1. Types of Social Interaction & Groups

2. Five Types of Social Interaction
Exchange
Competition
Conflict
Cooperation
Accommodation

3. Exchange
Whenever people interact in an effort to receive a reward or a return for their actions
Almost all daily interaction involves exchange.
Exchange Theory: People are motivated by self-interest in their interactions with other people.

4. Competition
Occurs when two or more people or groups oppose each other to achieve a goal that only one can attain.
Common feature of Western societies.
Most sociologists view this as a positive motivator in society but can lead to negative side effects.

5. Conflict
The main emphasis in competition is achieving the goal…the main emphasis with conflict is defeating the opponent.
Conflict is the deliberate attempt to control a person by force, to oppose someone, to harm another person.

6. Cooperation
Occurs when two or more people or groups work together to achieve a goal that will benefit more than one person.
Competition and cooperation may be used together to motivate members of a group to work harder.

7. Accommodation
In many of your interactions, you neither cooperate nor engage in conflict. You simply accommodate the other person in the interaction.
You give a little and you take a little.
Examples: compromise, truce, arbitration
Hotel Example…

8. The Group Consists of four main features Two or more people.
Interaction
Shared expectations
Common identity

9. Organization: Formal vs. Informal
Formal Group
The structure, goals, and activities are clearly defined.
Gov’t, sports teams, clubs, school, etc…
Informal Group
No official structure or established rules of conduct
Circle of friends, Facebook “Friends”

10. Primary vs. Secondary Primary Group Secondary Group
Small group of people who interact over a long period of time on a direct and personal basis. Interaction is usually informal.
Family, close friends, significant others
Secondary Group
Interaction is impersonal and temporary in nature. Interaction is organized around a central goal.
Work relationships

11. The End.