Unit 4: Social Processes

socialization, adaptation,
cooperation, competition, conflict,
globalization
 SOCIALIZATION( MEANING AND DEFINITION):

• Socialization is so basic to human development .

• Sociologist use the term socialization to refers to the lifelong social
experience by which people develop their human potential and
learn culture.
• Socialization is a lifelong process. It develops our humanity as well
as our particular personalities. It is a matter of nurture rather than
nature.
• Socialization is a process of inducting the individual into the social
world. It consists in teaching culture which he must acquire and
share.
• According to W.F. Ogburn, “ Socialization is the process by which
the individual learns to conform to the norms of the group”
• Peter Worsely explains socialization as the process of “ transmission
of culture , the process whereby men learn the rules and practices
of social groups”
FEATURES OF SOCIALIZATION:
1. Socialization is a learning process.
2. Socialization is a continuous process.
3. It provides the knowledge, skill, and qualities.
4. Timing is the importance in the socialization.
5. It contributes to the development of human
personalities.
6. It contributes to the stability of order.
FUNCTIONS OF SOCIALIZATION:
1. It coverts man, the biological being into, the
social being.
2. It contributes to the development of personality.
3. It Helps to become disciplined.
4. It Helps to enact different roles.
5. It Provides the knowledge of skill.
6. It Helps to develop right aspiration in life.
7. Contributes to the stability of the social order.
8. Helps to reduce social distance.
9. Provides scope for building the bright future
 AGENTS/ AGENCY OF SOCIALIZATION:

1. The Family: The family affects socialization in many ways. For most people,
in fact, the family may be the most important socialization agent of all. It
is usually the first setting of socialization. Family has the greatest impact
on attitudes and behavior.

2. The Schools: Schooling enlarges children’s social world to include people

with backgrounds different from their own. Schools teach knowledge and
skills needed for later life. Schools expose children to greater social
diversity.
3. The peer group: By the time they enter school, children have joined a peer
group, a social group whose members have interests, social position, and
age in common. The peer group helps shape attitudes and behavior.
4. The mass media: The mass media are the means for delivering impersonal
communications to a vast audience. Mass media arise as communications
technology(newspapers, radio, TV, films and internet) spreads information
on a massive scale.
 TYPES OF SOCIALIZATION:
1. Primary Socialization:
• This is the most essential and basic type of socialization. It
takes place in the early years of life of newborn individual.
It concentrates on the teaching of language and cognitive
skills, the internalization of cultural norms and values and
the appreciation of other roles and perspectives.
2. Secondary Socialization:
• This type of socialization occurs when a person learns an
appropriate behavior to be displayed within a smaller
group which is still part of a larger society. It refers to the
socialization that takes place throughout one’s life, both
as a child and as one encounters new groups that require
additional socialization.
 Stages of Socialization:

1. The Oral Stage:

This stage begins with the birth of the child and continues up to the
completion of one year.
2. The Anal Stage:
The second stage normally begins soon after the first year and is
completed the three year. “Toilet training”.
3. The Oedipal Stage:
This stage mostly starts from the fourth year of the child and extends
up to puberty, 12
4. The Stage of Adolescence:
The fourth stage starts with the period of adolescence. Due to the
physiological and psychological changes that take place within
the individual this stage assume importance.
Socialization and Business Administration:

• Socialization impacts human relations in businesses in a number of ways.

• It provides employees with the skills and customs necessary for participating
within the corporate culture and increases motivation.
• It shapes the way employees view teamwork, work habits and the sharing of
information, which are all important factors for a business.
• Socialization impacts relations between human in day to day businesses in
several ways.
• It gives employees skills and the necessary customs to participate in the
corporate culture.
• Socialization increases motivation among employees.
• Generally, when employees socialize in an organization, it allows them to
shape the way they view work habits, teamwork, and sharing of information,
which are all significant factors for a growing business.
1. Company Culture
2. Motivation
3. Team-Building Activities
 Globalization:
• It is an ongoing process that involves interconnected changes in
the economic, cultural, social, and political spheres of society.
• Globalization refers to the process of integrating governments,
cultures, and financial markets through international trade into a
single world market.
• globalization means the expansion of the global market-place.
• The social, political and economic connection which cross-cut
border between countries decisively conditions the fate of those
living within each of them. The general term for the increasing
interdependence of the world is globalization. (Giddens, 1997).
( Macro Perspective, Free flows of goods and services, single world
economy, electronically inter-connected, Cross cut boarders,
world system, global-local relation, global village)
• Connection is made between social and economic relationships
and networks, organized on a local and / national/
International.
• It connects social and economic relationships and networks on
wider scale the regional and global interactions.
• A satisfactory definition of globalization must address each of
these items: extension, intensity, celerity and impact.
• The term globalization is used in a confusing manner with
respect to the efforts of IMF, World Bank and the institutions
to create a free global market for goods and services.
• Globalization in terms of connectivity across the entire world of
the economic and cultural life increased throughout the
centuries.
• Globalization is blurring the borders between nation-states.
( Borderless World).
 Characteristics of globalization
1. Expansion Democracy.
2. Integration in Global Economy.
3. Transformation of Production System and
Labor Market..
4. The speed of Technological Change.
5. Media Revolution and Consumerism.
6. Expansion of Education, Socio-cultural etc.
7. Single world economy
 Dimension/ Aspects of Globalization:

1. Economic Dimension:
In terms of the economy, globalization refers to the expansion of
capitalism to include all places around the world into one
globally integrated economic system.
2. Cultural Dimension:
Culturally, it refers to the global spread and integration of ideas,
values, norms, behaviors, and ways of life.
3. Political Dimension:
Politically, it refers to the development of forms of governance that
operate at the global scale, whose policies and rules cooperative
nations are expected to abide.
These three core aspects of globalization are fueled by technological
development, the global integration of communication
technologies, and the global distribution of media.
Globalization in Nepal:

 Globalization and the competitive market forces have generated a

massive growth in the knowledge industries that are having profound
effects on society and educational institutions.
 In the global culture the university, as other educational institutions, is
now expected to invest its capital in the knowledge market. It
increasingly acts as an entrepreneurial institution.
 Nepal has expanded its market to the global level.
 consumers have benefited by way of increased quality at cheaper
price due to global competition
 globalization opened up the international labor market to Nepali
workers.
 promoted socio-cultural transformation of the country through
cultural exchange, tourism activities and expansion of knowledge.
 raised concerns over environmental issues of the day, such as climate
change, global warming, and pollutions of various forms.
 Conflict ( Meaning and Definition):
• Conflicts are an inevitable part of our daily life and a
part of our development.
• According to Karl Marx, society as an arena of
inequality that generates conflict and social change
• Conflict is one of the dissociative or disintegrative social
processes. It is a universal and fundamental social process in
human relations. Conflict arises only when the attention of
the competitors is diverted from the object of competition to
themselves.
• A.W. Green: “It is the deliberate attempt to oppose, resist or
coerce the will of another or others.”
• Horton & Hunt: “It is a process of seeking to monopolize
rewards by eliminating or weakening the com­petitors”.
Features of Conflict:
1. Society is not a system of equilibrium.
2. Society itself dynamics.
3. Class conflict ultimately produced positive
change of society.
4. No society without conflict.
5. Conflict is a universal phenomenon.
6. Conflict is a continue process with violent and
non violent form.
7. Conflict is rooted in social structure.
Types of Conflict:
Gillin and Gillin has mentioned five types of conflict:
(i) Personal conflict
(ii) Racial conflict
(iii) Class conflict
(iv) Political conflict
(v) International conflict
- Intrapersonal Conflict ( A single Individual)
- Interpersonal Conflict ( two or more people)
- Intra-group Conflict ( two or more people of a single
group)
- Intergroup Conflict ( Between two or more group)
Conflict Management:
• Conflict management is the process by which disputes are resolved,
where negative results are minimized and positive results are
prioritized.
• Conflict management is the practice of being able to identify and
handle conflicts sensibly, fairly, and efficiently.
• Since conflicts in a business are a natural part of the workplace, it is
important that there are people who understand conflicts and know
how to resolve them.
• This key management skill involves using different tactics depending
on the situation, negotiation, and creative thinking. With properly
managed conflict, an organization is able to minimize interpersonal
issues, enhance client satisfaction, and produce better business
outcomes.
• Conflict can also mean that employees are comfortable enough to
challenge each other and that they feel as though their conflicts will
be fairly resolved by the organization.
• Conflict Management Styles
1. An accommodating manager is one who cooperates to a high degree. This
approach is effective when the other person is the expert or has a better solution.
2. Avoiding an issue is one way a manager might attempt to resolve conflict. This type
of conflict style does not help the other staff members reach their goals and does
not help the manager who is avoiding the issue and cannot assertively pursue his or
her own goals.
3. Collaborating managers become partners or pair up with each other to achieve
both of their goals in this style. This is how managers break free of the win-lose
paradigm and seek the win-win.
4. Competing: This is the win-lose approach. A manager is acting in a very assertive
way to achieve his or her own goals without seeking to cooperate with other
employees, and it may be at the expense of those other employees.
5. Compromising: This is the lose-lose scenario where neither person nor manager
really achieves what they want. This requires a moderate level of assertiveness and
cooperation.
 Cooperation (Meaning and Definition):

• Cooperation means working together in the pursuit of a common

interest. It is a joint activity. It is the conscious form of social interaction
where two or more persons work together to gain a common end
• The word “cooperation” is derived from the two Latin words “co”
meaning together and “operari” meaning to work.
• It is thus a joint activity in pursuit of common goals or shared rewards.
• A cooperative interaction occurs when people act together to promote common interests or achieve shared goals. Th e members of a basketball team pass to one another, block off opponents for one another, rebound, and assist one another to
achieve a common goal—winning the game.

• It is goal oriented and conscious form of social interaction.

• Actually it involves two elements – (i) common end and (ii) organized
effort
• Co-operation is a basic necessity of life.
• No society can develop its social organization and social system without
co-operation.
 It is a universal phenomenon. Cooperation for human beings is
both a psychological and social necessity.
 Individual as well as collective goals can not be achieved without
cooperation.
 Cooperation is essential for maintenance of social order. We can
not do anything without cooperation, if we are to live as members
of the society.
 Family members cooperate with each other in terms of sharing
economic, emotional and social requirements of one another.
 F.E. Merrill: “cooperation is a form of social interaction wherein
two or more persons work together to gain a common end
 C.H. Cooley says that Cooperation arises only when men realize
that they have a common interest. They have sufficient theme,
intelligence and self control, to seek this interest through united
action.
TYPES OF COOPERATION:
1. Direct cooperation:
The essential characteristics of this kind of cooperation are that people do in company the
thing which can also do separately. In this category cooperating individuals do things of
common interest together and perform identical functions. Playing together, worshiping
together are the examples of direct co-operation.
2. Indirect cooperation:
In this type of cooperation individual work towards a common end each has his own
specialized functions. In the modern society it is the indirect cooperation which is more in
play than the direct cooperation.
3. Primary cooperation:
There is an identity of interest between the individual and the group. It is the cooperation
which is found in primary groups such as family.
4. Secondary cooperation:
This type of cooperation is generally found in the secondary group, viz., government, industry,
church and trade union etc.
5. Tertiary cooperation:
This is the interaction between various big and small group to meet a particular situation. In
such type of cooperation the attitudes of the cooperating parties are purely opportunistic.
 Competition (Meaning and Definition):
 Competition is a form of interaction. It is the most important form of
social struggle.
 It is indispensable in social life. Competition performs many powerful
functions in society. Sometimes competition is extremely dynamic.
 competition is a form of conflict in which individuals or groups confine
their conflict within agreed-upon rules. It is a common form of
interaction in the modern world—not only on the sports field but in
the marketplace, the education system, and the political system
 According to Anderson and Parker, “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 goods.”
 It is considered to be very healthy and a necessary social process. It is
indispensable in social life. It has played a major role in the survival of
human beings. It is the basic law of life.
Characteristics of competition:
1. Competition is impersonal struggle.
2. Competition is universal. It is very common for
society as well as culture.
3. Competition provides the individuals better
opportunities to satisfy their desires for new
experiences and recognitions.
4. Competition is mainly an unconscious activity but
personal competition or rivalry is a conscious activity.
5. Competition may create emotional disturbances.
6. Competition is a social phenomenon.
7. Degree of competition is determined by social values
and social structure
 functions of Competition:
1. It helps to determine the status and location
of individual members in a system of
hierarchy.
2. It tends to stimulate economy, efficiency and
inventiveness.
3. It tends to enhance one’s ego.
4. It prevents undue concentration of power in
an individual or group of individuals.
5. It creates respect for the rules of the same
group
 Adaptation:
 Adaptation is a most importance form of social processes.
 Adaptation is the process by which human beings adjust to changes in their
environment. This adaptability, however, is not the result of being biologically
fitted to the environment; in fact, human beings are remarkably unspecialized.
 Culture, then, is the primary means by which human beings adapt to the
challenges of their environment. Thus, using enormous machines, we strip
away layers of the earth to extract minerals and, using other machines, we
transport these minerals to yet more machines, where they are converted to a
staggering number of different product.
 Adaptation is the physical or behavioral characteristic of an organism that
helps an organism to survive better in the surrounding environment.
 Talcott Parsons popularized this sociological meaning of the term in the
middle of the 20th century. Adaptation is a component of Parsons's theory of
social system survival. Adaptation is one of four “functional prerequisites”
that any social system must exercise in order to prevail. ( AGIL)
 Sometimes new conditions and circumstances arise in the society. Individuals
have learned to make adjustment to the new situation. Thus, adaptation
means adjusting oneself to the new environment.
 Distinction between competition and Conflict:

1. Conflict takes place on a conscious level, competition is

unconscious.
2. Conflict involves contact, competition does not.
3. Conflict may involve violence, competition is non-
violent.
4. Conflict is personal, competition is impersonal activity.
5. Conflict disregards social norms, competition does care
for norms.
6. Conflict diverts members attention from group
objectives, competition keeps members alert to the goal
or objective.
 Implications of social processes in management
and business administration.
• Social processes refer to forms of social interaction that occur
repeatedly. By social processes we mean those ways in which
individuals and groups interact and establish social relationships.
• There are various of forms of social interaction such as
cooperation, conflict, competition and adjustment etc.
• According to Maclver, “Social process is the manner in which the
relations of the members of a group, once brought together,
acquire a distinctive character”
• Social processes are the ways in which individuals and groups
interact, adjust and readjust and establish relationships and
pattern of behavior which are again modified through social
interactions.
• Cooperation helps society to progress. Progress can better be
achieved through united action. The outstanding progress in
science and technology, agriculture and industry, transport and
communication would not have been possible without
Cooperation.
• Cooperation is an urgent need of the present- day world. It is
not only needed among the individuals and groups but also
among the nations. It provides solutions for many international
problems and disputes
• Adjustment is essential for social harmony. It is close to
cooperation and conflict and thus must take trends on both
fields into consideration
• “Social Processes: Socialization, Globalization, Conflicts,
Cooperation, Competition, and Adaptation = Management and
Business Administration..
• In any society, for example, there are normally more people
who want jobs than there are jobs available; hence there is
competition for them.
• Among those who are already employed, there is likewise
competition for better jobs. There is thus competition not only
for bread but for luxuries, power, social, position, mates, fame
and all other things not available for one’s asking.
• Generally, economic competition is found in the field of
economic activities. Thus economic competition takes place in
the field of production, consumption, distribution and
exchange of wealth.
• For example, competition between two industrial sectors for
the production of goods. In modern industrial society, the
materialistic tendency of people has led to economic
competition to a great extent.