Understanding Individuals, Groups, and Social Relations

Humans are social creatures who live side by side with society and the help of others. That is what indicates that within each individual there is a desire and need that is needed to live together with other individuals in creating a social relationship. However, do you know what individuals, groups, and social relationships are? Well, in order to know the explanation, let’s pay attention to the following discussion.

A. Definition of Individual

Individuals are the smallest part of a group of society that cannot be separated into smaller parts. The term “individual” comes from the Greek language, namely “individuum” which means not divided. In sociology, an individual is also defined as an organization or individual that is independent and not tied to other organizations, be it action, thought, or behavior.

Based on the Indonesian Dictionary or KBBI, individual means a single organism that lives and stands alone. Physiologically, individuals have the same independent nature as the definition of individual based on the sociological concept which means that life stands on its own.

Each individual in society plays a role with a different status. In society, individuals have a role as social beings. Not only do they play a role in society, individuals also have a role in the political world. The role of the individual in the political world, for example as a person who contributes an opinion, one of the people who plays a role in political activities, and participates in helping to solve problems in the organization and the political world.

1. Characteristics of Individuals

In general, there are a number of individual characteristics that you need to know or recognize, among others:

a. Individuals have intelligence, thoughts, wishes, and desires, as well as feelings that can determine action from outside and from within the individual.

b. Individuals have the instinct to survive, achieve satisfaction, etc.

c. Individuals have a soul and body that can distinguish between individuals.

d. Individuals have unique or special behaviors and behaviors that can distinguish one individual from another.

2. Individual aspects

An individual is a person who has personality and behavior, and plays a role in society and other environments, for example in the political environment. According to H. Hartomo, states that there are 3 (three) aspects owned by each individual that are interconnected and have an impact on others, including the following:

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a. Spiritual and psychological aspects

b. Social aspect

c. Aspects of soul and body

In addition, there are also individual psychological aspects, among others:

  • Special talent or ability or intelligence
  • Interest or desire
  • A person’s personality
  • Enthusiasm
  • Learning

3. Individual Characteristics

Based on the explanation given by Stoner and Freeman, it is said that individual characteristics are translations or other words of attitudes, interests and individual needs. The attitude is carried and used by a person when doing an activity.

In addition, John, Donahue, and Kentle also said that there are 5 (five) individual characteristics that you must know and pay attention to, including:

a. Openness to experience

Openness to Experience is a characteristic of individuals who accept new experiences or do not reject when there is change.

b. Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness is one of the characteristics of individuals who are careful about everything.

c. Extraversion

Extraversion is an individual characteristic with its open and comfortable nature. So that there is no disturbance when interacting between individuals.

d. Agreeableness

Agreeableness is one of the characteristics of individuals who always want to avoid problems with other individuals.

e. Neocriticism

Neocritism is a characteristic of individuals who are open to pressure and have an assessment of their ability to withstand stress on a person.

B. Definition of Social Groups

A social group is a group of people who are related to each other by using common patterns. A group of people can be called a social group when it has met 3 (three) main conditions, among which each group member realizes that he is part of his group, each group member has the same background or characteristics, and there is a structure of norms and behavioral patterns.

Unbeknownst to you, this social group has a form that has spread around your environment. With one of the functions of the form of social groups which he hopes is to organize procedures in establishing interactions between individuals. There are a number of things that you must know and pay attention to in forming social groups, including:

1. Social Board, is a system of norms that organize life to achieve common goals.

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2. Social Order, is a condition where the members of the community proceed in harmony, harmony, and harmony in accordance with the values ​​and norms prevailing in the community. The social order is formed through stages consisting of order, order, stability, and also patterns.

3. Order, is a social group that has a series of values ​​and norms that run in harmony, and are obeyed by members.

4. Social Order, is a system in a social group where every member obeys and carries out every value and norm that has been arranged with full awareness.

5. Steady, is one of the regularities in members of social groups that have been running with their fixed nature.

6. Pattern, has a similar meaning as regularity, only pattern is more directed to the relationship between social regularity and the form of social interaction.

C. Understanding Social Relations

Social relationships are interactions between individuals, groups, and between groups with the environment that have a mutual impact on each other in life. This social relationship itself is closely related as the most basic form of social relationship. There is no social relationship that occurs without social interaction.

Social interaction is a social reciprocal relationship that includes mutual influence between individuals, individuals with groups, and between groups. There are 6 (six) factors that have an impact on the formation of a social interaction, including suggestion, sympathy, imitation, identification, empathy, and also motivation.

There are not only supporting factors for the creation of social interaction, there are also mandatory conditions that need to be fulfilled by individuals in order to create a social interaction, namely the number of actors, social contact, and communication. In general, the form of interaction according to its purpose can be categorized into 2 (two) parts, namely associative social interaction by leading to unity, for example cooperation, assimilation, accommodation, and controversy. Second, that is dissociative social interaction that creates division with examples of contravention, competition or opposition, and opposition or conflict.