Man is a social being. It is difficult for man to live in isolation. Men always live in various groups and associations. As members of these groups they Act and behave in a certain manner. The behavior of each individual is affected by the behavior of the other. This interaction is the essence of social life. In other words, it is the key factor in all social lives.
Green defines social interaction as ” the mutual influences that individuals and groups have on one another in their attempts to solve problems and in their striving towards goals.”
According to Kingsley Davis – human interaction ” is communicative interaction. ” in communication one person infers from the behavior of another person – the idea or feeling of the other person.
Thus, social interaction is the dynamic interplay of men within social structures. It is the basic process through which human nature and social structure develop and are changed.
These are discussed in details as follows :
Cooperation
Cooperation is one of the fundamental processes of social life. At the same time, cooperation is the most pervasive and continuous of the social processes. It is an integrating activity. It means working together in the pursuit of common interests or common goal.
Green defined cooperation as ” the continuous and common endeavor of two or more persons to perform a task or to realize a goal that is commonly cherished. ”
Cooperation is a universal phenomenon. It is so important in the life of an individual that it is difficult to survive without it. Cooperation for human beings is both a psychological and a social necessity.
There are 2 modes of cooperation in a social life –
Direct cooperation – includes “those activities in which men do like things together ” – play together , worship together , etc.
Indirect cooperation – is found wherever people perform unlike tasks towards a single end – like where there is a division of labor or mass production.
All the progress that mankind has made in various fields is to be attributed to the cooperating spirit of the people. Collective goals in our social life cannot be achieved without cooperation .
Competition
Competition is the most fundamental form of opposition or social struggle. It is a struggle of two or more persons for the same object which is so limited that all cannot share it.
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 good.”
In our society, for instance, there is competition for jobs, for goods, power , social position, fame and all other things one cannot get by mere asking. Thus competition goes on an impersonal manner. The eye is on the goal or reward rather than the competitors.
Competition therefore, exists everywhere, but appears in many ways. It varies as to scope, intensity and type from one system to another. It performs many useful functions in our society.
Competition tends to stimulate economy, efficiency, and inventiveness. It tends to increase one’s ego and to give one satisfaction. Since competition rests upon a set of rules, it creates respect for the ruling of the game.
Conflict
Conflict is as ever-present process in human relations. Conflict is universal and occurs in all places and at all time. There has never been a time or a society in which some individuals or groups did not come into conflict .
Conflict therefore, expresses itself in thousands of ways and degrees and over every range of human contact.
A.W. Green defines conflict as ” the deliberate attempt to oppose, resist or coerce the will of another or others .
Darwin states that – “the principles of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest are the main causes of conflict .”
Mac Iver and Page defined conflict as – that form of struggle in which “men contend against one other for any object . ”
Conflict generally occurs due to individual differences, cultural differences, clash of interests and social changes. Conflict serves as constructive and positive ends. In corporate conflicts – that is, between groups and societies, solidarity and fellow-feelings are increased. But conflict in its extreme form brings war and destruction of lives and property.
