SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT: MEANING, TYPES, ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBER

Social environment refers to the cutting group of individuals and institutions with whom a person interacts.

Such as customs, language, norms, dress, primary groups, secondary groups, religious institutions, political institutions, educational institutions, and economic institutions.

Social organizations

Social organizations are people in society who are well organized with characteristic patterns of relationship

Types of social groups

1.                     Primary group
2.                   Secondary group

Primary group

This refers to people with closer relationships over a long period.

Examples of the primary groups are Family age group, peer group, and kinship groups.

Characteristics of a primary group

1.   There is always a face–to–face interaction
2.   It has a small size of people
3.   Group members are loyal to one another
4.   They are emotionally committed to one another
5.   They have a permanent relationship
6.   It is a multi-purpose organization

The family as a primary social group

A family is a group of people who are related by heredity or adoption.

The family is the first social group where a child is taught what is right and what his role is in society through examples.

Types of family

1.                     Nuclear family
2.                   Extended family

Nuclear family: This is made up of a father, mother, and children.

It can be monogamous i.e. a family made up of the man, his wife, and the children. It can also be polygamous i.e. a family made up of a man, more than one wife, and the children.

Extended family: This is a process where family relations such as uncles, grandparents, and aunties, live with the nuclear family in the same house or compound.

Other forms of family are:

1.   Foster family: This is a family in which a couple or adults are acting as parents who may or may not be their relations. (Guardians)
2.   Single-parent family: This is a family in which children live with only one of their biological parents (either the father or the mother). This often occurs due to the divorce or death of one of the couples.

Role and responsibilities of family members

    The father:

1.     He provides money for the family’s sustenance
2.     He protects and defends the family    He ensures the proper upbringing of children
3.   He trains the family on good believers through a good exemplary lifestyle
4.       He also oversees disciplinary activities at home
5.     He ensures that unity, harmony, love, and peace exist between family members.

      The mother:

1.     She prepares delicious meals for the family
2.     She ensures meatless and cleanliness of the home
3.     Trains the children how to take care of the home, watch clothes & plaits and prepare food
4.     Report every act of indiscipline at home for the husband for necessary action
5.     She also supports the father in meeting family needs
6.    Demon striates acceptable believer to the children through a good lifestyle

      The children:

1.  Obedience to all instruction from their parents
2.    Co-operating with their parents with their parents while they are being trained
3.  Attend School regularly and make their parents proud all the time
4.   Taking good care of the house chores
5.    Be of good behavior everywhere at all tries
6.   Respect and show love to everyone in the family
7.   Always report important incidents which may need their parents to take immediate action
8.    Seek parents’ advice and percussion when necessary

Evaluation :  

–          What are social problems?

–          Define social organization

–          List the types of social groups

–          State the characteristics of social groups

–          Define a family as one of the primary social group

–          Highlight the roles of each member that make a family