• Definition of Social science/Sociology • Sociologist • Anthropology • Definition of a Social perspective • Sociological imagination • Definition of Social interaction • Society- definition in Reader, characteristics, • Community- definition in Reader, characteristics, • Urban and rural communities (interaction and differences) • Definition of Culture • Social structures (Status: ascribed, achieved, master; Position and role: role set, role strain, role conflict) • Social groups • Social institutions • Social stratification • Social relationships (Primary & Secondary relationship characteristics) • Definition of Transcultural nursing

1. C. Settley

2. DEFINITION OF SOCIOLOGY
• Sociology can be defined as the study of human social life.
• Relationships can be direct, face to face relationships eg – such
like our families, school friends or at college.
• Can be indirect- actions and decisions of people not known to
us personally eg- healthcare policy makers.

3. Sociology/ Social science
• Direct • Indirect

4. SOCIOLOGY AND OTHER SCIENCE
• Sociology is one of a group of science called social science.
• It is the broadest.
• Shares however common characteristics with other social science.
• Such as human behaviour. Some disciplines focus on what is going on inside
the individual.- neurology, psychology.
• Sociologist are interested in interaction between two or more people, whether
married couple in conflict, a teacher/ student in classroom situation, a patient/
healthcare practitioner in a therapeutic environment.
• They focus on the social forces that influence the way in which people interact
with one another.
• How people make sense of their private lives and the social worlds they occupy.
• And how every day social interaction creates society.

5. Concepts
• Anthropology
- The study of human beings and their
ancestors through time in terms of
physical character, environmental and
social relations and culture. It can also
be known as the scientific and
humanistic study of human species
and their various diversities.
- Specialises in: Sociocultural, linguistic,
physical. Simple, traditional and non-
industrialized societies.
- The study of humankind, in particular:
the comparative study of human
societies and cultures and their
development.
• Sociology
• The study of the development,
structure, and functioning of human
society: the study of social problems.
- The study of the development,
structure, interaction and behavior of
organized groups of human beings.
- Social institutions (economic life
education, family, politics and religion),
social stratification (by age, gender,
race and ethnicity, and social class),
social change and social problems.
- Focuses on complex and modern
societies.

6. • Social life
• At the most basic, social life is the
combination of various
components: activities, people,
and places.
• While all of those components are
required to define a social life, the
nature of each component is
different for every person, and can
change for each person, as
affected by a variety of external
influences.
• Social perspective
• The sociological perspective is a
perspective on human behavior
and its connection to society as a
whole.
• It invites us to look for the
connections between the behavior
of individual people and the
structures of the society in which
they live.
• Typically, we tend to think of our
society as just natural.
Concepts

7. THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
• Sociologist study familiar routines of daily life, but look at it differently.
• They see and understand the larger historical picture.
• As well of the impact of social forces on our private lives.
• Refiloe’s story- page 5
• While we think life is all about individual actions and free choices, many
are influenced by social circumstances that we cannot always control.
• The story illustrate the key idea of sociology- to understand people and
the phenomena in their personal lives
• Sociological imagination allows us to recognise that solutions to many
of our problems are not in changing the personal situations and
characteristics of individuals, but in changing the social institutions and
roles available to them.
• Problems such as drug addiction, homelessness, sexual violence will
not be solved by treating or punishing the individuals.
• But rather that social institutions should provide programmes to assist
such individuals.

8. The Sociological Imagination
• Example #1
Fat and thin girl
• A girl tries to lose weight to look desirable
according to the perception of the society.
• In order to be thin, she becomes anorexic and
experiences severe health problems.
• Now, if we see this case in isolation, we will
think that it's her personal problem ,and she is
spoiling her life on her own.
• But if we apply sociological imagination, we
would realize that it's the obsession of society
in general for the fair skin and thin body that
has indirectly affected this girl.
• It is the media that represents society, portrays
beautiful, and desirable girls as thin and fair.
• This kind of representation affects many people
directly or indirectly as it happened in case of
this particular girl.

9. The Sociological Imagination
• Example #2
Job rejection
• A guy gets rejected in an interview and resorts
to illegal activities.
• He tries very hard to get a job, but fails.
• Now, he joins the a gang and engages in illegal
and criminal activities.
• If you analyze this case individually, then you
may say that this boy did not try hard enough to
get a job and resorted to illegal activities to gain
easy money.
• But if you see this case with the sociological
imagination perspective, then you would see
that the larger forces such as, economic
meltdown, unemployment, the lack of
regulation in the sub prime mortgage industry,
etc., had a direct impact on the life of this guy.
• We could have blamed the personal character
of the individual if very few guys went through
the similar situation.

10. Social interaction
• A social interaction is an exchange
between two or more individuals and is a
building block of society.
• Social interaction can be studied between
groups of two (dyads), three (triads) or
larger social groups.
• By interacting with one another, people
design rules, institutions and systems
within which they seek to live.

11. Social interaction
• Symbols are used to communicate the
expectations of a given society to those
new to it, either children or outsiders.
• Through this broad schema of social
development, one sees how social
interaction lies at its core.

12. More Concepts
• Society
• the aggregate of people living together in
a more or less ordered community.
• a body of individuals living as members of
a community.

13. More Concepts
• Community
• a group of people living in the same place
or having a particular characteristic in
common.
• the condition of sharing or having certain
attitudes and interests in common.

14. Community Society
Population is one of the most essential
characteristics of a community irrespective of the
consideration whether people have or do not have
conscious relations.
Population is important but here the population is
conditioned by a feeling of oneness. Thus
conscious relations are more important than the
mere population for a society.
A community by nature is discrete as compared with
society.
By nature and character society is abstract.
Community area or locality is very essential and that
perhaps is the reason that the community had a
definite shape.
Society is area-less and shapeless and for a
society area is no consideration.
A community has comparatively narrow scope of
community sentiments.
A society has heterogeneity and because of its
wide scope and field can embrace people having
different conflicts.
The scope of community is narrow than that of
society because community came much later than
the society. Though the primitive people might not
have understood the importance of community but
they realized that of the society and lived in it.
The society has much wider scope as compared
with the community.
In a community every effort is made to avoid
differences or conflicts and to bring likeness as
nearly as possible because cooperation and
conflicts cannot exist in a community.
In a society likeness and conflict can exist side by
side and in fact the scope of society is so vast that
there is every possibility of adjustment.

15. Characteristics of a society
• Definite territory
• A society occupies a definite area.
• Continuity of relationships
• Includes representatives of the
fundamental human types, that is men,
women and children.
• These relationships exist over a long
period of time.

16. Characteristics of a society
• A functioning group
• Basic human group.
• Analysed in terms of relationships.
• Processes that occur within these groups.
• Differentiated from temporary groups such
as an audience etc.

17. Characteristics of a society
• Sexual reproduction
• Fundamental.
• Source of new members.
• Additional members by means of
adoption, immigration.
• Sexual reproduction is the principal source
of increase.

18. Characteristics of a society
• A comprehensive culture
• A sociological society contain cultural patterns.
• Diversified.
• Enables group to fulfil all requirements of social
life.
• Every full member of the group must possess
enough culture of the group to enable him to
play his part in the system of interaction.
• No one person can possess the entire culture of
the group.

19. Characteristics of a community
• Independence
• Not a subgroup of any other group.

20. Characteristics of a community
• A common territory
• Forms the physical boundaries of social
interaction.
• A group of people alone can’t form a
community.
• A group of people forms a community only
when they reside in a definite territory.
• The territory need not be fixed forever.

21. Characteristics of a community
• Special bonds of unit
• Race, religion, etc. are often evident.
• The members of a community are similar
in a number of ways.
• As they live within a definite locality they
lead a common life and share some
common ends.
• Among the members similarity in
language, culture, customs, and traditions
and in many other things is observed.

22. Characteristics of a community
• Community feeling
• Sense of belonging.
• Interpersonal interaction
• The individual feels that he/she has a role to
play in the community.
• This is vitally important to the individuals
existence.
• Materially and spiritually dependant on the
community as it satisfies physical and
psychological needs.

23. Characteristics of a community
• Provision of institutions and organisations
• To satisfy the basic biological,
psychological and social needs of its
members.
• Includes schools, churches, businesses,
etc.

24. Differences between a
community and a society
• The primary difference between a community
and a society is that a community is limited to a
specific geographic location, but a society can
be made up of people who live in different
places. Another difference is that a society is
made up of direct and indirect social
connections between people, but a community is
made up of individuals who are more closely
connected. For example, people who live in a
town represent a community, whereas everyone
who lives in the state (or province) of the town is
located in makes up a society.

25. What is an urban area?
• An urban area is a
location characterized by
high human population
density and vast human-
built features in
comparison to the
areas surrounding it.
What is a rural area?
• A rural area is an open
swath of land that has
few homes or other
buildings, and not very
many people. A rural
area’s population density
is very low.
• Isolated farm settlements.
• Country trade centres
usually centered in a
village.

26. Urban and Rural areas
Urban area Rural area

27. Interaction between urban and
Rural areas
Chapter 5, page 10 in reader
• Interaction in the country takes place to a greater or
lesser degree depending on factors such as distance,
rivers, mountains etc. nature of soil and availability of
raw materials.
• Town is supplied with raw materials from the country.
• Finished articles which are made in town from these
raw materials are supplied to town markets
• There is always interaction between urban and rural
• There’s more social interaction between rural and
urban due to the development of roads, motor and air
transport, there’s more social interaction

28. Interaction between urban and
Rural areas
Continued
• People from towns can more easily visit
urban areas and vice versa
• The development of boarder industries is
bringing urbanization (Urbanization is the
process in which the number of people
living in cities increases compared with the
number of people living in rural areas).

29. Culture
• The sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs
that distinguishes one group of people
from another. Culture is transmitted
through language, material objects, ritual,
institutions, and art, from one generation
to the next.

30. Social Structures
• Social organization based on established
patterns of social interaction between
different relationships (such as those
between parents and children, teachers
and students, employers and employees),
regulated through accepted norms and
shared values.

31. Concepts related to social
structure
• Ascribed status:
• Received at birth
• No control
• At birth
• Eg being a
son/daughter/mexican etc
• Achieved status:
• Earned by personal
achievements, efforts
• Eg qualified
nurse/specialist
• Master status:
• Dominates
• Known by members
of the community
• Eg princess of wales

32. Concepts related to social
structure
• Role Conflict- more than one status

33. Concepts related to social
structure
• Role Sets- number of roles with one status

34. Concepts related to social
structure
• Role Strain- While role strain is a tension that occurs when a
person is facing a single role having multiple statuses. It means that
it occurs with in a single role.

35. Social groups
• A social group is a collection of people
who interact with each other and share
similar characteristics and a sense of
unity.
• A social category is a collection of people
who do not interact but who share similar
characteristics.

36. Social groups
•  Expressive and instrumental
•  In and out
•  Open and closed
•  Vertical and horizontal
•  Permanent and temporary
•  Voluntary and involuntary

37. EXPRESSIVE GROUP
- Expressive ties are social links
formed when we emotionally invest
ourselves in and commit ourselves to
other people.
- Through association with people who
are meaningful to us, we
achieve a sense of security, love,
acceptance, companionship, and
personal worth.

38. INSTRUMENTAL GROUPS
- Social links formed when we
cooperate with other people to
achieve some goal
- Purpose
- Task group
- Eg nursing professionals as they
provide a task by caring for the
patients

39. The in- group and the out-
group
The in-group
• Symbols, names,
slogans, clothing
• Self positive evaluation
• Mutual
identification/loyalty
• Tend to compete
• Evaluation of social
behaviour
The out- group
• Opposite of the in-group
• Viewed as negative by
the in-group
• Both groups use as
reference

40. The in- group and the out-
group example
‘the in group identified at school level among
kids VS the nerds’

41. Vertical and horizontal groups
Vertical groups
• Different social and
economical classes
• Eg church
Horizontal groups
• More or less the same
financial, occupational
social background
• Eg DENOSA

42. Permanent and temporary
groups
Permanent groups
• Eg the family
• Long term existence
Temporary groups
• Eg residence in a
neighborhood who exist
for a short while to form a
pressure group
• Short term existence
• Group dissolves after
request have been met

43. Open and closed groups
Open groups
• No limitations
• Any person can join
• Eg Facebook, Twitter
Closed groups
• Limitations
• Requirements
• Eg SANC

44. Voluntary and involuntary
groups
Voluntary groups
• Occupational groups, eg
teachers nurses
• Made a decision
Involuntary groups
• Not based on a decision
• Eg family

45. Social institutions
• Humans have basic social needs –
belonging, support for the young etc.
• These different fields of needs have been
classified by Sociologists hence the
concept: ‘social institutions’
• Defined: Social Institutions are the major
spheres of social life, organized in such a
way that they fulfill human needs

46. Social institutions
• The Five basic Social Institutions:
• 1) The family
• 2) Education
• 3) Religion
• 4) Economics
• 5) Politics

47. • The family is the most basic of all
institutions
• It serves the person’s need to belong and to receive and
give love.
• Satisfies the need for care and socialization
• Cornerstone for individuals to function in society
• More than 90% of all people prefer to live within a family
unit
Social institutions: the family

48. • Enables a society to survive economically.
• Through the provision of services such as
banks.
• Fosters entrepreneurial potential in
communities.
• Without the economy, societies would not
be able to trade, import and export goods
etc.
Social institutions: economy

49. Social stratification
• Social stratification refers to a system by which a
society ranks categories of people in a
hierarchy.
• Johnson (1986:315) describes SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION as the social structures which
provide wealth, power and status unequally
among the members of different social classes.
• It is a process in the sense that people classify
themselves with regard to different status groups
and associate themselves with the relevant
wealth, power and prestige.

50. Social force
• An element of society which has the
capability of causing cultural change or
influences people.

51. Transcultural nursing
• Is a learned sub field or branch of nursing
which focusses upon the comparative
study and analysis of cultures with respect
to nursing and health- illness care
practices, beliefs and values with the goal
to provide meaningful and efficacious
nursing care services to people according
to their cultural values and health-illness
context

52. Transcultural nursing
• Transcultural skills a nurse need to
require:
• The nurse who takes her job seriously and
strives to provide optimal nursing, will find
these conflicting cultural aspects
interesting and challenging- not annoying!
• Cultural competence: the understanding
and respect of the norms, values and
convictions of patients

53. Transcultural nursing
• The nurse should respect and accept the
various cultural beliefs and customs
• She should realise that all people are not
exactly like herself
• She should therefore be sensitive to other
cultural and ethnic backgrounds
• Total patient care should take place
• Physical care is important, but cultural
needs should be taken into consideration

54. Transcultural nursing
• It should be kept in mind that everyone, in spite of
differences are special
• The nurse should notice and deal with cultural
differences which might have an impact on effective
communication and/or nursing care
• Nursing professionals should deal with cultural
differences which might have an impact on effective
communication and/or nursing care
• She should provide sensitive assistance to patients who
maintain negative beliefs, customs and behaviour and try
to guide them towards positive health care

55. Transcultural nursing
• It should be kept in mind that everyone, in spite of
differences are special
• The nurse should notice and deal with cultural
differences which might have an impact on effective
communication and/or nursing care
• Nursing professionals should deal with cultural
differences which might have an impact on effective
communication and/or nursing care
• She should provide sensitive assistance to patients who
maintain negative beliefs, customs and behaviour and try
to guide them towards positive health care

56. REFERENCES:
-Pretorius, E. Matebesi, Z and Ackermann, L. (2013). Juta’s Sociology for
healthcare professionals. Lansdowne, Cape Town, South Africa. Page 2- 6.
-www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-sociology-perspective-324286. Retrieved
on 3 July 2015.
-https://www.boundless.com/.../social-interaction...social-interaction. Retrieved on 3
July 2015.
-http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/society-and-community.php.
Retrieved on 3 July 2015.