The term society 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’.

Below are three definitions of society:

1. A society is the largest number of human beings who interact to satisfy their social needs
and who share a common culture. “A society may be defined as a network of interconnected
major groups viewed as a unit and sharing a common culture” (J.H. Ficther, Sociology, 1957).
A society may be illustrated as an economic, social, or industrial infrastructure, made up of a
varied collection of individuals.

2. A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social

group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typicallysubject to the same political
authority and dominant cultural expectations.

A society is a group of people broadly distinguished from other groups by mutual interests,
participation in characteristic relationships, shared institutions, and a common culture.

3. In Sociology, society refers not to a group of people but to the complex pattern of the
norms or interaction or relationships that arise among them. It is the complicated network
of social relationships by which every individual is interrelated with his fellowmen. A social
relationship implies reciprocal awareness among individuals.

The following 6 basic elements or characteristics of a society will distinguish us from

1. Likeness. The sense of likeness in a social group may have begun as lineage, tribal affinity,
or family. This feeling of likeness brought men together.

2. Reciprocal awareness. The feeling of mutual likeness brings a group of people together to
differentiate them from those who are not like them. This leads to the “we” feeling.

3. Differences. It is necessary that there be differences within the society. Members differ in
their abilities, capacities, interests, and tendencies. Taken together, these differences bring
about what is called “division of labor.

4. Interdependence. Man cannot live alone. In a society, all the needs of the members are
fulfilled. Presently, interdependence in not only among members of a society, but
dependence extends among countries.

5. Cooperation. Members of a society work together because they realize they have a
common interest.

6. Conflict. All individuals are unique. As pointed earlier, while there may be likenesses,
there necessarily exist differences. Since differences result in conflict, then cooperation is
needed. But it is in the resolution of conflicts that the society grows. That is, everyone must
cooperate to resolve the conflict for the common good.

6 Types and Characteristics of Societies Through History

1. Hunters and gatherers. One of the first societies formed was that of hunters and
gatherers. Since food is the primal source of life for humans, the main focus of hunters and
gatherers was to hunt down animals for food, gather fruits and nuts, and search for water
sources. The roles in this society were divided between men and women, where men
hunted bigger animals and were in charge of providing food and shelter, while women
collected fruit and hunted smaller prey. Their nomadic tribal structure allowed them to form
close unions and, as there were not many of them, they could quickly move from one place
to another, wherever there were food and water.

2. Pastoral society. They were the first ones to domesticate animals and to form permanent
settlements. They emerged in areas which were not very suitable for growing plants and
where they needed to have food within reach. With storing food, these societies could thrive
and even form the first traces of trade with other pastoral tribes.

3. Agricultural society. Emerged from what is referred to as the „Agricultural Revolution‟.

Growing crops and having greater technological means allowed them to grow in numbers
and form more prominent families. This gave rise to the first form of nobility and division
among labour. There were warriors, educators, farmers, artisans and others. All of it began
to appear like a functioning system.

4. Feudal society. The systems above were first officially established with feudalism. A
system that began as early as the 9th century implied that a wealthier member of the
nobility lay claim to lands which were farmed and worked on by common people in
exchange for food and housing. The families of commoners worked for feudal lords for
generations and thus helped them amass great wealth.

5. Industrial society. With the further advent of technology, people were able to put the
machines to work and establish factories. This revolution began in 18th century Britain and
quickly spread to the rest of the world. What this meant to people was that many of them
could get employment and support their families. With the rise of the industry,
transportation and housing also grew, education was institutionalized and made available.

6. Post-Industrial society. We are now in what can be referred to as a post-industrial

society. Factories are still present, but with a lot more technology and with the appearance
of the digital age. We now have computers in our pockets, social networks on the internet
and even intelligent machines.