Association:

Meaning of Association:
An association is a group of people organized for
a particular purpose or a limited number of
purposes. To constitute an association there must
be, firstly, a group of people; secondly, these
people must be organized one, i.e., there must be
certain rules for their conduct in the groups, and
thirdly, they must have a common purpose of a
specific nature to pursue. Thus, family, church,
trade union, music club all are the instances of
association.
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• Associations may be formed on several bases, for
example, on the basis of duration, i.e. temporary or
permanent like Flood Relief Association which is
temporary and State which is permanent; or on the
basis of power, i.e. sovereign like state, semi-
sovereign like university and non-sovereign like
club, or on the basis of function, i.e. biological like
family, vocational like Trade Union or Teachers’
Association, recreational like Tennis Club or Music
Club, Philanthropic like charitable societies.
 Definitions of association
• According to MacIver, “An organization
deliberately formed for the collective pursuit
of some interest or set of interest, which the
members of it share, is termed as association.
• Ginsberg writes, “An association is a group of
social beings related to one another by the
fact that they posses or have instituted in
common an organization with a view to
securing specific end or specific ends.”
 Essential Elements of Association:
• (1) It is a concrete form of Organization:
• Association is a group of persons collected together with some particular
aim. It is, thus, a concrete group which can be seen; while at work. Thus, in
contrary to society’ Association is a concrete form of organization of human
beings.
• (2) It is established
• Like community, association does not grow spontaneously. It has no natural
growth and it does not grow itself. They are created by men to satisfy some
motive or cause Rules and regulations are formed to run a particular kind of
association and the member of the association run it on the basis of these
rules and regulations.
• There, we find a ‘code of conduct’ to be followed by the office-bearers and
other members of the association. Moreover, their rules and regulations
are subjected to drastic changes if the creator of association desire so.
Essential Elements of Association:
(3) Its aim is determined:
• No association is formed without any aim. First, there is the
problem and the solution of which, becomes the aim of the
association formed to solve such problems. For example, if it is a
dramatic association, then its aim will naturally be to stage dramas
and plays. No association can maintain its identity without any
distinct aim and object.
• (4) Followers of rules and regulations are the only members:
• Every association floats on the ground of certain rules and
regulations. It also contains code of conduct for the members.
Those who follow the rules and regulations provided for and
participate in the pursuit of the aim of the association are only
called as the members of it.
Essential Elements of Association:
• (5) An association exists for its aims and
objects:
• The life of an association is up to the
achievement of the aim for which it has been
created. The existence of association after his
achievement of the aim becomes, immaterial
and irrelevant. It becomes nominal and lifeless
body of formalities only. “The aim is the soul
of the association.
 Voluntary and Non- Voluntary
• Voluntary association is a non-profit
organization a group of individual who come
together voluntarily to pursue for a common
purpose or goal.
• In voluntary groups are those groups which
are based on blood relationship or kinship.
• Family is an involuntary group.
 Institution in sociology
• Institutions refers to the organized way of
doing things. It represents common
procedure. It denotes only a means or mode
of services.
• It consist laws, rules and regulations.
 Characteristics of Institutions:
• 1. Cluster of Social Usage:
• Institutions are composed of customs, mores,
rules organized into a functioning unit. An
institution is an organization of rules, and
behaviour and is manifested through social
activity and its material products. In short, the
institution functions as a unit in the cultural
system viewed as a whole.
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• 2. Relative degree of Permanence:
• Our beliefs and actions are not
institutionalized until they are accepted by
others over a period of time. Once these
beliefs and behaviour get recognition they
become the yardstick for evaluation of the
beliefs and actions of others. In short,
institutions have a degree of permanence.
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• 3. Well-defined Objectives:
• Institutions have fairly well defined objectives which are in
conformity with the cultural norms. The institution of
marriage has the objective of regulating the network of
social relationships and the members of the society would
consciously work for the attainment of the disobjective.
• For example, marriage in the same caste or class.
Objective has to be differentiated from different functions
to which the members may be unaware of e.g. the
function of marriage or gratification of sex urge and to
have children.
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• 4. Symbols are a Characteristic Feature of
Institution:
• A symbol may be defined as anything which
depicts something else. Symbols may be either
material or non-material in form. The
institutions can have permanency, identity and
solidarity if they have some symbols. The
members of that institution feels quite closer
to each other by sharing the common symbols.
 Organization in Sociology
• Organizational structure refers to the way in which an
organization is organized or arranged, in terms of the
roles, relationships, and responsibilities of the various
individuals within the organization. The structure of an
organization can be formal or informal, depending on
the size and nature of the organization, as well as its
goals and objectives. In this essay, we will examine the
differences between formal and informal organizational
structures, and their respective advantages and
disadvantages.
 Formal Organizational Structure:
• Formal organizational structure refers to a
structured, hierarchical system of roles and
responsibilities, which are formally established and
regulated within an organization.
• In a formal organization, there are clear lines of
authority and communication, with each individual
having a specific role and set of responsibilities. This
structure is typically used in large organizations, such
as corporations or government agencies, where
there are many employees and complex operations.
 Advantages of a formal organizational
Clarity:
• Formal organizational structure provides a clear
understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each
individual within the organization. This helps to avoid
confusion and ensures that everyone knows what is
expected of them.
Efficiency:
• Formal organizational structure allows for efficient
communication and decision-making, as each individual
knows who they report to and who they can turn to for
guidance.
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• Stability:
• Formal organizational structure provides
stability to an organization, as the roles and
responsibilities of each individual are clearly
defined and regulated. formal organizational
structure can provide stability to an
organization by defining the roles and
responsibilities of each individual within the
organization.
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• Rigidity: Formal organizational structure can be rigid and
inflexible, making it difficult to adapt to changing
circumstances. one of the disadvantages of formal
organizational structure is that it can be rigid and
inflexible, which can make it difficult to adapt to
changing circumstances.
• Bureaucracy:
• Formal organizational structure can also lead to
bureaucracy, with too many levels of management and
excessive paperwork, which can slow down decision-
making and hamper innovation.
 Informal organizational structure
• Informal organizational structure refers to the
unwritten, unofficial relationships and networks
within an organization. In an informal
organization, there may be no clear lines of
authority or communication, and individuals may
have multiple roles and responsibilities. Informal
organizational structure is typically found in
small organizations or within departments or
teams within larger organizations.
 Advantages of Informal organization
structure
• Flexibility: Informal organizational structure allows for
flexibility and adaptability, as individuals can quickly
respond to changing circumstances without being
constrained by formal rules and procedures.
• Creativity: Informal organizational structure can also foster
creativity and innovation, as individuals are encouraged to
think outside the box and come up with new ideas.
• Camaraderie: Informal organizational structure can create
a sense of camaraderie and teamwork among individuals,
as they work together to achieve common goals.
•
 Disadvantages of informal organization

• Lack of clarity: Informal organizational structure can be unclear

and confusing, as there may be no clear lines of authority or
communication.
•
• Inefficiency: Informal organizational structure can also lead to
inefficiency, as individuals may not know who to turn to for
guidance or support, leading to duplicated efforts or wasted
resources.
•
• Instability: Informal organizational structure can also be
unstable, as relationships and networks can change quickly,
leading to uncertainty and unpredictability.
 Social Interaction
• Social Interaction refers to the communication process
between the members of a society. Example of social
interaction include cooperation, conflict, social, exchange and
competition.
• Social interaction is a fundamental unit of analysis within
sociology. It describes the way people behave when they cross
paths with someone else. Any interaction where an individual
or a group does something to receive a reward is called social
exchange
 Types of social Interaction
• There are 5 types of social interaction,
depending on the theorist:
• cooperation,
• conflict,
• social exchange
• competition.
 Social Exchange

• Exchange is a type of social interaction where an individual or a

group acts in a certain way toward another individual or group to
receive a reward.
• The most common type of exchange relationship is between an
employer and an employee. The employee has to behave according to
the wishes of the employer if they want to receive a reward.
• The reward doesn’t need to be monetary or even material. The reward
may be subjective and emotional.
• Relationships between lovers or friends often have an element of social
exchange.
• This doesn’t mean that one person loves another merely to receive their
love back, but rather that there are times when a person in such a
relationship acts to receive an emotional reward.
• This reward could be as simple as an expression of love, gratitude, or
recognition
 Cooperation
• Cooperation is interaction in which individuals or groups act together to
promote common interests or achieve common goals.
• These goals might be difficult or impossible to achieve individually. The
group, therefore, finds that it is in everyone’s interest to cooperate.
Cooperation can be divided into four types:
• Spontaneous
• Directed
• Traditional, and
• Contractual
Example of Cooperation
• Cooperation occurs within in-groups when working together can help develop
greater rewards for the individuals than competition.
• For example, team members in a basketball team need to cooperate to achieve
their common goal – to win the game. This may mean that one team member
doesn’t get to shoot the hoop, and instead assist the goal shooter with the aim of
getting the overall greater benefit of winning the game as a team.
 Competition

• Cooperation is the direct opposite of competition. Competition is a

type of social interaction that is recognized by some sociologists as
belonging to its separate category.
• It occurs when the same limited object or goal is desired by several
individuals or groups. The groups, instead of uniting, struggle
against one another for the possession of some object or goal.
Competition Interaction Examples
• An example of competition is when a teacher may present a math
problem to a classroom.
• If the teacher declares that the first person to solve the equation will
receive a reward, the pupils are likely to start competing with each
other.
• If the teacher declares that the entire classroom should work together
to solve that problem and if they succeed each of them will receive a
reward, the pupils are likely to start cooperating.
 Conflict

• Conflict is a behavior where persons or groups struggle with

each other for some scarce and commonly desired reward.
• Conflict seems to be, unfortunately, a form of social
interaction that will never leave us. The existence of this
type of social interaction often explains group cohesion.
• A common problem is quite often a uniting force.
Populations, for example, seem to unify under the threat of
an external invasion.
Conflict Examples
• Examples of conflict include interpersonal argument,
workplace disagreements, and even peaceful protests. At a
larger scale, we can see extreme conflicts emerging that
lead to wars, sanctions, and armed insurgencies.