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UNIT 8. SOCIAL INTERACTION AND SOCIAL PROCESSES Objectives 1. To define social interaction and social process 2. To explain the frameworks used in social interaction 3. To identify the major components of social interaction 4. To discuss the various types of interaction 5. To identify and explain the forms of social processes 6. To discuss the classifications of social processes Definition of Social Interaction Social interaction is the process by which people act toward or respond to other people. Social interaction is the foundation for all relationships and groups in society. In their interaction that occurs every day, people take note of the actions of other people. And in the process of interaction, people make use of language, gestures, and symbols. As people interact, they interpret or define each other’s action. Their response to each other’s action is based on the meaning they attach to the other’s action which is shaped by their perceptions, evaluation, and definition of such reality. Frameworks Used in Social Interaction There are frameworks used by people in their interaction (Palispis 2007). These are: a. Defining the situation. This is the process by which people interpret and evaluate the social context to select appropriate attitude and behavior. Usually, the important clues about what is appropriate and the main limits of behavior come from other people. b. Presentation of the self. People attempt to play their roles as well as possible and to control the impression they give to others in their interaction. For Erving Goffman, (as cited in Kendall, 2004) impression management refers to people’s effort to present themselves to others in ways that are most favorable to their own interests or image. c. Negotiated order. People reshape reality by negotiating changes in patterns of social interaction. Negotiation refers to the attempt of one to reach agreement with others concerning some objectives. Components of Social Interaction When people interact, four major components come to play. According to Tischler (1990, as cited in Palispis, 2007) these components are: 1. Goal. It refers to anything that one wishes to achieve in interaction. All social interactions have intended goals to achieve and which may be varied. 2. Motivation. This is a person’s wish or intention to achieve a goal. Behind any social interaction is a motivation why this is undertaken. There are also a variety of motivations in social interaction. 3. Context or situation. When social interaction takes place, there are conditions or situations that affect the interaction. These are the context or the situation where social interaction is undertaken. Context is the condition under which an action takes place. These are the physical setting or place, the social environment, and the activities or events surrounding the interaction. 4. Norms. People do not interact in a vacuum. As they interact, there are rules that govern or regulate their interaction. Human behavior is not randomly taking place, rather, it is patterned and predictable as behavior is governed by norms and rules. Thus, people are influenced by norms and rules when they present themselves to others. Types of Social Interaction Social interaction may take any of the following forms (Palispis, 2007): 1. Non-verbal behavior. When people communicate with one another using body language such as nod, yawn, postural shift, and other body movement. 2. Unfocused interaction. This refers to an interaction that takes place simply because two or more people happen to be in each other’s presence. 3. Focused interaction. This is a purposeful interaction between people who have particular goals in mind. Definition of Social Processes According to various sociologists, social processes are patterned forms of social interaction which are mutual, consistent, and repetitive experienced by an individual or a group on each other in order to solve problems and to achieve desired goals. Classification of Social Processes There are two directions social processes can take. These are either positive (conjunctive) or negative (disjunctive) directions. The following are the classification of social processes (Panopio, et. al, 1995; Palispis, 2007): I. Conjunctive social processes. These are the patterns of related interaction through which persons are drawn together and become integrated. The five major conjunctive social processes are: 1. 2. Cooperation. From the words “co” meaning together and “operate” meaning to work, cooperation occurs when people or groups act jointly to reach a common goal. There are three major types of cooperation: a. Informal cooperation. This is characterized spontaneous and involves mutual give and take. to be b. Formal cooperation. This is deliberate and contractual in nature prescribing the reciprocal rights and obligations of members. c. Symbiotic cooperation. This is a situation where two or more members of society live together harmoniously and are supportive and independent, resulting in mutual selfinterest. Accommodation. It refers to the conscious efforts of human beings to develop such working arrangements among themselves so as to suspend conflict and make their relations more tolerable and less wasteful of energy. Accommodation can be any of the following forms: 3. a. Domination. This is characterized by a super-ordinate – subordinate type of relationship where the stronger party imposes its will and makes the weaker yield. b. Truce. This refers to an agreement to cease hostilities or fighting for a certain period of time. c. Compromise. It occurs when persons or groups mutually give up extreme demands and settle for a limited goal. d. Conciliation and mediation. When disputes cannot be resolved or differences cannot be reconciled, an impartial third party is selected by conflicting parties. Conciliation happens when an effort is made to get parties to agree freely based on a proposal made by either side, but no recommendation is made by the third party. In mediation, suggestions are made by the third party as bases for a settlement which had not been put forward by either side. e. Arbitration. This is a special method of settling disputes through the efforts of a third party that is chosen by the contending parties or appointed by some large agency of power. Beforehand, it is agreed that the solution of the third party must be acceptable to both sides. f. Toleration. It occurs when both parties realize that a settlement of conflict is impossible. Then the group will just let go or accept each other’s rights to different actions without trying to modify their patterns of behavior to avoid tension. Assimilation. This is the process of interpenetration and fusion in which persons and groups acquire the memories, sentiments, and attitudes of other persons or groups and by sharing their experiences and history, which are incorporated with them in a cultural life. Because of assimilation, a “melting pot” results where there is a fusion of cultural patterns and values of various groups. 4. Amalgamation. It results when there is intermarriage of persons coming from different ethnic groups where biological fusion occurs. The intermarriage of a Filipino with a foreigner results to amalgamation. 5. Acculturation. This occurs when one group blends in and takes on the characteristics of another culture. Acculturation also results in the borrowing of language or adoption of culture patterns and values of groups that come in contact with each other. II. Disjunctive social processes. These are social processes in which people are pushed farther apart and become less solidaristic. The types of disjunctive social processes are: 1. Conflict. Coser (1968, as cited in Panopio et al, 1994) defines conflict as a struggle over values or claims to status, power, and scarce resources in which the claims of the conflicting parties are not only to gain the desired values but also to neutralize, injure or eliminate their rivals. 2. Contravention. It is a social process in which the opposing persons or groups try to prevent each other from attaining an objective, whether or not they want it for themselves. These take the form of delaying tactics, denouncing, thwarting, spreading humors, and smear campaigns. 3. Competition. This results when individuals or groups are in opposition or struggle to secure a reward or a goal. The focus is on the reward rather than on the competitor.