B.A. Social Notes

                         Social Control The system or the organisation by which the social relations or behaviour is controlled is called social controls. Social control refers to the processes by which the behaviour of individuals or group is regulated. According to Fisher, "Social Control is an extension of the socialisation Process ". Horton and Hunt says that,"Sociologist use the term social control to describe all the means and processes whereby a group or a society secures its members conformity to its expectations ". Objectives of Social Control The social Control aims to bring about conformity,solidarity and continuity of a particular group or society.- Kimball Young To regulate the individual behaviour. To maintain and re-established the social order. To established unity and solidarity among the members. To ensure the continuity of the group or society. To check crime and other antisocial activities. To maintain the culture,social no

                        Purusharthas Meaning- The concept of 'Purusharthas' is the fundamental principle of the Indian social ethics. The word 'Purusharthas' implies 'attainments' or 'life purposes'. According to this concept, the aim of every person is to attain four noble ends or Purusharthas. They are Dharma,Artha,Kama and Moksha. These Purusharthas govern the Hindu views of life. They are the guiding principles of life for the Hindus at all stages of their development. The entire Hindu social organization is built on the foundation of the Purusharthas.   Four Purusharthas- 1- Dharma 2- Artha 3- Kama 4- Moksha 1-Dharma (The principal of Righteousness)- It is the supreme principle of life. It is the major end of human life. The word "Dharma" is derived from the Sanskrit root "Dhri" , meaning "to hold together, to sustain, to preserve " What does the dharma hold together? It holds together the whole universe.

                                     Ashrama The Sanskrit word "Ashrama" literally denotes a halting or resting place . The word also means 'stages', 'monastery', duties, etc. The word Ashrama comes from the Sanskrit room "Srama" which means "making an effort ".In this way, "Ashrama" literally means a step in the journey of life. According to Hindu ethics, the final aim of life is liberation or 'Moksha'. Every Asrama is a step in the long journey towards the realization of that aim.                                             The four Ashramas- Brahmacharya (Stage of Studentship) Grihastha (Stage of Householder) Vanaprastha (Philosophic Recluse) Sanyasa (Stage of Renunciation or Wandering Mystic)                               Ashrama System (Vyavastha) Ashrama System- A Noble Socio-Philosophical System- The theory of the Ashrama System represents one of the great socio-philosophical doct

                                Reference group The term 'reference group' was introduced into the literature on small groups by Muzafer Sarif in his textbooks "An outline of Social Psychology-1948. He used the term in contrast to the membership group.Membership group refer to a group which a person belongs,while the reference group refers to a group that affects his behaviour. Ogburn and Nimkoff ,"group which serves as a points of comparison are known as reference group". Horton and Hunt sa ys that " A reference group is any group to which we refer when making judgements any group whose values judgments become our values judgments." They have further said "groups which are important as models for ones ideas and conduct norms can be called reference group.                       Types of Reference Groups Sociologists have identified two types of reference groups- 1-Positive Reference Group- These are the ones we want to be accep

                                         Group A group is a number of units of anything in close proximity to one another such as group of trees in a forest,a group of air planes in an airport. Thus,the term 'group' is used generally to state the fact of association.It implies nothing as to the size,form,function,permanence or cohesive principle. Social group- A social group comes into existence,"Whenever two or more persons interact,whether in the intimacy of a picnic or in the roar of a bargain sale,they are groups".Social group is a mental phenomenon, rather than a physical entity. It requires three things for its formation. 1-Reciprocal stimulus 2-Response, and 3-Mutual awareness,that is the consciousness of interaction. Harry M.Johnson  says that 'A social group is a system of social interaction '. Ogburn and Nimkoff, " Whenever two or more individuals come together and influence one another, they may said to constitute a social group.&q

                                       Communities Community- Community plays an important role in the life of an individual.A community is the total organised social life of a locality."The mark of a community is that one's life may be lived wholly within it." One cannot live wholly within a business organisation or a church;one can live wholly within a tribe or a city.Some communities are inclusive and independent on others. There are a few premitive communities like that of the Yurok tribes of California which are almost isolated but modern communities have big population and very much dependent on other communities. The character of the community and the role of the individual in it depend much on its territorial size,size of the population,nature of the local government and the economic pursuits of the people. The community has been an expression that emphasised the unity of the common life of a people or mankind." Community has been "generating a sense

                                     Social Class.                                                          Social Class- A social class is made of people of similar social status who regard one another as social equals.Each class has a set of values,attitudes,beliefs and behaviour norms which differ from those of other classes. According to Giddens (2000) ,"a class is a large scale grouping of people who share common economic resources,which strongly influence the type of lifestyle they are able to lead ". Ogburn and Nimkoff, "A social class is the aggregate of persons having essentially the same social status in a given society. Max Weber defined, " a class is a number of people sharing one or more causes of life chances." Mac Iver and Page ,"a social class is any portion of the community marked off from the rest by social statuses." Determinants of social class Different criteria have been adopted for making distinctions betwe

                         Institution & Association Institution- When association are formed,they evolve certain rules, regulations and laws and also certain ways of behavior, which keep them together. Associations viewed in this way, are called Institution. The term Institution is sometimes used to refer to organisations or associations and sometimes to desinate a normal principle that defines clusters of important behavior, such as marriage or property. An Institution , however, in not an actual group or association. It is a system of beliefs , norms, values, positions and activities that develop around a societal needs. It is abstract and is used to refer to a fundamental form of social organisation that meets a broad social goals. W.G.Sumner (Folkways,1906) defined it as:"An Institution consists of a concept (ideas,nation,doctrine and interest) and a structure (a framework or apparatus)".  According to Horton and Hunt (Sociology,1964),"an Institution is

                                              What is Role? The concept of role is by no means a new one . It originally comes from the theatrical setting, referring to the parts which actors play in a stage production.Shakespeare uses the theatre as an analogy for the world as a whole and for the human experience. Actors obviously take on roles but so do the rest of us. In every society individuals play a number of different roles,according to varying contexts of their activities. Modern sociologist E.Goffman 1959 has proposed  dramaturgical  approach *(social life as like a theatre drama) in sociology.He sees social life as through played out by actors on a stage-or on many stages,because how we act depends on the roles we are playing at a particular time. Role is sociologically important because it demonstrates how individual  activity is socially influenced and thus follows regular patterns. The first systematic use of the concept of role was by G.H Mead in 1934,a forerunner o