Social Relations

Social relations is a blanket term for interactions between two or more people, groups, or organizations. Individual social relationships are composed of an immense number of social, physical, and verbal interactions that create a climate for the exchange of feelings and ideas.

According to researcher Piotr Sztompka, the most basic of "behaviors" are various physical body movements that humans have in common with animals. The second step is "actions" which are actions that have meaning and purpose. Third are social behaviors or actions that address other people. Fourth are "social actions" the form the beginning of a social relationship. Lastly, are the symbols that define not only our self-image but also our relationships.

These symbols are essentially the labels with which we define our relationships with each other such as friend, parent, child, or teacher.