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Amity School of Law,Noida SOC-125, Semester-1

Sociology: An IntroductionDr. Manisha Jha
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Society
Society-people living within defined territorial
boundaries and sharing a common culture.
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The term society has been derived from the

Latin word “Socius” which means a
companion, association or fellowship. It is
because man always lives in the company of
his fellow beings.
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According to Horton and Hunt society is an organization of

people whose associations are with one another.
In their book on ‘Society’, MacIver and Page define Society
is a system of usages and procedures of authority and mutual
aid, of many groupings and divisions, of controlling of human
behaviour and of liberties. This ever- changing complex
system, we call society.
It is the web of social relationships. And it is always changing.
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An earlier social scientist, L.T. Hobhouse (1908) defined

society as “tissues of relationships”.
Talcott Parsons (Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 1934)
wrote: “Society-may be regarded as the most general term
referring to the whole complex of relations of man to his
fellows.”
C.H. Cooley – Society is a complex of forms or processes
each of which is living and growing by interaction with the
others, the whole being so unified that what takes place in one
part affects the rest.
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An individual is related to others through the ties of kinship,

marriage, neighborhood, caste, occupation, religions, political
parties, and peers (friends groups).
Thus an individual become part and parcel of several layer
groups through these different multiple relationships.
These relationships do not occur at random. Rather these are
patterned. Therefore, Sociologists define society as the pattern
of social relationships formed through interaction of its
members.
 Attributes of Society:
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1. Likeness
2. Differentiation
3. Inter-dependence
4. Co-operation
5. And Conflict
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There should be an aggregate of individuals

who share the sense of likeness. No society
can come into existence unless its members
feel that they are like one another.
Members of the family and kingroup, persons
belonging to same village of small town and
members of the same caste generally have this
feeling of likeness.
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But its not likeness only, it is also marked by Differentiation,

the member of society differ from one another in terms of
caste, class, occupation and education etc.
Even within family, members differ from one another in terms
of gender, age, personality, outlook and personal preferences.
These difference complement each other in such a way that
stability and harmony is maintained in family.
Similar principal is also applicable to wide society where the
differences are subordinated to likeness, which is quite
essential for maintaining social harmony.
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Inter-dependence is another attributes of society. The

members of depends on one another for its smooth
functioning. In a traditional village member of
different caste groups depend on each other in
everyday life.
No individual can perform all functions on one’s
own. Therefore, individual depends on each other to
live smoothly in society.
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Co-operation is another essential attribute of society.

No society can come into existence or continue to
persist unless the members co-operate with each
other.
Co-operation is obtained at every level of society. For
example in our inter-personal relationship
between husband and wife and other family members
Between neighbours
At the level of wider society
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Conflict as an essential attributes of society.

Groups can enter into conflicting relations if
their interests are opposed to each other.
The conflict between landlords and landless
can be observed in this context.
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Characteristics of Society
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Society involves mutual awareness:

The first condition for calling a set of
individuals a society is the awareness among
them about each other.
It is only when individuals are aware about
the presence of others that they can form a
social relationship.
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Society consists of social relationships:

Any two individuals or objects are ;said to be
in relation with each other when there is
mutual interaction and when the actions of
one effects the other.
Thus in a society individuals are effected by
the ways others behave.
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Society has values and norms that guide these social

relationships:
Social relationships are guided and controlled by the values
and norms of a society.
Every individual has a specific role assigned to him/her by the
society.
The performance of these roles is guided by the values and
norms of the society associated with the particular role.
These values are taught to the individuals through the process
of socialization.
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Society has general goals:

Every society wants to perpetuate itself. Certain
functions have to be performed if the society has to
maintain itself and prevent its own destruction. These
are called functional prerequisites.
Some of the most common functions identified are the following; common
goals, common orientation towards environment, communication, set of
common values; reproduction and rearing of children, socializing the
children, attaining food and other resources required for its members,
survival, protecting its members and specific ways to deal with conflicts
and disagreements within the members.
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Society has a number of complementary social processes:

We find a variety of social processes and attributes in the society. We find

instances of association, cooperation, competition and conflict in society.
Similarly we find that in many ways the members of society are alike and in
many other ways they are different.
There are groups and subgroups with these groups that have their respective
dynamics. All these different social processes make up the society.
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Society has division of labour-

One individual cannot perform all functions required to maintain a society.

The work has to be divided among the members.
Division of labour can be based on sex, education, profession, ethnicity,
caste or class.
Division of labour depends on the level of complexity of the society.
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Society is more than the sum total of its members:

The society influences individuals in many ways. It is the
environment along with hereditary factors that determine the
personality of the individual.
Thus the society comes to have a force of its own by which it
influences the members.
This force is applied through social institutions like laws,
religion and family.
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Societies classified on their geographical location:

Examples of this classification are Western society, Indian
society, Chinese society and so on.
This kind of classification is used broadly like in western
societies. It is felt for example that all societies in the west
share certain common and significant characteristics.
Societies classified on the basis of the language:
Examples of this classification are Tamil society and Telugu
society. Language is a medium which unites people and one of
the modes by which the culture of the people is expressed.
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Societies classified based on core values: Sometimes opinions

regarding the nature of the society are based on essential core-
values which the members adhere to.
For example, Western society is considered modern, rational,
individualistic and consumerist while Indian society is
considered to be traditional, religious, group-oriented and
spiritual.
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Societies based on its economic system:

Sociologists influenced by Marxism maintain that economic
factors have predominant influence on how the society is
structured and how society functions. Based on this criteria
societies are classified as capitalistic societies and socialistic
societies.
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Societies based on the political system:

Societies can be classified also on thebasis of the
nature of political system into democratic or
authoritarian.
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Societies classified based on historical

periods:
Ancient societies, medieval societies and
modern societies are some of the societies
based on historical periods in which they
existed.
 Types of Society defined by sociologists
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Mechanical and Organic Solidarity [Durkheim]

Mechanical – solidarity of resemblance; Simple Division of labour;
Repressive laws and Primitive societies.
Organic – Solidarity develops out of differences; Complex division of
labour; Restitutive laws and Modern Societies.
Militant and Industrial Society [Spencer]
Militant – Compulsory Cooperation; Individuals exists for the sake of the
State
Industrial – Voluntary cooperation; State exists for the sake of the
Individuals
Folk and Urban Society [Redfield]
Folk – isolated, homogenous, traditionally organised
Urban – high population density, heterogeneous, formalised system of local
govt.
 Some Additional Characteristics of Society
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1. Society is abstract: it is distinct from physical entity which

we can see and perceive through senses.
Maclver argued, “we may see the people but cannot see
society or social structure, but only its only external aspects”.
Social relationships are invisible and abstract. We can just
realize them but cannot see or touch them. Therefore, society
is abstract.
Reuter wrote: “Just as life is not a thing but a process of living,
so society is not a thing but a process of associating”.
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Society is a process and not a product:“Society exists only

as a time sequence. It is becoming, not a being; a process and
not a product” (Maclver and Page, 1956).
Society as a system of stratification:
Society provides a system of stratification of statuses and
classes that each individual has a relatively stable and
recognizable position in the social structure.
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Elements of Society
Likeness
Difference
System of Stratification
Social Relations
Inter-dependence
Cooperation
Conflict [MacIver – Society is cooperation crossed by conflict]
Competition
Accommodation and
Assimilation
Society is a Process not a Product [It is becoming and not a being –
MacIver]
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Thank you