Social relation

In social science, a social relation or social interaction is any relationship between two or more individuals. Social relations derived from
individual agency form the basis of social structure and the basic object for analysis by social scientists. Fundamental inquiries into the
nature of social relations feature in the work of sociologists such as Max Weber in his theory of social action. Social relationships are a
special case of social relations that can exist without any communication taking place between the actors involved.

Categorizing social interactions enables observational and other social research, such as Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft (lit. "community
and society"), collective consciousness, etc. However different schools and theories of sociology and other social sciences dispute the
methods used for such investigations.

Contents
Forms of relation and interaction
See also
Related disciplines
References
Bibliography
Further reading

Forms of relation and interaction

According to Piotr Sztompka, forms of relation and interaction in sociology and anthropology may be described as follows: first and most
basic are animal-like behaviors, i.e. various physical movements of the body. Then there are actions – movements with a meaning and
purpose. Then there are social behaviors, or social actions, which address (directly or indirectly) other people, which solicit a response from
another agent. Next are social contacts, a pair of social actions, which form the beginning of social interactions. Social interactions in turn
form the basis of social relations. Symbols define social relationships. Without symbols, our social life would be no more sophisticated than
that of animals. For example, without symbols people would have no aunts or uncles, employers or teachers-or even brothers and sisters. In
sum, symbolic integrations analyze how social life depends on the ways people define themselves and others. They study face-to-face
interaction, examining how people make sense out of life, how they determine their relationships.

This sociological hierarchy is illustrated in the table below:[1]

Accidental,
Interactions
not
Directed described A scheme
Physical Await Unique/rare planned,
Meaning towards Interactions Regular by law, of social
movement response interaction but
others custom, or interactions
repeated
tradition
interaction
Behavior Yes
Action Yes Maybe
Social
Yes No Yes
behavior
Social
No Yes Yes No
action
Social
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
contact
Social
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
interaction
Repeated
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
interaction
Regular
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
interaction
Regulated
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
interaction
Social
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
relation
See also
Affectional action Relations of production
Communicative action Social isolation
Dramaturgical action Social movement
Instrumental and value-rational action Symbolic interactionism
Interdependence Traditional action
Interpersonal relationship

Related disciplines
Engaged theory
Social philosophy
Social psychology

References
1. Sztompka (2002), p. 107

Bibliography
Piotr Sztompka, Socjologia, Znak, 2002, ISBN 83-240-0218-9
Reza Azarian 2010 "Social Ties: Elements of a Substantive Conceptualisation" Acta Sociologica, 53: 4: 323–38

Further reading
Max Weber The Nature of Social Action in Runciman, W.G. 'Weber: Selections in Translation' Cambridge University Press,
1991.

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