The document discusses the concept of society, emphasizing that it is a complex structure made up of individuals who interact and form groups, with dependencies and stratification in social relationships. Various types of societies are described, including foraging, pastoral, horticultural, agricultural, industrial, and post-industrial societies, each characterized by their methods of survival and organization. Additionally, it presents the advantages and disadvantages of society, as well as comparisons between society, community, and associations, highlighting their unique characteristics and functions.

1. SOCIAL STRUCTURE

3. SOCIETY
 Individual is the basic component of society
 Interaction of individuals with each other gives birth to groups. These groups interact
with one another and develop mutual relationships that makes society.
 Within a society there are patterns and groupings based on likeness and differences.
Human being is dependent on society for their basic need satisfaction.
 Thus society may be viewed as largest number of human beings who interact to satisfy
their social needs and who share a common culture.
 Term Society refers to entire humanity including those who are unfriendly or uncivil to
the remainder of society.

5.  Abstract: Social relationships are invisible and
abstract. One cannot see society or social structure
only its external aspects can be observed.
 Consists of People: Society is composed of people.
Without people, there can be no society.
 Society is organization of relationship: Society is the
total complex of human relationships. It includes
whole range of human relations.
 Existence of both similarities and differences: Society
involves likeness and differences. For instance family
rests upon the biological differences between the
genders.
 Division of labor: It involves the assignment to each
unit or group, a specific share of common task.
Nature
of
Society

6. Nature
of
Society
System of stratification: Society is a
system of stratification of statuses and
classes that each individual has relatively
stable and recognizable position in the
social structure.
Social control: Society has its own ways
of controlling behavior of its members.
Mutual interaction and mutual awareness:
Society is a group of people in continuous
interaction with each other. These
interactions are possible because of
mutual awareness.

7. TYPES OF SOCIETIES
Foraging
Societies
Pastoral
Societies
Horticultural
societies
Agricultural
societies
Industrial
societies
Postindustrial
societies

8. Foraging
Societies
It is the earliest form of society. The
members survive primarily by hunting,
trapping, fishing, and gathering edible
plants. The majority of the members' time
is spent looking for and gathering food.
These societies were small compared to
the others. They generally have less than
50 members.
These societies were nomadic, which
means that they move constantly in order
to find food and water.
Members of the society were mutually
dependent upon each other. And they had
an equal division of labour.

9. Pastoral
Societies
 People lived in a certain place and started to pasture
animals for transportation and permanent food.
 These societies rely on products obtained through
the domestication and breeding of animals for
transportation and food.
 Pastoral societies are common in areas where crops
cannot be supported, for example in North Africa.
 Pastoral societies only have to move when the land
in which the animals graze is no longer usable.
 Pastoral societies also allow for job specialization,
since not everyone is needed to gather or hunt for
food.
 Still exists in Somalia, Ethiopia and north African
countries.

10. Horticultural
Societies
Emerged between 10,000 and 12,000
years ago in Latin America, Asia, and
parts of the Middle East.
These societies rely on the cultivation of
fruits, vegetables, and plants in order to
survive.
Horticultural societies are often forced to
relocate when the resources of the land
are depleted or when the water supplies
decrease.
Division of labor continued.

11. Agricultural
Societies
 These societies rely on the use of technology in
order to cultivate crops in large areas, including
wheat, rice, and corn.
 The technological advances led to an increase in
food supplies, an increase in population, and the
development of trade centers.
 This period of technological changes is referred
to as the Agricultural Revolution and began
around 8,500 years ago.
 Life is centred around the village community
system.
 Land ownership is uneven, which led to the
stratification of the society based on social class.

12. Industrial
Societies
 With usage of new inventions, humans started to
use machines and advanced technologies to
produce and distribute goods and services.
 Products such as paper and glass became
available to the average person, and the quality
and accessibility of education and health care
soared.
 Gas lights allowed increased visibility in the
dark, and towns and cities developed a nightlife.
 There was a rise of urban centers. Workers
flocked to factories for jobs, and the populations
of cities became increasingly diverse.
 Nationality became more important, classes
existed based on their economic differences.

13. Post- Industrial
Societies
 The post-industrial societies are also known as
Information societies.
 Digital technology is the steam engine of
information societies.
 Since the economy of information societies is
driven by knowledge and not material goods, power
lies with those in charge of storing and distributing
information.
 Members of a postindustrial society are likely to be
employed as sellers of services— software
programmers or business consultants, for
example—instead of producers of goods.
 Social classes are divided by access to education,
since without technical skills, people in an
information society lack the means for success.

14. Advantages and Disadvantages of Society
 Advantages -
- Teaches cooperation
- Teaches to share and care
- Brings in synergy
- Sets norms of behaviour
- Provides physical and psychological protection
- Promotes teamwork
Disadvantages
• Curbs individual freedom to grow
• Uses coercive methods for
compliance of social norms.
• Coercion can be detrimental to
general health of an individual.

15. Community
Small or large Social unit who has something in common
such as norms, religion, values or identity.
They share a sense of place that is situated in a given
geographical area or in virtual space through communication
platforms.

16. Definition
 Community is a set of interrelationships among social institutions in a locality.
- Bell and Newby
 Community is a social group with common territorial base, those in group share
interests and have a sense of belonging to the group.
-Robert Stebbins

17. Characteristics of Community
Group of People
Definite locality
Feeling of belongingness
Grows spontaneously
Permanent in nature
Sharing of similar
characteristics
Variety of ends
Organized social life
Concrete nature

18. COMPARISON
 Society
- Group live together and interact with
one another.
- Members are diverse
- Interactions are the core element.
- Heterogenous
- Objective and interest more extensive
and varied
- Feeling of belongingness may or may
not be present
- Society is abstract in nature.
 Community
- Live together in same place or have
particular characteristics in common.
- Members share common
characteristics.
- Interactions happen involuntarily.
- Homogenous.
- Less extensive and varied.
- Feeling of belongingness is essential
element.
- Community is concrete in nature.

19. COMPARISON
 Society
- It is shapeless and has no area
consideration
- Society has much wider scope.
- In society likeness and conflict
can exist side by side.
 Community
- For community, locality is
essential and it has a definite
shape.
- Community is narrow in scope.
- In community, every effort is
made to avoid conflict and bring
likeness.

20. ASSOCIATION
 It is a group of persons collected together with some particular aim.
 It is concrete form of organization of human beings, contrary to society .
 Definition: It is an organization that is deliberately formed for the collective
pursuit of some interests, which the members of it share.
 Association can be formed on basis of duration, power and function

21. Characteristics of Association
Concrete form of organization
Lack of spontaneous growth
Specific aim and objective
Follows specific rules and regulations
Membership is voluntary

22. Difference
 Community
 Arises spontaneously or naturally
 Regarded as integral or whole
 Part of society
 Community membership is
compulsory.
 Community sentiment is necessary
to constitute a community
 Association
 It has no natural growth.
 It is an organization of social life
 There are number of associations
within a community.
 Membership of an association is
voluntary.
 The sentiment is not a basic factor to
form association.