By definition, sociology is the study of society, its processes, foundations, components, and other aspects. However, this simple understanding of the term is not enough: after all, society is also studied by other sciences, such as history, law, demography. The chapter shows that, in contrast to them, sociology considers society as an integral system of the functioning of social communities. It studies the relations that exist between these communities, and also investigates and explains the behavior of people in society. Sociology explores social norms, values, roles, statuses, preferences, public opinion, and many other phenomena that make up what people call social life.
On the other hand, society should be understood not simply as a mechanical sum of people but as a form of their association, suggesting that they have common interests and values. Moreover, society defines and reflects our life experiences – especially our experiences with the people around us. It manifests itself in the decisions and choices we make, in our actions and inactions, in the rules that govern our behavior at school, home, and work. We all live in society but at the same time society lives in us in the form of ideas about how everyday life works, what is a fair social order, how to treat inequalities. It manifests in our minds in the form of expectations about how others around us will behave and in the form of our own supposed reactions to their behavior.
The society around me influenced my development heavily, especially my formative years. For example, I grew up around people who strongly upheld gender stereotypes, allocating certain characteristics to being a boy or being a girl. They viewed those who did not fit their “assigned” gender image as deviants and “people who are violating the laws of nature.” This has influenced my views on non-binary and transgendered people, and for a long time, I did not understand them at all. Only when I left my childhood circle and began meeting new people, some of which were gender-non-conforming, I started to question my views and reshaping them using new knowledge from the internet and my friends. Moreover, I also reflected a lot on my own gender identity, becoming more comfortable with parts of me I previously denied or resented.