Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, notes, extras, PDF and guide of chapter 5, Social Process: NBSE Class 11 Sociology textbook, which is part of the syllabus for students studying under the Nagaland Board. These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.
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Summary
Social processes are patterns of behavior that happen when people interact with each other. These patterns can be seen and repeated over time. Social processes are divided into two types: associative and dissociative. Associative processes bring people together, while dissociative processes push them apart.
Cooperation is an associative process where people work together to achieve a common goal. It happens in small groups like families and larger groups like countries. Cooperation can be direct or indirect. In direct cooperation, people work closely together, like in a family. In indirect cooperation, people perform different tasks to reach the same goal, like in a factory.
Accommodation is another associative process. It means adjusting to differences in opinions or behaviors. This helps maintain harmony and avoid conflict. People accommodate through methods like pressure, compromise, consensus, toleration, conversion, excuses, or accepting subordination. Accommodation is different from cooperation because it involves resolving disagreements.
Assimilation is a deeper form of accommodation. It happens when groups become similar after being in close contact. For example, two cultures might mix and lose their separate identities. Assimilation can happen in one direction or both ways. Factors like tolerance, close contact, and similarities help assimilation. But isolation, prejudice, and strong group feelings can stop it.
Competition is a dissociative process. It happens when resources or rewards are limited, and people try to get them by surpassing others. Competition can be personal or impersonal, creative or non-creative. It can also apply to social, economic, political, or cultural areas. Competition helps people fulfill needs and encourages progress.
Conflict is another dissociative process. It arises when people or groups use force to eliminate rivals and get limited resources. Conflict can be personal or based on group interests. There are many types of conflict, such as war, feud, litigation, and conflict of ideals. War causes widespread destruction. Feud happens within a group. Litigation is a legal fight for justice. Conflict of ideals focuses on ideas rather than people.
Conflict has both negative and positive effects. It can lead to social disintegration by causing damage and division. But it can also promote unity within a group. For example, conflict with an outside group can make a group stronger. Conflict can end dissatisfaction and unite people.
Social processes like cooperation, accommodation, assimilation, competition, and conflict happen in everyday life. They shape how people live and work together. Understanding these processes helps explain how societies function and change over time.
Textbook solutions
Very Short Answer Type Questions
1. What is meant by social process?
Answer: A social process is an identifiable, repetitive pattern of social interaction. Chester Hunt defines social processes as repetitive interaction patterns of behaviour which are commonly found in social life.
2. What is cooperation?
Answer: Cooperation generally means working together for a common goal or interest, or taking up joint action for a common goal. Cooperation is the social process in which individuals or groups engage in joint action to achieve a common goal.
3. Mention an example of direct cooperation.
Answer: An example of direct cooperation is seen in the family, where members work together to accomplish tasks.
4. What is indirect cooperation?
Answer: Indirect cooperation is found in large groups like the factory, government and other secondary groups, where different members perform different tasks in order to reach a common goal.
5. What is accommodation? (’08)
Answer: Literally, the word ‘accommodation’ means ‘adjustment’. It is the adjustment made when there are differences in opinions or behaviour among members of a group, or conflict between groups, in order to maintain cooperation. Accommodation is the social process whereby individuals or groups adapt to situations of conflict without changing the conflict itself.
6. What is assimilation? (’07, ’13)
Answer: Assimilation is a permanent form of accommodation, literally meaning ‘becoming similar’. It is a process of dissimilar groups becoming more or less similar, involving the diffusion of two cultures whereby one group acquires the culture of the other group. It is also a process of complete resolution of conflict. Assimilation is the process whereby individuals or groups come to share the same culture and lose their specific identities.
7. Give the meaning of assimilation. (’09)
Answer: Assimilation literally means ‘becoming similar’. It is a process of dissimilar groups becoming more or less similar. It takes place when there is diffusion of two cultures and thereby one group acquires the culture of the other group. It is also a process of complete resolution of conflict, a fusion of culturally different people where they are no longer distinguishable as separate groups. Thus, assimilation is the process whereby individuals or groups come to share the same culture and lose their specific identities.
8. What is meant by diffusion? (’09)
Answer: Diffusion refers to the process where elements of culture spread from one group to another. It takes place when there is diffusion of two cultures, which leads to one group acquiring the culture of the other group.
9. What is competition?
Answer: Competition is the process of surpassing others to obtain rewards and resources which are limited in supply, such as money, jobs, prestige and honour. Horton and Hunt define competition as the struggle for possession of rewards which are limited in supply – goods, status, power, love – anything. According to Biesanz, competition is the striving of two or more persons for the same goal which is limited so that all cannot share. Competition is the struggle that occurs when people try to maximize their own rewards at the expense of others.
10. What is absolute competition? (’14)
Answer: Absolute competition is found when the reward is precise and definite, such as when only one person can get a first prize or become the President.
11. What is conflict?
Answer: Conflict as a social process emerges when resources and rewards are limited and an individual or group seeks to obtain them by eliminating their rivals, often using force or threat of force; thus, conflict involves violence. When competition is personalized, it becomes conflict. Horton and Hunt define conflict as a process of seeking to obtain rewards by eliminating or weakening the competitors. A.W. Green defines conflict as a deliberate attempt to oppose, resist and coerce the will of another or others.
12. Mention two types of conflict.
Answer: Two types of conflict classified by George Simmel are war and feud.
13. What is feud?
Answer: Feud is intra-group conflict for the alleged injustice done by one to the other. It is a factional struggle within the group and is found in ‘power struggle’.
14. What is litigation?
Answer: Litigation is a fight for justice through the courts of law and is more objective in nature.
15. Mention one factor that hinders assimilation.
Answer: One factor that hinders assimilation is isolated conditions.
Short Answer Type Questions
1. What is social process? What are the two types of social processes? (’13)
Answer: A social process is an identifiable, repetitive pattern of social interaction. Chester Hunt defines social processes as repetitive interaction patterns of behaviour which are commonly found in social life. Sociologists classify all social processes into two basic types or forms.
These basic types of social processes are: i) associative processes and ii) dissociative processes.
9. How is competition different from conflict? (’09)
Answer: Competition is the struggle for possession of rewards which are limited in supply, or the striving of two or more persons for the same goal which is limited so that all cannot share. It is a process of surpassing others to obtain such rewards and resources. Competition is mostly impersonal and norm-based. Conflict, on the other hand, emerges when an individual or group seeks to obtain limited resources and rewards by eliminating their rivals, often using force or threat of force, thus involving violence. When competition is personalized, it becomes conflict. Conflict is a deliberate attempt to oppose, resist and coerce the will of another or others, and is the antithesis of cooperation.
Essay Type Questions
1. What is cooperation? Discuss the various forms of cooperation.
Answer: Cooperation generally means working together for a common goal or interest. The word ‘cooperation’ is derived from the Latin word ‘co-operare’ which means ‘to work together’. Therefore, the literal meaning of ‘cooperation’ is ‘to work together’ or ‘joint action’. Thus, Cooperation is the social process in which individuals or groups engage in joint action to achieve a common goal.
Cooperation can take place in different ways. Most of the time people or groups work together or cooperate consciously and deliberately. At other times people or groups unconsciously or unknowingly work for a common goal. Thus cooperation can be i) direct or ii) indirect.
- Direct cooperation: Direct cooperation is found in small groups where every member works together to accomplish a task. It is seen in the family, lineage and clan whose members are related closely. Such cooperation is based on love affection, duties and obligations.
- Indirect cooperation: Indirect cooperation is found in large groups like the factory, government and other secondary groups. Different members perform different tasks in order to reach a common goal. For example, in a factory different workers perform different tasks to produce an item like cloth or a machine.
Another classification of the types of cooperation is to distinguish between i) primary cooperation, ii) secondary cooperation, and iii) tertiary cooperation. Primary cooperation is found in primary groups and secondary cooperation in secondary groups. Cooperation between antagonistic individuals or groups to achieve personal or groups goals is known as tertiary cooperation.
8. What is conflict? Explain the various types of conflicts. (’14)
Answer: Conflict as a social process emerges when the resources and rewards are limited and an individual or group seeks to obtain them by eliminating their rivals. In doing so, the individual or group uses force or threat of force. Thus, conflict involves violence. When competition is personalized, it becomes conflict. Conflict is an ever present process in human society. It is a disjunctive form of interaction and causes people to go apart. Conflict is the antithesis of cooperation.
Conflicts are of many types. George Simmel classified those under four categories. They are:
- War: War is an armed conflict causing destruction of men and materials in huge quantity.
- Feud: Feud is intra-group conflict for the alleged injustice done by one to the other. It is a factional struggle within the group and is found in ‘power struggle’.
- Litigation: Litigation is a fight for justice through the courts of law and is more objective in nature.
- Conflict of Ideals: Conflict when carried on to uphold certain ideas or ideals is called conflict of impersonal ideals. Each party is after the ideal and not after persons. Here, ideals are important than the persons.
Problem Solving
Two of your friends are fighting with each other because one has insulted the other. How will you help them end the fight? What are the social processes involved in ending the fight?
Answer: The fight represents Conflict, defined as a deliberate attempt to oppose another. To end it, I would facilitate Accommodation, which is the adjustment of hostile individuals. This could involve encouraging Consensus (common understanding), Compromise (finding common ground), Toleration (accepting each other), or Conversion (admitting fault). The goal is to move from conflict, through accommodation, back to Cooperation (harmony) in their friendship.
Think and Answer
Your class is a social group. Think and give examples of the social processes taking place in your class. These processes are: cooperation, accommodation, assimilation, competition and conflict.
Answer: Examples of social processes in our class.
- Cooperation: Working together on group projects (Direct cooperation) or following class rules for everyone’s benefit (Indirect cooperation).
- Accommodation: Reaching a Consensus or Compromise when the class has differing opinions on an activity.
- Assimilation: A new student gradually adopting the class norms and ways, becoming similar to the group over time.
- Competition: Striving for limited rewards like grades (Relative competition) or a single top rank (Absolute competition).
- Conflict: Arguments between students over resources or personalized disagreements arising from competition.
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