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Unit IV
Nahida Naseem
Assistant Professor (Education)
SOCIAL INTERACTION AND ITS TYPES.
Interaction or mutual activity is the essence of social life. Interaction between
individuals and groups occurs in the form of social process. Social processes
therefore refer to forms of social interaction that occur again and again.
Meaning of Social Interaction:
The concept of social interaction was introduced by Erving Goffman in
sociology. Social interactions are reciprocal relationships which not only
influence the interacting individuals but also the quality of relationships.
According to Gillin and Gillin, “By social interaction we refer to social relations
of all sorts in functions – dynamic social relations of all kinds – whether such
relations exist between individual and individual, between group and group and
group and individual, as the case may be”.
Eldredge and Merrill say, “Social interaction is the
general process whereby two or more persons are in meaningful contact-as a
result of which their behaviour is modified, however, slightly”.
C.H.Persell “The way people behave in relation to one another by means of
language, gestures and symbols is social interaction.”
The mere placing of individuals in physical proximity, although it usually results
in at least a medium of interaction, does not weld them into a social unit or group.
Social interaction may then be defined as that dynamic interplay of forces in
which contact between persons and groups result in modifications of the attitudes
and behaviour of the participants.
The two basic condition of social interaction are (i) social contact and (ii)
communication. In the words of Gillin and Gillin, “social contact is the first
phase of interaction”. Social contacts are always established through the medium
of sense organs.
An object can be perceived by the sense organ only when that object causes
communication with that sense organ. Hence the means of communication are
essential adjuncts of social contact. Communication may be the form of direct
person to person or it may take place through some medium of long-range contact
such as the telephone, telegraph, television etc.
COMPONENTS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION:
1. Opponents: people or groups involved in interaction
2. Social situation: the situation in which opponents are involved.
3. Change in the internal or external situation: mental or physical change.
4. Communication: exchange of ideas, thoughts etc. through verbal or non-
verbal means.
FORMS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION
1. Individual to individual social interaction
2. Individual to group social interaction
3. Group to group social interaction
4. Individual to culture social interaction
SOCIAL PROCESS
Social processes are the ways in which individuals or groups interact, adjust and
readjust and establish relationships and patterns of behaviour. It refers to
repetitive forms of behaviour, which are commonly found in social life.
It also means those activities, actions and operations that involve interaction
between people.
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 accommodation etc. According to
As Ginsberg says, “Social processes mean the various modes of interaction
between individuals or groups including cooperation and conflict, social
differentiation and integration, development, arrest and decay”.
According to Horton and Hunt, “The term social process refers to the repetitive
form of behaviour which are commonly found in social life”.
MacIver observes, “social process is the manner in which the relations of the
members of a group, are brought together to acquire a certain distinctive
character. According to Gillin and Gillin, “by social processes we mean those
ways of interacting by which we can establish system of relationships or find out
what happens when changes of relationships occur or what happens when
changes disturb already existing modes of life.”
TYPES OF SOCIAL PROCESSES OR SOCIAL INTERACTION
two types of social processes such as associative social processes and dissociative
social processes.
A. Associative Social Processes
Associative social processes are the social processes which work for the
integration and development of society. The associative processes of social
interaction are of positive type of interaction. The associative process is always
worked for the integration and benefit of society. These processes bring progress
and stability in society. Associative processes are also called as conjunctive
processes. The associative processes include cooperation, accommodation,
adaptation, adjustment, integration and assimilation.
B. Dissociative Social Process
The processes that make special contribution towards social differentiation,
antagonism and division are called dissociative processes. The dissociative
processes of social interaction are of negative type of interaction. These are also
called disintegration of society. It hinders the progress and development of
society. Conflict, competition, disintegration, isolation are some of the types of
dissociative social processes.
