Meaning and Nature of Society

Society - is simply defined as a grouping of individuals, which is characterized by common interest and
may have distinctive culture and institutions.
- it is definitely an organized group of people associated together for religious, benevolent,
cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes to obtain a common goal.
Meaning and nature of society
- it is a self-contained group with people interacting with one another and share common beliefs
and values and under a common political authority within a certain geographical area.
- exist over an extended period of time. The word society itself denotes a positive perspective, it
was termed because of the purpose it served.

Human beings are inherently and essentially social creatures, with the desire and need to be in
close contact with (others and environment).
While conflict both within and between societies has been the perennial feature of human
history, all societies strive to maintain harmony within and, at least in more recent times, many now
seek harmony among diverse personalities in efforts to establish a more sensitive and tolerant society.

Origins of Society
- The term society emerged in the fifteenth century and is derived from the French société. The
French word, in turn, had its origin in the Latin societas, a "friendly association with others," from socius
meaning "companion, associate, and comrade or business partner.“
- Essential in the meaning of society is that its members share some mutual concern or interest,
a common objective or common characteristics, often a common culture.
- We have learned that the word society came from a Latin word which means friendly
association with others. This word itself provides us an insight that society stands for cooperation and
formation of relationship with others. The people in a community having a common objective means
they work in unity to achieve this objective.
- A society is a complex whole with interdependent parts, while culture is an attribute
characteristic of a community, the complex web of shifting patterns that link individuals together.
- We as a member of the society have our own roles to perform. As a member of a larger
system, our roles affect the other members of the society. A society also contains various institutions
that are establish to perform roles needed by the group of people. Specifically, there are various social
institutions in our society, that have their own roles and responsibilities to perform such as the family,
the school, the church and the government. For example, the actions of the government affect the
decisions of the families. The rules imposed by the government affects other institutions as well,
meaning though there are many parts, we are all link to one another.
- Society is the actual arrangement of social relations.
- Culture consists of beliefs and symbolic forms. Complex whole which includes knowledge,
beliefs, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of
society.
Society in Various Perspectives

1. Evolutionary - it is presumed that thousands of years ago people lived in isolation and their only
problems were the basic necessities to live such as food, water and shelter. Every person then has
neither companion nor friends which whom they can relate to and that their existence is a mere
survival.
- Soon after, families have emerged as an isolated organization of people dependent on
each other for survival and subsistence. In order to live, they found certain roles to fulfill and to
accomplish.
- The family groups live together in a nomadic life, occupying one place after the other
to nurture their needs and wants. But later on, nomadic life became a burden because the enlargement
of the families slowed down their mobility, and so a new way of life was introduced.
- After in being in isolation, soon families emerged where people became dependent to
one another for survival and need for food. They become nomadic in order to satisfy their needs and
wants, as they become larger, being nomadic becomes harder because their travel slows down. As such
a new way of life was introduce . It is time for the family to settle down and have their own lands and
territories and this gives birth to the society as we know it at the present.

2. Political - a system was established as necessary measure for their protection. Leaders were selected
and social norms were imposed, upon which division of roles, and responsibilities were assigned.
- With that, certain rules and norms of conduct were respected and upheld while social
hierarchies were modeled as well.
- Politics is needed to guide the people's way of life and to create a social control. Thus it is
related to all the social systems and institutions existing in a society. Social control means that the
government regulates behaviors of people that are harmful to others, this is instituted through a form of
policies and laws.

3. Economical – people on the other hand are undeniably, must produce to address and sustain
essential needs of the now and next generation. This is to provide means and ways to sustain man’s
basic and material needs to live. Hence, the acceleration for production is imperative to answer the
increasing demand of man in society.
- People must produce goods to sustain the needs of the people, it answers the demands
of the society.

Four Categories of Society

(These categories were presented by anthropologies who produce a system of classification for societies
in all human cultures based on the evolution of social inequality)

1. Hunter-Gatherer - live a free way of life, they have different strategies to live during the early
civilization. They maximize what their environment and the nature can give to them in order to survive,
they developed tools to help them in hunting. It is believed that it is the men who do the hunting and
the women collects or gather the food.

2. Tribal Society - tribal society exhibit unity and connections that exist between tribal institutions.
There is a corresponding unity and coherence in tribal values that are intimately related to social
institutions.

3. Chiefdoms - this kind of society was led by a chieftain. Chiefdoms are characterized by centralization
of authority and pervasive inequality. At least two inherited social classes such as the elite and the
commoner are present in here.

4. Civilization - It is what we are in today. It is composed of complex social hierarchies, it is organized

and were led by governments.

Effects of Industrialization – SOCIAL INEQUALITY

- As a society becomes civilized, we are now in an industrial era brought about by the presence
of technology that was developed over time. This industrialization have helped the society to propel,
however, it also leads to social inequality. Opportunities are present but are unequal which depends on
one's status, social position, or rank within a society. It is fueled by uneven distribution of resources and
wealth and often defined by rewards and punishment.

Common Types of Society

- Band
A band society is the simplest form of human society. A band generally consists of a small
kinship group, often no larger than an extended family or small clan.
- Clan
A clan is a group of people united by kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent
from a common ancestor.
- Tribe
In common understanding the word "tribe" is a social division within a traditional society
consisting of a group of interlinked families or communities sharing a common culture and dialect.
- Ethnic Group
A community or population made up of people who share a common cultural background or
descent. In common understanding the word "tribe" is a social division within a traditional society
consisting of a group of interlinked families or communities sharing a common culture and dialect.
- Chiefdom
Chiefdom is any community led by an individual known as a chief. In anthropological theory, one
model of human social development describes chiefdom as a form of social organization more complex
than a tribe, and less complex than a state or a civilization.
- State
A state is a political association with effective dominion over a geographic area. It usually
includes the set of institutions that claim the authority to make the rules that govern the people of the
society in that territory, though its status as a state often depends in part on being recognized by a
number of other states as having internal and external sovereignty over it.

Meaning and Nature of Gender: Differences of Male and Female

Female:
Menstruation

Childbirth

Breastfeeding

Male:
Circumcision

Sex Roles – are related to physiology of an individual’s make up. Female sex roles is fer capacity to:
Menstruate, Gestate (child birth), Lactate (breastfeed).

What is sex?
Sex is the physical, biological difference between men and women. It refers to whether a person
is born male or female. It is a label based on the nature of genitalia and reproductive organ of the
individual. Sex is biologically determined. It is the physical structure of one’s reproductive organs that is
used to assign sex at birth.

Besides the fact that the male produce sperm and female egg cells,

– sex is Biological 1.Reproductive system—male and female reproductive system

2.Chromosomes—female egg cells contain only X (XX). Male sperm may have
either X or Y (XY). Sex chromosomes present in the sperm determine whether offspring are genetically
male or female.
3.Sex cells—sperm cells of male fertilize egg cells of females
4.Hormones—main function of hormones is to stimulate the development of
primary sex characteristics, so that individuals become capable of reproduction. Hormones are also
responsible for the development of secondary sex characteristics.
 - Universal (

, Congenital