations are not so precisely
stated, or understood.
●Second; Individuals who hold statuses may have
their own orientations toward the role

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Cont..The Role

●Role Making: People do not simply

conform to role expectation, they also
actively modify their roles. This ability of
individuals to modify their own roles has
been called Role -Making
●Role conflict: When an individual who
has two or more role to play , each role
demands specific expectations .

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