Social processes are the ways in which individuals and groups interact and establish relationships. There are two main types of social processes: associative processes which integrate society through cooperation, accommodation, and assimilation; and dissociative processes which can hinder society through competition, conflict, and other means. Cooperation involves groups working together to achieve common goals, accommodation is adjusting to new environments or situations, and assimilation occurs as divergent groups take on shared traditions and cultural identities. Competition, conflict, and other dissociative processes involve struggling over limited resources and directly challenging others.

1. SOCIAL
PROCESSES

3. Social processes are the ways in which individuals and groups
interact, adjust and readjust and establish relationships and
pattern of behaviour which are again modified through social
interactions.
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”.

4. Associative processes are also called the integrative or conjunctive
social processes which are essential for the integration and
progress of the society.
are the following.
The major types of associative processes
1. Co-operation
2. Accommodation
3. Assimilation

5. Dissociative social processes are also called the disintegrative
or disjunctive social processes. Although these processes
hinder the growth and development of society, their absence
results in stagnation of society. Few important types or
dissociative processes are:
1) Competition
2) Conflict

6. Cooperation:
Cooperation is one of fundamental processes
of social life. It is a form of social process in
which two or more individuals or groups work
together jointly to achieve common goals.
Cooperation is the form of social interaction
in which all participants benefit by attaining
their goals.

7. The impossibility of solving many of our
personal problems alone cause to work with
others. Cooperation also results from necessity.
It would be impossible to operate a modern
factory, a large department store, or an
educational system if the divisions and
branches in each do not work together.

8. Accommodation
Definition:
Some of the important definitions of accommodation are
given below.
(1) Maclver and Page define that, “Accommodation refers
particularly to the process in which man attains a sense of
harmony with his environment.”
(3) According to Gillin and Gillin, “Accommodation is the process
by which competing and conflicting individuals and groups adjust
their relationship to each other in order to overcome the difficulties
which arise in competition, contravention or conflict.”
(5) In the opinion of Biesanz, “In one sense, accommodation is
the basis of all formal social organization”
It is evident from the above definitions that it is the basis of all
formal social organizations.

9. It is a process through which individuals or groups
make adjustment to the changed situation to
overcome difficulties faced by them. Sometimes
new conditions and circumstances arise in the
society. Individuals have learned to make
adjustment to the new situation. Thus,
accommodation means adjusting oneself to the
new environment.

10. Assimilation
1) Ogburn and Nimkoff defines assimilation,
“As the process whereby individuals or groups
once dissimilar become similar, that is, become
identified in their interest and outlook.”
2) In the words of Park and Burgess, “Assimilation is a
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
experience and history, are incorporated into a common
cultural life.”

11. Assimilation in social relationships means that the
cultural differences between divergent groupings of
people disappear. Thus, they come to feel; think and act
similarly as they absorb new common traditions, attitudes
and consequently take on a new cultural identity. We see
the process operating among ethnic groups which enter a
society with their own society’s culture.

12. Competition
Definition There are many definitions of competition given
by different scholars. Some of the important definitions
given below:
Park and Burgess define Competition as “an interaction
without social contact.”
From the above definitions it may be concluded that
competition is a process in which individuals or groups
try to obtain thing or things which have limited supply
and which they cannot achieve or share collectively.”
are
Horton and Hunt opine that, “competition is the struggle
for possession of rewards which are limited in supply,
goods, status, and power, love anything.”
H.P. Fairchild states that, “Competition is the struggle for
the use or possession of limited goods.”

13. In any society, for example, there are normally more
people who want jobs than there are jobs available;
hence there is competition for them. Among those
who are already employed, there is likewise
competition for better jobs. There is thus
competition not only for bread but for luxuries,
power, social, position, mates, fame and all other
things not available for one’s asking.

14. Conflict
Definitions:
Some of the important definitions given by the sociologists
are stated below:
Kingsley Davis defines Conflict, “as a modified form of
struggle.”
A.W. Green says, “Conflict is the deliberate attempt to
oppose, resist or coerce the will of another or others.”
llin and Gillin state that, “Conflict is the social process in
which individuals or groups seek their ends by directly
challenging the antagonist by violence or threat of
violence.”

15. As a process, it is the anti-thesis of cooperation. It
is a process of seeking to obtain rewards by
eliminating or weakening the competitors. It is a
deliberate attempt to oppose, resist or coerce the
will of another or others. Conflict is a competition
in its occasional, personal and hostile forms.