MODULE 2: THE

CONCEPT OF
SOCIETY
 Meaning and Nature of Society
• According to sociologist, a society is a group of people
with common territory, interaction ,and culture
• Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics, defined
society as group of people who share a common territory
and culture.
• It is a group of people living together in a definite territory,
having a sense of belongingness, mutually interdependent
of each other, and follow a certain way of life.
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• Society is derived from the Latin term "societas", from
socius, which means companion or associate.
• It refers to all people, collectively regarded as constituting
a community of related, interdependent individuals living
in a definite place, following a certain mode of life
(Ariola, 2012).

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Two types of definition of society

A.The functional definition- society is defined as a complex of

groups in reciprocal relationships, interacting upon one another,
enabling human organisms to carry on their life-activities and
helping each person to fulfill his wishes and accomplish his
interests in association with his fellows.
B.The structural definition- society is the total social heritage of
folkways, mores and institutions; of habits, sentiments and
ideals. The important aspect of society is the system of
relationships, the pattern of the norms of interaction by which
the members of the society maintain themselves.
 REASONS PEOPLE LIVE TOGETHER AS A
SOCIETY
a. For survival - No man is an island. No man can live alone. From birth
to death ,man always depends upon his parents and from others. The
care, support, and protection given by them are important factors for
survival.
b. Feeling gregariousness- This is the desire of people to be with other
people, especially of their culture. People flock together for
emotional warmth and belongingness, the need for approval,
sympathy and understanding to which the individual belongs is a
psychological need.
c. Specialization- Teachers, businessmen, students, physicians, nurses,
lawyers, pharmacists, and other professionals organize themselves
into societies or associations to promote and protect their own
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 Characteristics of Society
• Society comprises of a group of people who share a
common culture, live in a particular area and feel
themselves to constitute a unified and distinct entity
• .Society or human society is agroup of people related to
each other through persistent relations such as kinship,
marriage, social status, roles and social networks
• .By extension ,society denotes the people of a region or
country, sometimes even the world, taken as a whole.
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 SOCIETY HAS THE FOLLOWING
CHARACTERISTICS
1. It is a social system. Consists of individuals interacting with each other. A system
consists of sub-parts whereby a change in one part affects the other parts.
2. It is relatively large. The people must be socially integrated to be considered
relatively large than if the people are individually scattered. Thus, the people in a
family, clan, tribe. Neighborhood, community are socially integrated to be
relatively large in scope.
3. It socializes its members and from those from without. Since most of society's
members are born to it, they are taught the basic norms and expectations. Those
who come from other societies, before being accepted as functioning members, are
socialized and taught the basic norms and expectations of the society.
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1. 4. It endures, produces and sustains its members for generations. For society
to survive, it must have the ability to produce, endure and sustain its new members
for at least several generations. For instance, if a society cannot assist its members
during their extreme conditions of hunger and poverty, that society will not survive
long.
2. 5. It holds its members through a common culture. The individuals in a society
are held together because that society has symbols, norms, values, patterns of
interaction, vision and mission that are commonly shared by the members of such
society.
3. 6. It has clearly-defined geographical territory. The members in a society must
live in a certain specific habitat or place and have a common belongingness and
sense of purpose.

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Major Functions of Society

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A SOCIETY IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY HAVE
THE FOLLOWING FUNCTIONS:

1. It provides a system of socialization. Knowledge and skills, dominant

patterns of behavior, moral and social values, and aspects of personality are
transmitted to each members, especially to the young, the family, the peer
group, the school, the church and other government and nongovernment
organizations play a role in the individual's development.
2. It provides the basic needs of its members. Food, clothing, shelter,
medicine, education, transportations and communication facilities, among
others must be provided by society to satisfy the basic needs of its members
3. It regulates and controls people's behavior. Conformity to the prevailing
norms of conduct ensures social control. The police, armed forces, law
enforcement agencies and even the church and other government and non-
government organizations exist as means of social control. Peace and order
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4. It provides the means of social participation. Through social
participation, the individuals in a society learn to interact with each
other, present and discuss their concerns and solve their own problems
or renew their commitment and values. the people are give the
opportunities to contribute to their knowledge and skills for the
betterment of their family, neighborhood and community, religious
organizations, civic organizations, people's organizations (PO) and non-
government organizations(NGOs) do their part in community
development.
5. It provides mutual support to the members. Mutual support is
provided to the members of society in the form of relief in any form and
solution to problems met by them. This form of assistance may come
from the family, neighbors, clans, government and non-government
agencies, civic and religious organizations.
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Types of Societies
• Societies exist in particular places and times, and
they change over time. Societies are organized in
particular patterns, patterns that are shaped by a range
of factors, including the way people procure food, the
availability of resources, contact with other societies,
and cultural beliefs.

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Sociologists and
anthropologists(experts who study early
and tribal cultures) identified different
types and classification of societies.
Here are the different types of societies
as mentioned by: Ariola (2012) in his
book: Sociology and Anthropology
with Family Planning:

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According to According to According to People’s
Economic and Evolutionary View Substance
Material System
1. Pre-class Societies- 1. Simple societies- 1. Food Gathering
They are characterized These were Societies-(more than
by communal predominantly small, 16,000 years ago)- The
ownership of property nomadic and leadership people survived from day
and division of labor. is unstable. The people to day through hunting
Examples of these had no specialization of larger animals, collecting
societies are earliest skills, thus they lived in shell fish and vegetable
clans and tribes. a simple life gathering. Their tools
were made of stones,
wood and bones.

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According to According to According to People’s
Economic and Evolutionary View Substance
Material System
2.Asiatic Societies- The 2.Compound Societies- 2. Horticultural Societies-
people are economically Two or more simple (12, 000 to 15, 000 years
self sufficient but their societies merged to form ago) – The people planted
leaders are despotic and a new and bigger society. seeds as a means of
powerful. These societies tended to production for substance.
be predominantly settles
agricultural societies and
tended to be
characterized by a
division pf four or five
social classes
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According to Economic According to Evolutionary According to People’s
and Material System View Substance
3. Ancient Societies- 3. Doubly 3. Pastoral Societies-Most of
These are characterized CompoundSocieties – These the people are
by private land are nomadic who follow their
ownership. The rich completely integrated, herds in quest of animals
(those who haves) owned more definite in political for food and clothing to
big tract of private and religious structure satisfy their needs. they
properties while the poor and more complex raised animals to provide
(those who-have-nots) division of labor. milk, fur and blood for
worked as laborers. Considerable progress in protein. These societies
Thus, wealth is limited to infrastructure and typically are relatively
a few people. knowledge in arts had small, wandering
taken place. communities organized
along male-centered
kinship groups.

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According to Economic According to Evolutionary According to People’s
and Material System View Substance
4.Feudal Societies – The 4.Militant Societies –These 4.AgriculturalSocieties –
aristocrats (feudal lords) are characterized by the In the early
owned the wealth of the following: (a) the existence
country due to their agricultural societies,
of military organization and
ownership of big tracts of military rank; (b) individual people used plow than
lands. The peasants lives and private possessions hoe in food production.
worked on the lands of are at the disposal of the By the use of plow, it
the feudal lords with only State; and (c) individual turns the topsoil deeper
few benefits received by activities such as recreation,
them. However, these allowing for better
movements, satisfaction of
types of societies biological needs, and
aerating and dertilizing
collapsed due to the rise production of goods are thus improving better
of cities and metropolis yield when harvested.
totally regulated by the State.
as a result of the rise of
In other words, individuals
trades and industries
exist to serve the State.
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According to Economic According to Evolutionary
and Material System View
5.Capitalists Societies – 5.Industrial Societies -These
These societies existed in societies are characterized by
the following: (a) people elect
societies where two
their representatives to
classes of people
protect their individual
appeared. The bourgeoise initiatives; (b) freedom of
(property owners) who
belief, religion, production of
owned the capital and the industrial goods exist; (c)
means of production and disputes and grievances are
the ploretariat (the settled through peaceful
laborers or workers) who arbitration; and (d)business
organizations appear where
are compelled to work for
cooperative efforts between
the capitalists or sell management and labor
their small properties to are based on contractual
the capitalists. agreement.
According to People’s
Substance
5.Industrial Societies - These
societies began in the 18th
century during the Industrial
Revolution and gained
momentum by the turn of the 19 th
century. This period is
characterized by the use of
machines as means of food
production. Mass production of
guns,invention of steam
locomotives and large production
of steel, and well-coordinated
labor force took place. Thus, the
people began to be highly skilled
and highly diversiifieed in their
occupation.
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According to Economic According to Evolutionary
and Material System View
6.Democratic Societies 6.Post-Industrial Societies –
– These societies are These are characterized by:
(a) spread of computer
characterized by free
machines and existence of
enterprise where people information and
are free to engage in communication; (b)
any lawful business for inventions and discoveries in
profit or gain. People medicines, agriculture,
had to work on their business whether in physical
and natural sciences
own livelihood emerged; and (c) pollution,
according to what the diseases, calamities are
law mandates. prevalent as a result of the
use of advanced technology.
According to People’s
Substance
6.Post-IndustrialSocieties or
Information Societies
Information and
communication technology is
the hallmark of these modern
societies. These are
characterized by the spread of
computer technology,
advances in this technology
are made by highly-trained
computer specialists who
work to increase the
capabilities of computers
and internet.
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 Dissolution of a Society
There are several ways by which a society is dissolved:
(1) when the people kill each other through civil revolution;
(2) when an outside force exterminates the members of the society;
(3) when the members become apathetic among themselves or have no
more sense of belongingness;
(4) when a small society is absorbed by a stronger and larger society by
means of conquest or territorial absorption;
(5) When an existing society is submerged in water killing all the
people and other living things in it; or
(6) when the people living in such a society voluntarily attach
themselves to another existing society.
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