Social Relationships – Humans may be one of God’s creations of the most numerous. In recent years alone, the number of humans has been estimated at 7.8 billion worldwide. The number could be much higher, because many humans still live primitively in forests around the world, making it difficult to count them all. In fact, in the coming years, this number will increase because every year, so many babies are born all over the world.
However, have you ever wondered why God created humans in so many numbers, even up to billions? So, we may only be able to guess at the answer.
However, of the many answers that we can think of, one of the reasons is that humans can relate to each other and help one another.
Yup , when compared to all living things on this planet, humans are the most intelligent creatures on Earth, but humans are still far from perfect. To be able to live well, we need help from other people, whether it’s people around us, or those we accidentally meet out there.
Not infrequently, this also creates a social relationship. What are social relations? Check out the full review of social relationships below.
Definition of Social Relations
Social relations are actually very frequent because all humans do it all the time with other people. Likewise with you, just like everyone, you also must have a lot of social relations with many people out there. Be it those who are close and have known you for decades or people you have only met once in your life.
However, even though all humans carry out social relations, unfortunately only a few are really aware of it. Many of us also do not know the meaning and meaning of social relations themselves.
In general, social relations are social interactions between a person and other people, be it one or dozens of people to provide information to each other and influence each other.
Unfortunately, although everyone has social relationships, not all of them last long. Some people are indeed able to maintain social relationships with other people for a very long time, even for the rest of their lives. However, not everyone is able to have social relationships that can last that long.
Many people out there also find it difficult to maintain social relations with people. Usually, this is due to their bad nature or behavior, which makes other people feel uncomfortable and eventually decide to stay away.
However, not all social relationships that last a short time are also caused by conflict. There are also social relationships that are short-lived because we don’t see them anymore. However, of the many people we meet, many of them disappear and return to being strangers after the first meeting. Are you one of those people?
Characteristics of Social Relations
After knowing what social relations are, now we will also study their characteristics. Yup , social relations are also indicated by certain characteristics below!
1. Performed by more than one person
Social relations usually start from communication. Without communication, a relationship of any kind will never occur, including social relationships. Therefore, social relations can occur if there are at least two people who interact at the same time. In addition to two people, social relations can also be done if there are many people who interact at the same time.
One person will be the speaker and the other will be the listener. When two people communicate for the first time, they are unconsciously starting a social relationship. In this case, social relations that occur can be in the short term or long term social relations that can last for decades to come.
2. Having clear aims and objectives
Some people believe in coincidences. But actually, there is never such a thing as coincidence in this world. No matter how strange it is, everything that happens to us has a purpose.
Likewise, with social relationships. One of the most obvious characteristics of social relationships is having clear aims and objectives. When we start interacting with someone, we must have a certain goal.
Especially in this day and age, where humans tend to be more individualistic. Therefore, when a person who usually prefers to be alone and doesn’t care about other people, suddenly starts interacting, because he has a goal he wants to achieve.
For example, when a new student who doesn’t know anyone, then invites you to get acquainted. So, he did it because he had a clear goal of starting a friendship.
3. The occurrence of Direct Communication
Communication with other people is an easy thing to do nowadays. Especially with the internet and smartphones , so instead of communicating with the people closest to you, you can even communicate with people in other parts of the country easily.
However, social relations cannot be formed by indirect communication like this. To start a social relationship, there must be direct communication between two or more people and this direct communication will only occur if there is a face-to-face meeting.
Types of Social Relations
Social relations not only have characteristics, but are also divided into certain types based on their nature, namely positive social relations and negative social relations. Positive social relations are called associative social processes, while negative social relations are known as dissociative social processes.
1. Associative Social Relations
As previously explained, social relations are divided into two, one of which is positive social relations known as associative social processes. Associative social relations are good interactions that benefit both parties. Associative social relations themselves consist of three things, namely cooperation, accommodation, and acculturation.
a. Cooperation
Collaboration is something we often do, especially in the world of work. Cooperation itself is an effort made by two or more people to achieve the same goal.
However, the name of cooperation, will not always be easy. This is because when you decide to work together, you have to bring together several heads with different thoughts into one.
In order to work, we have to put our ego aside more often because only then can cooperation be successful. Therefore, the stronger the cooperation, the easier it will be to achieve the intended goal.
On the other hand, a partnership can also fail or even end in disaster if everyone is selfish and only wants to be selfish.
b. Accommodation
If cooperation is a joint effort to achieve a goal, then accommodation is an attempt by a person or group of people to reduce conflict tensions that occur between certain groups or individuals. In other words, accommodation is made to achieve balance and calm situation.
c. Acculturation
Acculturation is the mixing of two or more cultures into one, without losing its original cultural elements. Acculturation of culture and language is something that often happens in Indonesia. This is because the Indonesian state consists of many different tribes, even immigrants from outside who later settled in our country.
These immigrants certainly brought their own culture. However, in order to survive and be accepted in a new place, they also have to learn and follow the existing culture without losing their own original culture.
2. Dissociative Social Process
In contrast to associative social processes, dissociative social processes are negative and even have the potential to harm others. Just like associative social relations, dissociative social relations are also divided into several forms, namely competition, controversy, and conflict.
a. Competition
Since childhood, we know the name of competition. However, when we grow up, especially after graduating from school, we realize how tight the competition is in this world. Competition is actually a natural thing considering that there are billions of people living in this world and all of them are trying to be the best in their respective fields. In fact, if you don’t want to compete, the competition will just be created.
Competition itself is basically an effort to succeed without using violence, both verbally and non-verbally. Although in the real world, competition does not always have a negative connotation, the effects resulting from competition can be very bad.
For example, in South Korea, citizens are used to competing for the best places. In fact, high school students there compete like crazy to get the first place in their class. Intense competition, made many South Korean citizens feel very stressed and not a few also fell into depression and decided to end their own lives.
b. Controversy
Apart from competition, another form of dissociative social process is controversy. In a way, controversy is one level more dangerous than competition. Rivalry at least doesn’t involve violence, but controversy does quite the opposite.
People no longer hide their hatred for others. In fact, if left unchecked, the controversy will turn into a conflict that ends in violence.
c. Conflict
Conflict is the last form of dissociative social process, but also the most dangerous. Conflict itself usually starts from differences of opinion or character which then triggers mutual dislike between one person to another, or one group to another.
People who are involved in conflict openly show their dislike for other people or groups. To quell a conflict, we usually need a third party that is neutral and can mediate.
When there is a conflict that occurs in the group or the person closest to you, you can’t just stay silent. You must have the courage to mediate in existing conflicts, so that conflicts do not end in violence.
Factors Driving the Occurrence of Social Relations
However, social relations will not just happen. To create a social relationship, then we need several driving factors, including:
1. Imitation
Imitation is synonymous with goods and has a negative impression, even though imitation can actually be a good thing. Imitation itself can be interpreted as an action taken by someone to imitate others. Usually a person will imitate the person he admires.
For example, children who imitate their parents, be it speech, behavior, or character. Besides being done by children, imitation is also often done by adults. For example, when you idolize an artist, it’s not uncommon for you to follow him, whether it’s the way you speak, think, even your dress style will become similar to him.
2. Suggestion
The second factor that can encourage social relations is suggestion. Suggestion itself is a response given to someone to another person.
Suggestions themselves can have good and bad effects, depending on what we give to others. An example of suggestion is a parent telling their child that studying hard will make them successful in the future.
3. Identification
Identification is a person’s tendency to look the same as others. At first glance identification is very similar to imitation. However, identification usually has a more favorable connotation than imitation.
One example of identification is a music trainee who wants to make a career as a singer. He certainly has an idol who is also a singer who is more senior.
Because he really idolizes his idol, when his idol singer performs, he will watch it as much as possible. Not only watching, he will also pay close attention to his idol’s singing technique.
4. Sympathy
Sympathy is a situation where a person is attracted to another person. When someone feels sympathy, they subconsciously put themselves in that person’s shoes, and think about how that person feels.
For example, when you hear of a disaster, you will feel sympathy for the victims. Without realizing it, you start to put yourself in their current position, and feel what the victims of the disaster feel.
Through that sympathy, you then donate some assistance that might help ease their current burden.
5. Empathy
One level deeper than sympathy, empathy is a feeling of attraction that affects a person’s mental and physical condition. Even though the impression is so scary, basically every human being has a sense of empathy in him.
If sympathy only makes us imagine how our condition would be if we were in someone else’s position, then empathy makes us dare to jump in and feel what that person is feeling directly.
For example, you volunteer for a natural disaster. Although, you never experience the disaster directly, but you see the damage caused by the disaster and see how the victims are. This will inevitably make you feel what they are feeling directly, so you want to help the victims directly.
6. Motivation
So, if you use this one term, you must often hear it, don’t you? Or maybe, you also often provide motivation to others? Motivation is basically the positive encouragement one gives to another.
Usually, this motivation is in the form of advice or wise words that can revive one’s enthusiasm. Motivation is given to people who are sad so they don’t get worse. Most people will motivate their friends or closest people when they are in trouble or at the lowest point in their life.
Social relationships are things we usually do every day, all the time and are very important. Imagine if during your life, you didn’t have any relationship with other people?
You will not have friends, you will also lose your family, which should be your closest relationship. In fact, your life will definitely feel very lonely and annoying.
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