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CompetitiveExams:Community,Association&CultureExamrace

Community
TalcottParsonsdefinedcommunityascollectivitythemembersofwhichshareacommonterritorialareaastheirbaseofoperationfor
dailyactivities.AccordingtoTonniescommunityisdefinedasanorganicnaturalkindofsocialgroupwhosemembersarebound
togetherbythesenseofbelonging,createdoutofeverydaycontactscoveringthewholerangeofhumanactivities.Hehaspresented
idealtypicalpicturesoftheformsofsocialassociationscontrastingthesolidaritynatureofthesocialrelationsinthecommunitywiththe
largescaleandimpersonalrelationsthoughttocharacterizeindustrializingsocieties.KingsleyDavisdefineditasthesmallestterritorial
groupthatcanembraceallaspectsofsociallife.ForKarlMannheimcommunityisanycircleofpeoplewholivetogetherandbelong
togetherinsuchawaythattheydonotsharethisorthatparticularinterestonlybutawholesetofinterests.
Thetermcommunityisoneofthemostelusiveandvagueinsociologyandisbynowlargelywithoutspecificmeaning.Attheminimum
itreferstoacollectionofpeopleinageographicalarea.Threeotherelementsmayalsobepresentinanyusage.
1. Communitiesmaybethoughtofascollectionsofpeoplewithaparticularsocialstructurethereare,therefore,collectionswhichare
notcommunities.Suchanotionoftenequatescommunitywithruralorpreindustrialsocietyandmay,inaddition,treaturbanor
industrialsocietyaspositivelydestructive.
2. Asenseofbelongingorcommunityspirit.
3. Allthedailyactivitiesofacommunity,workandnonwork,takeplacewithinthegeographicalarea,whichisselfcontained.Different
accountsofcommunitywillcontainanyoralloftheseadditionalelements.
CharacteristicsofCommunity
1. Territory
2. Closeandinformalrelationships
3. Mutuality
4. Commonvaluesandbeliefs
5. Organizedinteraction
6. Stronggroupfeeling
7. Culturalsimilarity

Association
Menhavediverseneeds,desiresandinterestswhichdemandsatisfaction.Therearethreewaysoffulfillingtheseneeds.Firstlythey
mayactindependentlyeachinhisownwaywithoutcaringforothers.Thisisunsocialwithlimitations.Secondlymenmayseektheir
endsthroughconflictswithoneanother.Finallymenmaytrytofulfilltheirendsthroughcooperationandmutualassistance.This
cooperationhasareferencetoassociation.
Whenagrouporcollectionofindividualsorganizethemselvesexpresslyforthepurposeofpursuingcertainofitsintereststogetherona
cooperativepursuitanassociationissaidtobeborn.AccordingtoMorrisGinsberganassociationisagroupofsocialbeingsrelatedto
oneanotherbythefactthattheypossessorhaveinstitutedincommonanorganizationwithaviewtosecuringaspecificendorspecific
ends.Theassociationsmaybefoundindifferentfields.Nosingleassociationcansatisfyalltheinterestsoftheindividualorindividuals.
SinceManhasmanyinterests,heorganizesvariousassociationsforthepurposeoffulfillingvariedinterests.Hemaybelongtomore
thanoneorganization.
MaincharacteristicsofAssociation
Association:Anassociationisformedorcreatedbypeople.Itisasocialgroup.Withoutpeopletherecanbenoassociation.Itisan
organizedgroup.Anunorganizedgrouplikecrowdormobcannotbeanassociation.
Commoninterest:Anassociationisnotmerelyacollectionofindividuals.Itconsistsofthoseindividualswhohavemoreorlessthe
sameinterests.Accordinglythosewhohavepoliticalinterestsmayjoinpoliticalassociationandthosewhohavereligiousinterests
mayjoinreligiousassociationsandsoon:
Cooperativespirit:Anassociationisbasedonthecooperativespiritofitsmembers.Peopleworktogethertoachievesomedefinite
purposes.Forexampleapoliticalpartyhastoworktogetherasaunitedgrouponthebasisofcooperationinordertofulfillits
objectiveofcomingtopower.
Organization:Associationdenotessomekindoforganization.Anassociationisknownessentiallyasanorganizedgroup.Organization
givesstabilityandpropershapetoanassociation.Organizationreferstothewayinwhichthestatusesandrolesaredistributed
amongthemembers.
Regulationofrelations:Everyassociationhasitsownwaysandmeansofregulatingtherelationofitsmembers.Organization
dependsonthiselementofregulation.Theymayassumewrittenorunwrittenforms.
Associationasagencies:Associationsaremeansoragenciesthroughwhichtheirmembersseektorealizetheirsimilarorshared
interests.Suchsocialorganizationsnecessarilyactnotmerelythroughleadersbutthroughofficialsorrepresentativesasagencies.
Associationsnormallyactthroughagentswhoareresponsibleforandtotheassociation.
Durabilityofassociation:Anassociationmaybepermanentortemporary.Therearesomelongstandingassociationslikethestate
family,religiousassociationsetc.Someassociationsmaybetemporaryinnature.

SocialInstitutions
Asocialinstitutionisacomplex,integratedsetofsocialnormsorganizedaroundthepreservationofabasicsocietalvalue.Obviously,
thesociologistdoesnotdefineinstitutionsinthesamewayasdoesthepersononthestreet.Laypersonsarelikelytousetheterm
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CompetitiveExams:Community,Association&CultureExamrace

institutionveryloosely,forchurches,hospitals,jails,andmanyotherthingsasinstitutions.
Inshorthandform,orasconcepts,thesefivebasicinstitutionsarecalledthefamily,government,economy,educationandreligion.
Thefiveprimaryinstitutionsarefoundamongallhumangroups.Theyarenotalwaysashighlyelaboratedorasdistinctfromone
anotherasintotheUnitedStates,but,inrudimentaryformatlast,theyexisteverywhere.Theiruniversalityindicatesthattheyare
deeplyrootedinhumannatureandthattheyareessentialinthedevelopmentandmaintenanceoforders.Sociologistsoperatingin
termsofthefunctionalistmodelsocietyhaveprovidedtheclearestexplanationofthefunctionsservedbysocialinstitutions.Apparently
therearecertainminimumtasksthatmustbeperformedinallhumangroups.
Unlessthesetasksareperformedadequately,thegroupwillceasetoexist.Ananalogymayhelptomakethepoint.Wemight
hypothesizethatcostaccountingdepartmentisessentialtotheoperationofalargecorporation.Acompanymightprocureasuperior
productanddistributeitthenatthepricewhichisassignedtoit,thecompanywillsoongooutofbusiness.Perhapstheonlywayto
avoidthisistohaveacarefulaccountingofthecostofeachstepintheproductionanddistributionprocess.
Sociologistsoftenreservetheterminstitutiontodescribenormativesystemsthatoperateinfivebasicareasoflife,whichmaybe
designatedastheprimaryinstitutions.
1. IndeterminingKinship
2. Inprovidingforthelegitimateuseofpower
3. Inregulatingthedistributionofgoodsandservices
4. Intransmittingknowledgefromonegenerationtothenext
5. inregulatingourrelationtothesupernatural.

Culture
AsHomosapiens,evolved,severalbiologicalcharacteristicsparticularlyfavorabletothedevelopmentofcultureappearedinthespecies.
Theseincludederectpostureafavorablebrainstructurestereoscopicvisionthestructureofthehand,aflexibleshoulderandyear
roundsexualreceptivityonthepartofthefemale.Noneofthesebiologicalcharacteristicsalone,ofcourse,accountsforthe
developmentofculture.Evenincombination,alltheyguaranteeisthathumanbeingswouldbethemostgiftedmembersoftheanimal
kingdom.
Thedistinctivehumanwayoflifethatwecallculturedidnothaveasingledefinitebeginningintimeanymorethanhumanbeings
suddenlyappearingonearth.Cultureevolvedslowlyjustassomeanthropoidsgraduallytookonmorehumanform.Unmistakably,tools
existedhalfamillionyearsagoandmightbeconsiderablyolder.If,forconvenience,wesaythatcultureis500,000yearsold,itisstill
difficultdayhasappearedveryrecently.
TheconceptofculturewasrigorouslydefinedbyE.B.Taylorin1860S .Accordingtohimcultureisthesumtotalofideas,beliefs,
values,materialculturalequipmentsandnonmaterialaspectswhichmanmakesasamemberofsociety.Taylor'sthemethatcultureis
aresultofhumancollectivityhasbeenacceptedbymostanthropologists.Tylarianideacanbediscernedinamoderndefinitionof
culturecultureisthemanmadepartofenvironment(MJHerskovits).
Fromthis,itfollowsthatcultureandsocietyareseparableonlyattheanalyticallevel:Attheactualexistentiallevel,theycanbe
understoodasthetwosidesofthesamecoin.Culture,ononehand,isanoutcomeofsocietyand,ontheotherhand,societyisableto
surviveandperpetuateitselfbecauseoftheexistenceofculture.Cultureisanallyofmaninthesensethatitenhancesman's
adaptabilitytonature.ItisbecauseoftheadaptivevalueofculturethatHerskovitsstatesthatcultureisascreenbetweenmanand
nature.Cultureisaninstrumentbywhichmanexploitstheenvironmentandshapesitaccordingly.
Inshowingaffection,theMaorirubnosestheAustraliansrubfacestheChineseplacenosetocheekstheWesternerskisssome
groupspracticespittingonthebeloved.Or,considerthisAmericanmenarepermittedtolaughinpublicbutnottocryIroquoismen
arepermittedtodoneitherinpublicItalianmenarepermittedtodoboth.Sincethisistrue,physiologicalfactorshavelittletodowith
whenmenlaughandcryandwhentheydonotdoeither.Thevariabilityofthehumanexperiencesimplycannotbeexplainedby
makingreferencetohumanbiology,ortotheclimateandgeography.Instead,wemustconsidercultureasthefabricofhumansociety.
Culturecanbeconceivedasacontinuous,cumulativereservoircontainingbothmaterialandnonmaterialelementsthataresocially
transmittedfromgenerationtogeneration.Cultureiscontinuousbecauseculturalpatternstranscendyears,reappearinginsuccessive
generations.Cultureiscumulativebecauseeachgenerationcontributestothereservoir.

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