Social Interaction

1. Social Interaction
Definition:
The process by which people
mutually influences one anothers attitudes, feelings
and actions. This lies between an individual and
society.
 Nature and Approach to Social Interaction:
When two or persons, groups meet there will be mutual awareness and response
Between them, both verbal and non verbal. Exchange of message is carried on by
medium of language. Verbal language involves the use of words or sounds symbols
for things objects and ideas. Symbolic interaction refers to the communication of
thoughts and feelings between individuals that occurs by means of symbols.
Functionalist view human interaction involves title more than people acting out
roles(parent, children, worker) based on social script, much as theatrical actors take
their lines from a play.
 Forms of Interaction:
 Between individual and individual ( doctor and patient )
 Between individual and groups ( teacher and students)
 Between groups and groups ( war between countries )
 Between individual and culture ( norms, values, customs, traditions)

2.  Types of Social Interaction:
 Opposition: This is the dissociate form of social interaction
i. Competition: struggle between two or more individuals who are
striving to get something which is relatively limited.
ii. Conflict: when people are competing for inadequate material and
nonmaterial products. It may be for power, status and property. It may
be in the field of political, social, economical and religious field.
 Cooperation: It is a social process where people work together to achieve a
groups common objectives and share some benefits from it.
i. Accommodation: Smith has defined accommodation as “social
adjustment” adjustment of man to both natural and man made
environment. e.g. parents accommodate their children even at the cost
of sacrifice of their own desires.
ii. Assimilation: it means two dissimilar individuals or groups which
become similar by removing their cultural differences.
iii. Acculturation: the first step towards assimilation is called
acculturation. In other words it is cultural modification. E.g. permanent
settlement of migrant people from India in Pakistan.
 Affection action:
Affection action (also emotional action) is a social action caused by an emotion
(revenge, love, loyalty etc). Those actions are taken due ones emotions, to express
ones personal feelings e.g. cheering after a victory, crying at funeral would be
emotional actions.
 Benefits of Social Interaction:
Specific health benefits of social interaction in older adults include:
 Potentially reduced risk for heart problems, some cancers, osteoporosis and
rheumatoid arthritis.
 Potentially reduces the risk for Alzheimer’s diseases.

3.  Lower blood pressure.
 Reduces risk for mental health issues such as depression.
Conversely, social isolation carries real risk. Some of these risks are
 Felling lonely and depressed
 Being less physically active
 Having a great risk of death
 High blood pressure
Social interaction helps keep your brain getting rusty, but it is more effective when
coupled with an overall healthy life style, including a nutritious diet and physical activity.
 Ways of Social Interaction:
The most larger and important way of social interaction is social media. Social media
are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing
techniques. Popular form of social media are
 Face book
 What’s app
 My space etc
 Role of Social Media:
Social media is playing an important roles in our lives in both ways positive and
negative,
 Positive role of media:
i. It can be used to embrace your passion and identity.
ii. Creativity and Remix culture
iii. Helps user to connect with strong and weak ties.
 Negative role of media:
i. It enables the individuals to commit crime online.
ii. It can effect education by diverting attention towards activities rather
than studies
iii. It can be a barrier between social and personal relationship.

4.  Key points of Social Interaction:
 By interacting with one another, people design rules, institutions and system
within which they seek to live. Symbols are used to communicate the
expectations of a given society to those new to it.
 Interaction between people created the laws which founded congress.
Interactions among Representatives and Senators today continue to create law.
 Social interaction plays a fundamental role in the process of cognitive
development.