Since people live in society, cooperation between the two is inevitable. The relation between individuals and society is rather close since the former make up the latter and the latter regulates how the former life. The two entities cannot exist without one another, and it is crucial to analyze which of them is more significant. While society is the fundamental condition for the emergence and development of people’s lives, it would not exist without humans. The reason why this issue is philosophical rather than sociological is that it entails the discussion of values (Hossain and Ali 130). Society predetermines individuals’ existence, but it would not be able to operate without people.
Humans are social animals by their nature: babies need support from their parents, and at every further level of development, people require society to ensure their existence and opportunities. The fundamental purpose of the society is “to promote good and happy life for its individuals” (Hossain and Ali 131). With the help of society, individuals can live in cooperation and harmony despite occasional conflicts and misunderstandings. The society arranges all the necessary prerequisites for the continuous evolution of individuals. At the same time, people return the favor by making numerous contributions to society’s progress.
Thus, in the most successful course of events, the impact of society on individuals and vice versa is positive. Social life is composed not only of many people but also of places and activities (Hossain and Ali 132). Allowing humans to participate in a variety of processes, society helps them to improve themselves. Individuals’ feelings and thoughts are affected by the social atmosphere in which they exist. At the same time, social life can have a negative influence on a person in case some detrimental processes are happening in it. There are restrictions made by society that can limit humans’ actions, which is not always accepted well by the latter. Limitations exist in different areas of people’s cooperation, including family relations, education, work, religion, and government (Hossain and Ali 132). In return for society’s attempts to create advantageous living conditions, people make efforts to enhance society by inventing commodities that make society’s existence more comfortable.
The impact of society on people can be viewed through its establishment of particular systems, which one may deem cultural or traditional. For example, people as a group can determine differences between genders, assigning them some traits which are then taught to future generations. The same can be observed in class and ethnic separation – that is why gender roles in some areas of the world are different from others. Here, one can see how society impacts individuals, expecting them to adhere to specific characteristics. For example, Strapko et al. demonstrate that cultures with rigid gender roles and societies with a lack thereof have a varying effect on people’s view of environmental issues (1015). Gender traditionalism, as found by scholars, separates women and men and lowers the former’s concern about nature preservation. A more equalized approach to children’s upbringing increases all people’s concern for the environment. In this case, society’s influence is more visible than that of individuals.
Similar conclusions can be made when discussing the existence of such divisions as class and ethnicity. Individuals in some societies cannot choose their class, and their mindset is closely related to the caste in which they were raised (Srinivasan et al. 109). Individual perceptions of these people are affected by the established norms, and their influence on the society’s future members is likely to be dictated as well (Back 820). The line between personal and group opinions is blurred just as each small and significant event cannot be viewed in separation from the bigger picture. Societies are designed by people, but once established, they gain authority in determining the choices of the following generations.
Works Cited
Back, Les. “Why Everyday Life Matters: Class, Community and Making Life Livable.” Sociology, vol. 49, no. 5, 2015, pp. 820–36.
Hossain, Anayet F. M., and Korban Ali. “Relation between Individual and Society.” Open Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 2, no. 8, 2014, pp. 130–37.
Srinivasan, Mahesh, et al. “Do Attitudes Toward Societal Structure Predict Beliefs about Free Will and Achievement? Evidence from the Indian Caste System.” Developmental Science, vol. 19, no. 1, 2016, pp. 109–25.
Strapko, Noel, et al. “Gender Differences in Environmental Concern: Reevaluating Gender Socialization.” Society & Natural Resources, vol. 29, no. 9, 2016, pp. 1015–1031.