Psychology of Quantity Surveying

S.P Zuka

Department of Land Economy and Quantity Surveying

The Discipline of SociologyThe definition of Sociology: It is the study of groups ranging from the smallest group to the largest. The smallest begins with two people, largest group being society

Sociology can also be defined as a sequence of roles, which an individual plays in relation to others at different places and times. E.g. a Quantity Surveyor

Sociology can also be seen as the study of associations and dissociations because it examines human tendencies for participation, cohesion and conflict as individuals interact with each other e.g. interaction at a building site.

Sociology studies interaction in the society, established groups and corporations.

Corporation: group of persons authorized to act as an individual in order to attain a specific objectives.

Society: possible groupings of people, not sub-group

Sociology and Other Disciplines•From our discussion above, Sociology deals with human interactions in various places, groups, organisations and times.•As you may be aware, human interaction is influenced by a number of factors including: economic conditions, historical, political and even psychological. E.g. •Other people are friendly when they have money and are aggressive if they do not have money•Because of what happened in the past, one person is unfriendly to other people or does not trust them

•Thus, sociology draws from other disciplines information to explain and predict human phenomena e.g. from Quantity Surveying it draws professional expectations

Continued •From history, it draws information to explain factors that led to the growth of Quantity Surveying as a profession and the institutions that rise to regulates the profession.

•You will notice that there is a relationship between Quantity Surveying and Sociology.

•Sociology makes use of knowledge with the Built Environment to understand the effect of the work of professionals within the Built Environment and Society and between the professionals themselves.

•You have to note that Sociology is a science as it arrives at its generalizations scientifically.

Methods of Generating Sociological Knowledge • Sociologists carefully and systematically collect information

through observation and intelligent reasoning

• They then summarize the information to develop a particular theory about the society and interactions

• There are three main methods Sociologists use in their research namely:

» Historical Approach» Correlation Approach » Functionalist Approach

• You will now move on to look at each of these in summary

Historical Approach • The method examines the origin of a given phenomenon, social institution

or organisation

• The aim is to understand what lead to the rise and acceptance of a particluar issue

• This method has been widely used by sociologists such as Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim

• The approach is also known as genetic approach. It examines the initial conditions that led to the rise of a particular issue.

• The early sociologists were concerned with understanding how societies and different institutions began

Historical Approach • Karl Mark was interested in understanding the

rising of capitalisms in the 19th century• He came up with five stages in explaining social

change: • Primitive society• Feudal society • Capitalistic society • Socialist society • Communist society

• In primitive society, society depend on themselves and self contained, there is no specialisation

• There is total harmony. Everyone has enough

• In feudalism, there are a group of people who control the land i.e. The land lords and the serfs• Landlords own vast areas of land while the serfs wok on the

land • The landlord exploit the serfs, which is the basis for the change • The serfs rise against the landlords after feeling that they are

being exploited • The serfs find a new thing to do and set in motion the process

of industrilization • In capitalism there are two groups of people namely: the

bourgeousie and the proletariate • The borgeousie who are the owners of the industries exploit

the proletariate by paying them less money

Continued

• Capitalsims was digging its own grave by paying less meoney to the workers • The labouers then rise against the capitalsits and seize the

means of production and set in socialism • In sociolism, the means of production are collectively owned

by the labouers • The laboures share the output on the basis of need and not

capability • Mark argues that socialism gives way to communism• Comminism is a refined socialism and the ultimate stage in

heman development.• The state withers away and harmony comes back

Continued

Correlational Approach • The approach derives its name from correlation• It makes uses of two concepts namely correlation and variable

correlation refers to the relationship betwn variables that occur regularly • Variable is a characteristics that can change or differ from time

to time; place to place; from one ondividual to another. • Variables can be indeendent in that they cause change or

dependent in that they change e.g. The project coordinator can shout at site operatives until they get angry. The shouting is independent while the behavour of the workers is the dependent• The correlation approach expalins te exisitence of a social

issue by focussing on factors asssociated with that issue.• Socilogists also uses this approach in explaining the casusal

effect relationship

Functionalists Approach • This approach explains the existence of social issues in terms

of their contribution to the overall maintenance of the society • The functionalist method classifies activities and

institutionalized patterns of behavior as functional or dysfunctional• Functional activities are behaviors that contribute positively to

society while dysfunctional are behaviors that have negative consequences o the society• For instance, the use of qualified Quantity Surveyors and

institutions ensures that clients are protected from abuse• The certification of Quantity Surveyors is functional • This gives some one advantage in terms of employment and

economic standing in society • However, other people may forge certification and pretend

that they are qualified. This is not the intended aim of certification and so it is dysfunctional

Sociology of Quantity Surveyors• Sociology of Quantity Surveyors is within the broad study of

sociology of the Built Environment

• It is concerned with understanding the interaction between professionals and clients and those in the Built Environment

• It is aimed at understanding the contribution of the work of professions to the society

• It aims at understanding the impact of the built environment on society interaction; and the relationship and relevancy of the created environment to the functionality of the society

Importance of Studying Sociology• There are several importances of studying sociology to Quantity

Surveyors including:• Work better amongst themselves• Help to protect the Qunatity Surveyors from social harm• Help them come up with socially accepted developments• Helps them participate fully in projetcs

• These are in line with major conditions that promote interaction and these are:

• Participation = participate in a particular society and profession• Cohension = it is as a result of allegaince, coordination and intersection• Conformity = adherence to societal norms, which are the standards of behaviour shards

by members in a group or society, members are supposed to comply with rules and regukations e.g. Professional Ethics in Qauntity Surveying

• Cooperation = cooperarion makes people achieve their goal e.g. if the goal in property development is to achieve quality, then there is need for cooperation to make sure that buildings regulations are followed.

Rural and urab Society

• A QS works in both rural and urban siocieties

• However, most of his services are required in the urban area

• There are times however that a QS wil work in the rural society e.g. When constrcuting schools, Rural Growth Centres, hospitals, etc

• The urban society is defferent from the rural society and QS need to know the difference for them to work properly

Difference between Urban and Rural Areas• Population size –urban area are densely populated and most people are in

their economically active ages, rural are sparsely populated• Economic- in most rural areas workforce are farmers or engaged in primary

activities while in urban areas most are employed in secondary and tertiary sectors. Many rural areas have become commuter/dormitory settlement for people working in adjacent areas

• Services - Schools, hospitals ,banks ,public transport are either absent in rural areas or scanty,

• .Land use - Rural areas are spaced with open land between adjacent villagers for farming and small scale industry. In urban settlement often parked together and within town there is a greater mixture of land use with residential, industrial services and open space provision

• Social - rural settlements especially those in more remote areas tend to have more inhabitants in the over 65 age group, whereas the highest proportion in the urban areas lies within the economically active age group or those under secondary school age

• It is becoming more difficult to differentiate villages from towns since urban areas are spreading to rural fringes. Therefore transitional zone is created from strongly rural or strongly urban

Rural-Urban Migration: Cause and Effects• Rural-Urban migration has push and pull factors• Push factors are reasons that will make people

leave their area such as unfavorable conditions, crop failure, natural disasters, mechanization, lack of services

• Pull factors are factors that make people get attracted into the urban area and include better education and health services, employment opportunity, better housing

• Rural-urban migration impact on both rural and urban areas. What do you think are the effects

Continued • Think about the effects in terms of

• social (overcrowding, living conditions, sanitation, crime rate, area such as unfavorable conditions, crop failure, natural disasters, mechanization, lack of services• Economic (unemployment, labour shifting, underdevelopment,

business development• Political (urban demands, political upheaval as a result of

shortage of jobs, slum development and increase in crime)

Changing Socio-cultural Environment and the QS

• Urban and rural areas are different• However the two areas are in constant change• Main causes of change are

• Technological development especially transport system, which has enhanced convergence of space. This has facilitated trade resulting in increased interaction. Thus, culture change has been promoted.• Government policy- generally govt has facilitated change

through a number of policy such as the Modernization Concept, which has undergone the following stages:

Continued• Rural values as traditional that need to totally changed• Rural areas as a combination of bad and good values

that need to be changed as well as conserved• One of the strategies used by government to change

rural areas is the Rural Growth Centre • The other government policy towards cultural change

is the Decentralization project , which aims at including rural institution into formal government processes. It is one way of promoting local participation as well as modernising the local structures into formal structural framework. However the two areas are not static but in constant change

Continued• Urban areas are also changing due to the influence of globalisation

from international world• There is increased adoption of distant culture and value systems in

developing countries• This is even reflected in the construction industry i.e. the type of

buildings do reflect the global pattern• There is also adoption of global values such as human rights

approach to labour relations• There is introduction of new value systems • A professional quantity surveyor has to serve people of different

values • He also have to make groups of people of different values work

together e.g. at construction site• The challenge is therefore for him/her to adjust to the needs of

the varying groups and provide an environment where different people can work together i.e. he/she has to make sure that the environment is functional

Changing Lifestyles and social effects• Life styles changes as time and economic and political

environment changes• Lifestyles can change due to planned intervention or

unplanned interventions• Government of Malawi guided by modernization

reasoning introduced a number of policies to promote changes e.g. building regulations, farming techniques, dressing

• Currently, lifestyles also change due to globalization drive

• A change in the economic, political and physical environment brings changes in lifestyle e.g. capitalistic economy, multiparty democracy, level of economy. How can these changes affect the work of a QS.

Technology and its social effects • Technology have its social effects• Think about the role of cellphones, TV, houses,

cooking technology, building technology. Etc• Note that when there is technology change, lifestyle

change, and a QS has to respond to the changes• Introduction of new technology can either be

accepted by the society or it can be rejected• Thus, adoption of any technology is affected by the

norms and institutions within a society• Remember that people act so as to function in a

specified society

HIV and AIDS and Society• Technology have its social effects• Think about the role of cellphones, TV, houses,

cooking technology, building technology. Etc• Note that when there is technology change, lifestyle

change, and a QS has to respond to the changes• Introduction of new technology can either be

accepted by the society or it can be rejected• Thus, adoption of any technology is affected by the

norms and institutions within a society• Remember that people act so as to function in a

specified society

Gender and Built Environment• Sex = the biological aspect of being male or female• The characteristics are permanent and universal• Gender: refers to socially-constructed characteristics and entitlements of men and women.

They are ascribed by the society based on perceived capabilities and roles of women and men. These characteristics and entitlements are different from society to society because of differences on society. For instance, in some societies such as the developed countries women equally own real property, whereas in developing countries, women rarely own real property and businesses. Look at the statement below

• So and so and Sons (where are the daughters)• So and So brothers (where are the daughters)

• The ascription of certain types of characteristics and roles to women or men is called gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes is defined as the society’s perceptions and value systems that instill an image of women as weak, dependent, subordinate, indecisive, emotional and submissive; while men are perceived as strong, independent, powerful, decisive and logical. E.g. construction work is for men

• Usually women need the consent of men to make decision about investment, work • These roles are however not static but change over time. For instance, nursing as a career

was formerly associated with women; but with the rise in the demand for nurses, men have joined this career . Built environment professional were male dominated but with gender messages, females also take this course

• Gender stereotype leads to discrimination and a professional QS should aim at understanding the prevailing stereotype and aim at addressing them. These should be understood as any distinction, exclusion and restriction aimed at restriction their enjoyment and participation in the activity

• Whether the basis for the discrimination is legal, policy administrative or cultural, it is wrong

HIV and AIDS and SocietyHIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It weakens the

body defenses, the immune system making a person more susceptible to infections.

AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome HIV and AIDS has a lot of impact on business:

• Declining productivity: high absenteeism, high staff turnover, loss of skills and knowledge, frequent training and organisational• Increased costs: insurance cover, early retirement, medical

expenses, funeral costs • Declining profits: less reinvestment declining market

Social Implication of Planning• Planning: Refers to organised, cautious and

continual attempt to select the best available alternative to achieve specific goals

• Development Planning: Process of national economic and social effort for the promotion or achievement of a clearly defined national goals

• Planning need to be in line with the society needs• Historically, planning was centralized