INTRODUCTION

Social organisation is the organisation of society. Society is a web of social relationships. In

this way, social organisation is a system of social relationships. Social relationships are
complex. They are composed into numerous small groups. In these groups are individuals.
The mutual relationships between individuals are controlled and regulated by institutions and
associations. Hence institutions and associations, along with individuals and groups, form a
part of the social organisation. It is made of two words- social and organisation whereas
social refers to human beings living together as a group in a situation requiring that they have
dealings with one another. Organisation means a set of differentiated activities serving a
common purpose and so correlated that the effectiveness of each is increased by its relation to
the rest. The process whereby social relationships become disorganised is known as social
disorganisation. Social disorganization is a relative phenomenon and the two, i.e. social
organisation and disorganisation, are the dual aspects of the whole functioning of the social
system. Social disorganisation may thus be more or less, when the forces of social change
create a threat to social stability and as a result of which there arise social problems. It
implies some breakdown in the social organisation.

LEVELS OF DISORGANISATION
There are three levels social disorganisation:

PERSONAL DISORGANISATION

FAMILY DISORGANISATION

SOCIAL DISORGANISATION

A) PERSONAL DISORGANISATION:
Human beings are purposive creature and they must have some purpose motivating their life.
Each individual has evolved some scheme or some organisation of his/her life incorporating a
particular set of attitudes and values. Attitudes as we may define them are the tendencies to
act in a specific way and social values are the meanings we attach to the objects and
behaviour involves. Each individual has a unique personality and this is due to the unique
organisation and relationship of the psychophysical traits. Personality is a characteristic
integration of the physical structure, behavioural patterns, capacities and abilities. As long as
these traits are integrated and well balanced an individual is well adjusted with its
environment and is relatively free from frustrations and ambiguity of goals and purposes.
When this balance is thrown off and organisation of psychophysical traits becomes
unsystematic, personal disorganisation results. The society tries to impose the socially
sanctioned variety of life organisation upon the next generation and, therefore. the
individual's attitudes and values are in large part the product of such group norms and
expectations. If the group values were sufficiently rigid or well defined there would seem to
be no reason for the individual's failing to conform to them. Therefore, disorganisation of the
individual is often the result.

A proper life organisation is one which is based upon a set of attitudes, habits and values
which are in harmonious concord with the organisation and purposes of the group. A well
organised creative person is one whose various social activities are in substantial reciprocal
balance. His various life processes are integrated into a smoothly functioning social whole.
The unadjusted person, on the other hand, is essentially uncoordinated. He/she becomes one-
sided, devoting too much time and energy to one group of activities and ignoring others
which are equally important in life scheme. When an individual deviates so much from the
normal conception of balance as to be treated in an exceptional manner, he is then considered
to be truly disorganised. Disparity in opinion exists within the various political, religious
,educational, economic and ecological groups within the same social structure. Thus the
individual is often confused the result of which may be maladjustment.

Causes of Personal Disorganisation:

Anything which upsets the harmonious functioning of an individual's daily living may disrupt
his life organisation and "disorganise" him/her. Elliot and Merrill have mentioned four kinds
of factors or situations which often disturb the individuals pattern of living, viz.

 Biological factors
 Environmental factors
 Loss of security and crisis in life

The biological factors include personal difficulties arising out of organic or functional
disorder, i.e. physical illness, injury, mental deficiencies or personal inadequacies. The
individual so handicapped may become maladjusted. The environmental factors include such
situations as economic distress, confusion, contradiction and conflict in social relations in the
family, in the economic world, in religious institutions or in recreational activities which may
bring disorganization in his life. Thirdly, the child or the adult alike make a search for
security. Much of the child's sense of security is based upon the fact that he is his parent's
child and belong to his parents in a very real sense.

Types of Personal Disorganisation:

1. Sex Offenders: Rape, sodomy, bestiary, homoerotism, paedophilia, plural sex, are some of
the examples of sexually deviant behaviour. A person addicted to any of these and preferring
them to heterosexuality is an unstable person. Incest, that is, sexual contacts between mother-
son or father-daughter or brother-sister is a heinous act and is bound to affect the personality
adversely.
2. Prostitution: Both prostitute and her patrons are liable to be unstable. Sex without love
may not upset some highly sophisticated persons but on the whole a feeling of guilt is felt by
all such persons. In countries where prostitution its outlawed , prostitutes ply their trade in
respectable areas and mix with all sorts of persons.

3. Alcoholism and Drug-addiction: Man drinks or eats LSD, marijuana or smokes ganja or
swallows amphetamines and barbiturates, in order to escape from realities of life and live in a
spurious heaven. But these trips can be lent short-lived and can only intensify the problems.
Thus these things are poisons of the soul. Their moderate use may be condoned but any
excess in thus matter is injurious to both body and mind.

4. Suicide: Suicide is the most vicious form of personal disorganisation. According to

Durkheim there are three types of suicide ; (1) Altruistic, (2) Egoistic and (3) Anomique. The
last type is due to social disorganisation.

(B) FAMILY DISORGANISATION:

The family is the most important primary group in society. The family in its earliest origins
began as a reproductive or biological association, but gradually it has developed into a
primary social unit of the highest importance to the individual and the society both. The
primary functions of the modern family include (i) the procreation and the care and nurture of
the young, (ii) the more stable satisfaction of the sex needs of the partners, and (iii) the
sharing of a home, with its combination of material, cultural,, and affection satisfactions.
Only in a successful family are these three functions so united that each of them reinforces
and enriches the satisfaction of the others. Sex becomes not a detached phenomenon as it
tends to be in extramarital relations and usually is in prostitution but part of a larger
experience of meeting common problems.

Concept of Family Disorganisation

Family Disorganisation may be thought to include any sort of non-harmonious functioning

within the family. It may include not only the tensions between husband and wife, but those
arising between children and parents as well. This conjugal relationship is the central bond
uniting the family in any society. When this bond is broken, the family is then automatically
broken. The existence of the family groups as a functioning unit depends upon the
continuation of many personal relationships, which are reciprocal. When this relationship is
broken there comes the breakdown in the family organisation.

Family disorganisation in the external manifestation may take the form of desertion,
separation, divorce, physical violence or use of abusive language. But these manifestations
are only the superficial symptoms of a breakdown in the intimate relationships within the
family. The legal or social function of the normal life may be maintained even when these
personal relationships are at a minimum. Family may continue to live under the same roof
because of religious beliefs or economic or social motives. Every man and women enter
marriage from a separate background, with different ideas and attitudes born out of his or her
own experience. Under the circumstances, it is not surprising that distinctive personality traits
of the one may unconsciously or consciously irritate the other.

Causes of Family Disorganisation

1. Industrialisation: In the modern industrial system women and children work in factories
along with the men. This reduces the unity of the family and increases disorganisation.

2. Ideal of romantic love: Modern marriages are based on the ideals of romantic love. When
the dreams of the two partners do not materialise in the family, enmity increases and is
gradually transformed into conflict.

3 Hedonism: Modern civilization is hedonistic. In this, people pay more attention to their
rights than to their duties. This increases selfishness and the occasions for conflict.

4. Individualism: Modern civilization is also individualistic. No one wants to consider the

interest of the family. Everyone is engaged in the consideration of solely his own interest. No
one is prepared to sacrifice his smallest interest to benefit another. As a result of this, conflict
in the family increases.

To be sure, the instability of the modern family as measured by divorce and separation and
economic discord, will continue to increase for some time. Because these are the by-products
of mans attempt to evolve a new pattern of human relationships. Formerly, social and
economic pressures made it imperative for the family to hold together in spite of other
difficulties. But today it must depend much more on its intrinsic strength.

(C) SOCIAL DISORGANISATION:

When the forces of social change create a threat to social stability and as a result of which
there arise social problems is called social disorganisation. It implies some breakdown in the
social organisation, which may be more or less according to the forces of social change
operating at a particular time. In the words of Elliot and Merrill, "Social disorganisation
represents a breakdown in the equilibrium of forces, a decay in the social structure, so that
old habits and forms of social control no longer function effectively." Gillin and Gillin point
out, "By social disorganisation we mean such serious maladjustment between the various
elements in the total cultural configuration as to endanger the survival of the group, or as
seriously to interfere with the satisfaction of the fundamental desires of its members, with the
result of that social cohesion is destroyed."

When the changes brought about by psychological, biological, physical, technological and
cultural in the social structure are so disturbing that the present institution and other forces of
social control are no longer able to control them by adjusting themselves to the new situations
there arises social disorganization.

Causes of Social Disorganisation:

1. Social Change:: In the opinion of Elliot and Merrill, social change is dynamic. Its various
elements, modes, mores, institutions, associations, etc., are constantly changing. In it the old
mores come into conflict with newer patterns and old institutions enter into strife with newer
institutions, the result of which is that the unanimity of society is destroyed.

2. Cultural Lag:: Cultural lag is also one cause of social disorganisation. All the va
various
elements of society do not undergo an equal degree of change and modification
modification. But one
finds a significant diversity between the thoughts, institutions and assumptions prevailing at
various places. Cultural lag is the name given to the phenomenon wherein
wherein an element of a
culture fails to keep up with the others in the process of change.
change. This creates confusion in
society and social disorganisation sets in.

3. Change in social values: Without social values neither social organisation nor social
disorganisation
isation would exist. Changes in social values necessitate new social institutions and
associations. These come to conflict with the older, existing institutions and associations.
This creates disorder in the society. The status and role of people change in accordance with
the changes in social values. They take time to adapt and adjust themselves. In this way,
disorganisation spreads.

Theories of Social Disorganisation:

The social problem approach

The biopsychological approach

The geographical approach

The cultural approach

The microscopic-macroscopic
macroscopic theory

Social disorganisation is a complex and intricate phenomenon. It encompasses communal,

personal, national, international and associational disorganisations. It is due to change in the
social norms, values, ideals and attitudes. It is a continuous process.

REFERENCES
1. Sharma Ram Nath, Social Disorganisation And Social Problems, Educational
Publishers, Meerut, 1984.

2. Madan, G R, Indian Social Problems, Allied Publishers Limited, Bombay, 1966.