In this course, I learned the significance of group process, and how different groups function. What I have learned not only applies to small groups, but the same concepts apply to larger ones better known as societies. Through the concepts exposed in this course, now I have a better understanding about how the group interaction is reflected in my development as a person and as a member of the group. At a larger scale, these are the same concepts that help me determine my position in society, help in the evaluation of my achievements, and set the tone for the pursuit of my future goals. .
The lessons learned in this class made me understand that people shape and are shaped by their social environment. These interactions can be analyzed by looking at their structure and functions. Within a society, beliefs and activities serve certain obvious functions. The individual is the basic building block of society, and society is the result of the decisions individuals make about when, how, and with whom they are going to interact. Social relationships are regularized patterns of action between individuals, which are often institutionalized according to the status and role given to those involved. .
It is generally as a group that we adapt to our surroundings and seek to ensure that our subsistence requirements are met. And by this, I am not referring to food or shelter in particular. In a broader sense, these subsistence requirements are our needs to interact and communicate with others. The same needs to share information in a two-way manner, and the same needs to share the physical and social aspects that identify us as a culture. How we perceive the world and how we behave in it are largely reflections of our interaction with others. .
Individuals organize or are organized into various kinds of groups. They are born into non-voluntary groups on the basis of gender, age, and kinship. Such groups tend to be rather strictly adhered to and multipurpose in small-scale societies.
