INTRODUCTION-

Social processes are the ways in which individuals and

groups interact, adjust and readjust and establish
relationships and pattern of behaviour which are again
modified through social interaction.

The process by which people act and react in relation to

each other is the social interaction. The interaction
process means the way in which partner aggress on their
goals through negotiable behaviour and distribute the
resources.
According to Maclver,” social process is the manner in
which the relations of the members of a group, once
bought together, acquire a distinctive behaviour.”

According to Arnold W Green,” social processes are

merely the characteristics ways in which interactions
occur.”
 Exchange

coercion competition

SOCIAL
INTERACTIO
N

conflict Co-operation
Conjunctive or Associative social process

Co-operation

Accommodation

Assimilation
 1.CO-OPERATION
 Fundamental process
 Derived from two Greek words
co- means ’together’
operary- means’ to work’
 Co-operation means working
together with common interest
for achievement of common
goal.
Merill and Eldregde- “ co-operation is a form of
social interaction where two or more persons work
together to gain a common end.”

Fairchild-” co-operation is the process by which

the individuals or groups combine their effort in a
more or less organized way for the attainment of
common objective.”
CHARACTERISTICS-
Associative process
Conscious
Continuous
Personal
Based on two elements- common end and organised
effort
Developmental process
 Maclver and page classification of co-operation

Direct co-operation
( do like things together)

Indirect co-operation
(do unlike things together for common end
division of labour)
 A W Green classification of co-operation-

Primary co-operation Secondary co-operation Tertiary co-operation

E.g.- family, friends, E.g.- Govt, industry, E.g.- political party,
neighbour trade union religious groups
2.COMPETITION
 Most fundamental form of social
struggle.
 Struggle for existence and better
life.
 Competition is between people not
for themselves but for scores,
goods, goals, money, reward, status
and recognition
Eg- large no of students in
matriculation compete without being
aware of competitive character of
each one of them.
Maxwell-” competition is a persona unconscious
continuous struggle between individual or groups for
satisfaction because of their limited supply which all
not have.”

Edwin H Sutherland-” competition is an impersonal,

unconscious, conscious struggle between individuals or
groups for rewards, which, because of their limited
supply, all may not have.”
 Dynamic,
continuous

Governed
Universal
by norms
NATURE
OF
COMPETITIO
N Leads to
Constructive/
destructive social
change
May be
Personal/
impersonal
 Co-operation Competition

- Two or more persons work together for - Persons struggle with each other to obtain
common goal rewards or achieve goals
- Takes place on individual or group level.
- Based on combined effort. Bring
Positive and negative effects may shown at
satisfaction, decline internal group conflict
same time.
- Bring positive results. Loss of individual - Bring positive result or can cause damage
is rare. or loss to party or person.
- Has own limitation, bounded by norms.
- Boundless, no limitation. One can go to
Limitless, unregulated competition cause
any extend to help others.
much harm.
- Requires kindness, sympathy, mutual - Requires qualities like confidence, strong
understanding, readiness to help. aspiration, readiness to suffer and struggle.
3.CONFLICT
 Conflict is an ever present
process and takes place when
persons or groups seek to gain
rewards not by surpassing them
but by preventing them from
effectively competing.

 It is defined as an expression of
hostility, negative attitudes,
aggression and misunderstanding.
Gillin an Gillin-” Conflict is a process in which individuals
or groups seek their ends by directly challenging
antagonist by violence or threat of violence.”

P.B. Hortonand and C.L, Hunt-” Conflict may be defined

as a process of seeking to monopolize rewards by
eliminating or weakening the competitors.”
 CAUSES OF CONFLICT
Clash
of
Frustration interest
Insecurity
Limited
resources
Social
Cultural change
Individual difference
difference
 Universal

Personal or Conscious
impersonal action

CHARACTERISTICS

Conditioned Personal
by culture interest

Not
continuous
but
intermittent
 DIRECT INDIRECT NEGATIVE POSITIVE
CONFLICT CONFLICT CONFLICT CONFLICT

• Resulting an • By imposing • Differences, • Healthy

individual or restrain disapproval, conflict in
group hamper prejudice or diverse of achievement
other group ill will on the opinion may of common
to attain goal effect of lead to this. goal
other to
attain goal
Gillin and Gillin classified conflict as-
Personal conflict
Racial conflict
Caste conflict
International conflict
 Positive Effects of Conflict-
 Improve group stability
 Keeps the group alert
 Upholds group morale and promoter solidarity of the group
 Expansion of winning group
 Promote group and social unity e.g.- During the Indo–Pak War, all the political
parties joined together, forgetting their differences, and supported the
Government of India in facing the challenges
Negative Effects of Conflict
 Create bitterness
 Leads to blood shed
 Causes destruction and intergroup tension
 Damage mental peace
 Loss moral values
 Disrupts social unity and social channel of co-operation.
 4. ACCOMODATION
Adjustment is way of life which takes place in two ways-
1. Adaptation- process of biological adjustment
2. Accommodation- process of social adjustment that permits
harmonious acting together in social situation.

Accommodation is a process through which individuals or

groups make adjustment to changed situation to overcome
difficulties faced by them through acquisition of behaviour
patterns, habits and attitudes which are transmitted to him
socially.
Maclver and page- “The term accommodation refers
particularly to the process in which man attains a sense
of harmony with his environment.”

Gillin and Gillin “Accommodation is the process by which

competing and conflicting individuals and groups adjust
their relationship to each other in order to overcome
the difficulties which arise in competition, contravention
or conflict”.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ACCOMODATION

End result of Both conscious

conflict and unconscious
process

Universal Continuous

Effect may
vary
 Coercion/ use of force
• For parties of unequal strength

Compromise
• Parties of equal strength

Toleration
Methods • Conflicts avoided rather than resolved. Live and let live policy
of
Conversion
Accomodation • Rejection of one’s belief, loyality.party convinced to accept view point
of other party

Rationalization
• Excuses instead of acknowledging real defect

Arbitration/ conciliation
• Achieved by attempts of third party
 5. ASSIMILATION
Assimilation is the process by which a person or a group coming into contact with
another cultural group acquires its ways of life in the long run. When an
individual or a group is exposed to new circumstances, they begin to absorb
these circumstances slowly and gradually, somewhat unconsciously.

Assimilation is a cultural process. When one

culture comes into contact with another, we get to
see a dominant sentiment of mutual conflict in the
beginning. With the passage of time, this
sentiment subsides. The two cultures then
synthesize with and assimilate many elements
from each other. They begin to take each other
more tolerantly. This is the process of
assimilation.
Ogburn and Nimkoff “Assimilation is the process
whereby individuals or groups once dissimilar
become similar, that it become identified in the
interests and outlook”.
 

E.S. Bogardus “Assimilation is a process whereby

attitudes of many persons are united, and thus,
develop into a united group”.
 Associative process

Characteristics Universal
Of
Assimilation Slow and gradual

Unconscious
 Assimilation Accommodation
Assimilation is a slow and gradual process. It Accommodation may take place suddenly and in a
takes time. For example, immigrants take time to radical manner. For example, talks with the
get assimilated with the majority group. management may lead workers to decide to stop
  their month long strike all of a sudden.
   
It normally provides a permanent solution to It may or may not provide permanent solution to
inter-group disputes and differences. group differences and disputes. It may only
  provide a temporary solution.
   
It is mostly an unconscious process. Individuals It may be both a conscious and an unconscious
and groups involved in it are often not aware of process. In most of the instances, it takes place
what actually happens within themselves or in consciously. For example, the labour leaders who
their group come for talks are sufficiently aware of the fact
that they are purposefully seeking out a solution
to their dispute.
6. ISOLATION
Human is a social being.No men can live alone,
needs society to live. There is always a social
contact among people in society. This is
required to have full development. But
sometimes isolation is necessary in case of
antisocial behavior.

Social isolation can be defined as structurally

absence of social interaction, contact and
relationship with family, friends on individual
level and with society on broader level.
 TYPES OF ISOLATION-
SPATIAL ISOLATION
• It is external enforces deprivation of contact as for
criminals
• Drawback- aggressive, unhealthy mental condition may
arise

ORGANIC ISOLATION
• Caused by organic defects like deaf, blind,.
• Less chance to make friends, Give up hope of normal
position and become broken personality.
• Drawback- suspicious, distrustful, irritable.
 Merits of isolation-
Complete isolation is harmful but partial isolation is useful
because of-
- Partial isolation is a useful aid to social solidarity.
- Adjunct of ethnographic attitude.
- Integrity of group is maintained by keeping the particular
group at social distance.
Demerits of isolation-
- Slow to change and progress
- No cultural cross fertilisation.
- Untouched by cultural development of others.