HUMAN RELATIONS

UNDERSTANDING SELF

Self concept is the concept of beliefs and

feelings that one holds about oneself at a
given time, formed from perceptions
particularly of others reactions and behaviour.
Self concept consist of the physical self or
body image, the personal self or personal
identity and the self esteem.
Self esteem refers to the degree of regard or
respect that individuals have for them and is
a measure of worth that they place on their
abilities and judgement. It is influenced by
the perceptions of how one is viewed by
significant others.

Factors affecting self

concept
Early bonding experiences.

Physical, cognitive interpersonal

development and maturation.
Personality characteristics.
Culture.
Environment.
Socio-economic status.
Physical attributes and capabilities.
Interpersonal and personal roles.
Motives.

Social Behavior
Behavior is looked upon as an activity which
arises when there is a state of tension in the
organism. Activity reduces tension. The socio
genic needs when fulfilled leads to social
behavior. Human beings belongs to a group
and strive to acquire a position or status and
their day to day activities of work, rest,
recreation, etc. are affected by social setting.
Motives that prompt the individual to interact
with others in the society are social
motives.e.g(playing different roles and
exhibiting different types of behavioraffection,dominance, submission, anger, etc.

Motivation
According to Darwin the primary
motives of any living organism is to live
and exist. Motivation is that stage in the
thinking process which gets sufficient
intensity to direct the body to do a
particular thing to satisfy the perceived
want. Motivation is associated with a
social and psychological component.

Definition
Motivation is defined as a combination of
forces which initiate, direct and sustain
behavior towards a goal.
(Lindsay)
Motivation as the stimulation of action
towards a particular objective.
The psychosocial needs arise from the
person because he is an organism in a
social setting.

Types of needs :
Security : feeling of being safe and protected.
Anxiety: feeling of concern about anticipated
event which seem to involve some danger.
Frustration: a feeling for not achieving a
goal.
Independence: a need for an achievement of
self sufficiency
Actualization : the fulfillment of ones
personality potential
Assertion ; arises from basic need to display
ones personality to self and others.

 Achievement : the need to attain

some worth while good.
Recognition : the acknowledgement
by other of ones achievement in some
activity.
Participation : sharing in the
experiences and the activities of others.
Interest : a conscious awareness or a
pull toward something.
Religious need : ones inner
requirement for God.

Motivation process
Unsatisfied need
tension

Reduction of

Tension

Need satisfied

Search behavior
achievement

Goal

Motives are influenced by :

Incentives positive, negative

Competition
Co-operation
Rivalry and jealousy

Social motivation
A motive is a force that determines the
activity of an individual.
Psychologists have grouped motives in
two main categories ;
1.Innate or primary or unlearned
2.Acquired or secondary or learned
motives
Other classifications are :
Physiological drives
Social motives
Personal motives

Social motives
1. Gregariousness ;
It is a universal human tendency which is
shown in our desire to be associated with
others, to be in others company and to do ,
think and feel as others do. This motives
makes is to participate in group activities
and form clubs, associations and societies
etc.
2. Mastery motive :
This is called self- assertion, and can be
expressed in many ways. We like to have
control and power over people and
situations, sense of achievement, a sense of

Mastery which gives us importance. The

rebelliousness of adolescents, their strong
desire to be heard, to be dominate or to
be influential or even excel over others.
3. Acquisitiveness or possession :
This motive shows itself is the tendency to
collect, acquire and possess, use like to
possess objects which win for us
recognition and respect, objects which
have social value such as wealth, our
possessions give us sense of importance
power and achievement.

4. Maternal or protective motive:

Which makes us to care for help and
protect these who are helplessness and
in difficulty.
5. Creative motive :
Expresses itself in our desire to create or
construct something.
6. Urge for security :
We want to feel secure economically and
emotionally. An individual needs to feel
secure in the affection of another or
believe that he is in favour with his
parents, teachers, friends.

He has a desire to belong to belong to

somebody. Feeling of insecurity leads
to emotional disturbances and
maladjustments.

Social Attitude
An attitude is a predisposition to
respond in a persistent and
characteristic manner in reference to
some situation, idea, value, material,
object or class of objects or person or
group of persons.
Attitude refers to certain regularities of
an individuals feelings, thoughts and
predispositions to act toward and
some aspect of his environment.

Attitudes can be positive or negative.

They are acquired by us either
through our effort or are absorbed by
us passively and spontaneously from
the social environment into which we
are born and in which we grow.

 Significance of attitudes in social life

They determine the structure of the
society
It is the basis for representative
democracy
Attitudes mould social relations
Practical utility of attitudes

Classification of Attitudes
1. Attitudes implying some feeling of
inferiority in the subject :
Dissociative : dread, fear, terror, rashfulness
Associative : gratitude, hero worship
Restrictive : Awe, devotion, modesty,
worship.
2. Attitude implying some sense of
superiority :
Dissociative : disgust, arrogance,
intolerance.
Associative : pity, protectiveness
Restrictive : price, tolerance, forbearance.

3. Attitude implying neither sense of

inferiority nor superiority in the
subject :
Dissociative : Hate, Dislike, Aversion,
Suspicion, Distrust.
Associative : Sympathy, Affection, Trust,
Love, Friendliness, Kindness, Helpfulness.
Restrictive : Rivalry, Jealousy,
Competitiveness.

The individual in group

Individual roles
The ultimate behavior of each individual
depends on the influence originating
within the individuals and governing
from outside.
Every individual may have his own ideas
and feelings about others and others
will have certain feeling about him.
Each individual has to think of their own
needs and aspirations.

 For a group to be harmonious every

member should be fully identified with
all the others and be equal in all
respects.
Equal participation of group members.
The role of members in a group is to
work for augmentation and
productivity, under the task roles.
The roles played by an individual in a
negative fashion in a group are called
individual roles or biological roles.

The individuals roles are :

Aggressor :
When an individual in the groups
assume self- importance, gets emotional
and hurts the feeling of others.
Blocker :
In this role the individual is
resistant and stubborn. He disagrees
and opposes every point and does not
allow a decision to take place easily thus
blocks the group from achieving the
task.

Dominator :
Some individual become
authoritative and consider themselves
superior in status and more
knowledgeable. In decision making they
try to press their own points and expect
the group to accept their opinion.
Attention seeker :
Here an individual tries to seek
the attention of the group on himself. He
suffers from inferiority complex,
insecurity and frustration.

Self confessor :
The person is very apologetic
and want to put across his ideas in a
very meek and mild manner due to his
lack of confidence.
Special pleader :
some problems may bring their
own personal needs and try to make
them a group need or he may try to
place before the audience the view point
of some others who are not with in the
group.

Help seeker :
The individual attempts to invite
the sympathy of the group for himself
and not for any other reference. He is
not helpful to the group because of the
selfishness and immaturity.
Play Boy:
This term is used to describe a role
in which an individual shows a gross
lack of involvement of group process
but tries to attract attention by
unnecessary noise, whistling, joking,
and block the group.

Groups
A social group is an aggregate of people,
playing interrelated roles and recognized
by themselves or others as a unit of
interaction.
(Williams)
Two or more people who interact personally
or through communication networks, with
each other and who come together to
achieve particular goals in view.

Types of groups
Formal groups:
It deliberately created with structural
associations and are formed to accomplish
specific goals and carry out specific tasks
which are clearly related to the total
organizational mission.(eg) Employer
working in an organization
Informal groups :
The informal groups consist of groups of
people in an organization, who relate to each
other spontaneously for purposes of mutual
benefit and achievements.(eg)friends

Group characteristics

Sense of unity
Feeling of oneness
Common interest
Reciprocal relationships
Similarity in behavior
Group regulations(rules)
identity

Qualities of group
Group conscious
Sense of shared purpose
A spirit of inter-dependence and
helpfulness and selflessness are
essential.
Frankness and sincerity of opinion and
purpose
Sense of freedom among the members
to discuss matters
Should be a constant readiness to unite.

Group roles

Group building roles :

They help to form the group and
give viability and proper direction for
functioning.
Group maintenance roles :
They help to maintain cohesion and
feeling of oneness, energy, speed and
productivity.
Group task roles :
They keep the group to move
towards the goal.

Human Relation In Context

Of Nursing
A nurse need to have the knowledge about the
human behavior, communication in order to
maintain good human relations in her work
atmosphere.
Family
Client
Community

Nurse

Team Member

 A WHO expert committee defined

nursing as the conscious practice of
human relationships. This definition
itself signifies the importance of human
relations in the nursing practice.
All nursing actions are based on human
interactions. Different roles assumed by
a nurse like :
Caregiver
Patient advocate etc, are derived
from human relations in the context of
nursing.

 The advent ofhigh-tech, high-touch

approach in nursing practice to preserve
the human element in nursing with out
undermining the technological
advancement in patient care underlines
the importance of human relation in
nursing.
The relationship like nurse-patient,
nurse-family, nurse-community, and
nurse- health team member relationship
are based on human relations.

 Nursing is regarded as the most caring

one among health care professions.
This caring image is mainly due to the
high proportion of human element
involved in the practice of nursing. To
a great extent this human element is
manifested in the form of human
relations.

Individual and Groups

Brown argues that every human being
living in society is of two things :
1.He is an individual
2.A person
Human being as individuals are
subjects of psychologists
Human being as a person is a complex
of social relationships.

According to CN Shankar Rao, character of

social relationship underlie different
forms of groups, such as :
Primary and secondary groups
In groups and out groups
Organized groups and unorganized
groups
Formal and informal groups or
organizations.
Society is made up of groups. Daily life is
possible only through participating in
group activities.

Various factors such as psychological ,

biological, kinship bond, geographic factor,
cultural, economic, religious, political factor
which motivate human beings to lead a
social life are known as social bonds.
Individuals are motivated to lead a
group life because of :
Survival becomes difficult without groups
Only a human environment makes a man.
Group activity is essential for socialization.
Group contribute the development of
personality.

Groups and Individuals

It is evident that individuals become
individuals only in groups. Group can
influence the individual in many ways.
Individual may change his opinion,
attitude, etc, due to the influence of
group. In health care, influence of the
group in the behavior of individual is
utilized to bring about desired
behavioral change in individual.

Group Dynamics

Group dynamics deals with the interactions

and forces between group member in a
social institution.
Group dynamics is the study of
group behavior to understand whether
how and why the group behaves as a
whole and what it is capable of achieving.
Group dynamics is the field of
study or the branches of social sciences
concerned with scientific methods to
determine why groups behave the way
they do is group dynamics.

Importance In Nursing
Group Dynamics
Immediate importance to the health
educator, interested in helping groups to
get together, discuss, take decisions and
implement their programmes to solve the
problems.
When it systematically train up groups
over a long period of time, it is quite
possible to guide groups by a few sessions
to get together for problem solving and
united action.ss

The effectiveness of group dynamics

is influenced by the factors, such as
:
Goals or purpose of the group
Commitment of the group members
Decision making abilities of group
members
Leadership style of the group leader
Communication among members, and
Group cohesiveness.

Team work

A team work is a group of individuals who

functions as a unit for attaining a common goal.
In an organization a team is a group of workers
that functions as a unit, often with little or no
supervision for carry out organizational
functions.
According to Braggs opinion, members of
the effective teams usually,
Share leadership responsibilities
Cooperate each other
Share ideas freely
Listen affectively and accept the concern of
others

 Seek creative solutions when view

points differ
Forego personal recognition for the
sake of team, and
Recognize and support the
contributions of other members

Phases of Team
Development

Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing, and
Adjourning

In the forming phase , leaders provides

structure, clarifies goal, and
refocuses as necessary.
In storming phase differences among
group members may arise and often
begin to challenge the leader. At this
point it is important for the team
leader to allow differences to focus
on the problem and not the person.

As the group progresses to the norming

phase members solve the differences and
start working. This time leader needs to
clarify roles and responsibilities once
again.
The performance phase is the most
productive. Group members trust each
other and work together to achieve the
common goal.
In the adjourning phase leader should
summarize what the team has
accomplished, acknowledge the team
effort, and celebrate the teams success.