RESEARCH BACK UP

3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 Definition of Power Power has been seen as the ability to ensure compliance despite resistance from the individual involved. It is the ability to compel or influence others to do what they would otherwise not do. A person who has power can impose his will on others. He can do this by the use of threat of punishment if they disobey him. Power is exercised in all human relationship. For example, teachers have power over their students. Also, parents have power over their children. Power is a key aspect of any managerial post, and springs from a variety of sources. Legge (1973) describes power as "(the) capability of exercising influence over the attitudes and/or behaviour of other individuals or group". This is a useful definition since it emphasises the capability of exercising influence. In other words, power does not necessarily rely either on formal authority, i.e. power granted by the organisation to a particular ' position-holder. Power is mor...

1.0 INTRODUCTION A conversation, a game of cards, a dinner party, making love -what do these activities have in common? They cannot be accomplished by only one person. All are examples of social interactions, in which one person's action depends on the actions of the other, and vice versa. Social interaction is the result of mutual influence, not simply parallel or simultaneous activity. Social interactions range from the most superficial contacts -strangers passing in the street or attending the same concert -to deep, long lasting, complex relationship, such as those between husband and wife or parent and child. 2.0 OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to:  describe social interactions   understand the role of cultural script and ethnomethodology on social interactions   understand the influence of social identities in social interactions   describe how social interactions can be made positive.  3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 Meaning of S...

1.0 INTRODUCTION You will bear with me that the world today is characterised by high levels of worry, concern and anxiety, for the future and yet full of promises that the future holds. In reality, the world nowadays is known to be characterised by tensions, social divisions, day by day conflicts, international terrorism, assassinations, including the destructive operations of modem technology on the existing natural environment. Despite all these concerns, the people still have the assurance and possibilities of controlling their destiny and ensuring that their lives are shaped for the better, which might have been unachievable to the earlier generations. Why this obvious difference? In what directions will change take in the future? These questions and more are the major focus of Sociology. It is in the interest of Sociology to ensure playing a significant role in these modem times (i.e. understanding why people change from a particular way to another). This is what actually makes ...

1.0 INTRODUCTION Many Sociologists have regarded the family as the cornerstone of society. It forms the basic unit of social organisation and it is difficult to imagine how human society could function without it. Although the composition of the family varies for example, in many societies two or more wives are regarded as the ideal arrangement -such differences can be seen as variations on a basic theme. In general, therefore, the family has been seen as a universal social institution, an inevitable part of human society. On balance, it has been regarded as a good thing, both for the individual and society as a whole. For some time, it has been thought natural and normal for households to be based around families. 2.0 OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to:  describe a family   describe the types of family   explain the activities with in family   describe the functions of the family.  3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 Definition of Fami...

1.0 INTRODUCTION The study of social mobility has a long sociological pedigree, extending back to the mid-nineteenth-century writings of Karl Marx and John Stuart Mill, with major contributions in the early twentieth century from Vilfredo Pareto (who proposed a theory of the 'circulation of elites) and Pitirim Sorokin. The now vast literature on the subject is inextricably entangled with wide discussions of (among other things) education, gender, culture, power, statistical techniques, and the role of theory in social research. It is possible, indeed, to trace many of the classic debates in modern sociology back to the early arguments about mobility. For example, in social mobility (1927), Sorokin wrote that 'channels of vertical circulation exists in any stratified society, and are as necessary as channels for blood circulation in the body'. Sorokin was particularly interested in the role of educational institutions in allocating people to the various occupational positi...

1.0 INTRODUCTION Power is seen as the ability to control what other people do, even when they resist. In its raw form, power is the use of intimidation or physical coercion to force someone else to do one's bidding. All societies distinguish between the legitimate and the illegitimate use of power. For example in Nigeria today, most people consider it legitimate for the government to require that citizens pay income taxes but it is illegitimate for a politician to demand or accept a bribe. Now coming to authority, sociologist uses the term authority to refer to the legitimate use of power. Authority depends on agreement that certain uses of power are valid and justified. Whereas power depends only on might, authority depends on cultural idea of what is right. 2.0 OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to:  define and describe authority in detail   differentiate authority from power   describe types of authority.  3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 D...

1.0 INTRODUCTION Leadership is a vital element in the social relationships of groups at work. Groups need leaders and leaders need followers. The academic and management literature on leadership focuses almost exclusively on the individual traits, styles and behaviour that characterise the leaders. Some recent research in leadership has advanced beyond these more simplistic individual level models by calling attention to such things as "meaning -making" and "influence" and to the importance of understanding "followers". We are left wondering about the contexts in which creative, inclusive, inspiring individuals make sense of their work together. We think of leadership as a dynamic process in which people come together to pursue changes, and in doing so collectively develop a shared vision of what the world (or some part or corner of it) should be like, making sense of their experience and shaping their decisions and actions. The role of articulating the v...

1.0 INTRODUCTION In the beginning, God made an individual- and then he made a pair. The pair formed a group, together they begat others and thus the group grew. Unfortunately, working in a group led to fiction, the group disintegrated in conflict and Cain settled in the land of Nod -there has been trouble with groups ever since. When people work in groups, there are two quite separate issues involved. The first is the task and the problems involved in getting the job done. Frequently, this is the only issue which the group considers. The second is the process of the group work itself: The mechanisms by which the group acts as a unit and not as a loose rabble. However, without due attention to this process, the value of the group can be diminished or even destroyed; yet with a little explicit management of the process, it can enhance the worth of the group to the many times the sum of the worth of its individuals. It is this synergy which makes group work attractive in corporate organis...

1.0 INTRODUCTION Stratification is a very general term referring to a hierarchy of inequality. Traditionally, the term has been applied mostly to societal rather than to other types of social systems. There has been disagreement among analysis in the stratification sense, there is general agreement that it involves "economic", prestige, and power differences or some combination of them. 2.0 OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to: define and fully describe social stratification  describe the stratification dimension  describe the bases on which people are stratified.  3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 Definition of Social Stratification Social stratification is defined as the unequal distribution of attributes, qualities, or possessions among members of a society that at usually regarded within that society as desirable and valuable. 3.2 Stratification Dimension Now, that you have been exposed to what is meant by stratification, then there is need to discuss t...

1.0 INTRODUCTION Conformity is usually generated by a group's spoken or unspoken norms. Conformity occurs as a result of real or imagined, though unspoken, group pressure. When everyone around you stands up to applaud a performance you thought was mediocre or average, you may conform by standing as well. No one tells you to do this. Therefore, we can say the group's behaviour simply creates a silent but influential pressure on its members. 2.0 OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to:  describe conformity  give reasons why people conform   explain when people conform.  3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 What is Conformity? Conformity is defined as behaviour which follows the established norms of a group or society. People do not always conform to social norms because they accept the values that underlie them. They may behave in the approved ways simply because it is expedient to do so, or because of sanctions. No society can be divided up in a simple way...

1.0 INTRODUCTION For the beginner, there may be a tendency to confuse socialization with other processes of change. It is essential, therefore, to emphasize that there is a difference between them. Two aspects of socialization distinguish it from those other processes of change. First, socialization refers only to the changes in behaviour and attitude having their origins in interactions with other persons. Secondly, socialization includes only those which occur through learning. Other changes, such as those resulting from physical growth, are not part of the socialization process. Other illustrations of socialization include learning the folksways and customs of one's society and regional groups and the religious beliefs and moral values of one's society and family. 2.0 OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to: give a detailed description of socialization  describe the agents of socialization.  3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 What is Socialization? Socialization ...

1.0 INTRODUCTION Among Sociologists, there are two different ways of viewing mass departures from social expectations and normative behaviour. The first, especially common among functionalists, interprets collective behaviour as a symptom that something has "gone haywire" in the social system (i.e. usual methods of social control are not working, and people are behaving irrationally). The second, called collective-action theory sees collective behaviour as the result of rational decision on the part of collectivities. 2.0 OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to:  define public opinion   identify factors involved in the formation of public opinion   state the importance of public opinion   measure of public opinion.  3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 Definition of Public Opinion and Propaganda Public opinion can be defined as the aggregate views of the people on a particular public issue or government policy at a given period. You should ...