What is Society
Individual is the basic component of society. The interaction of individuals with each other gives birth to group. The social groups interact with each other and develop relationships with each other, leads to a society. The players in football or other games came together is not a society, but just an aggregate of people. Within the society there are patterns and groupings on the basis of likeness and differences. “Likeness” creates a chain of relations among the individuals having similarity in one or more conditions’ like same profession, same residence, same caste, family and kinship, college, age, sex etc.”
Consciousness of kind is developed and the people of similar interests are joined together rustling in the formation of various groups and categories. Without difference in cultural conditions of a society the human life would have been monotonous and probably limited in which little change is predictable. The system of give and take relationship creates reciprocal roles in human life. These differences lead to variety of human behaviors and social division of labor; the process of specialization is developed. Man is dependent on society for basic needs satisfaction i.e. food, protection, education, etc. There are societies on local as well as on national levels.
Meaning of Society
This term has been derived from a Latin word ‘socious’ that means association or companionship. Thus society means ‘A larger group of individuals, who are associative with each other’.
Definition of Society
Prof Wright: It is a system of relationships that exists among the individuals of the groups.
Linton: Any group of people who have lived and worked together long enough to get themselves organized and to think of themselves as a social unit with well defined limits”.
A.W. Green: It is the largest group in which individual have relationships.
Maclver: It is a web of social relationship, which is always changing.
Adam Smith: Society is an artificial device of Natural economy.