SOCIOLOGY

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BASIC CONCEPTS
OF
SOCIOLOGY
SOCIETY
 Derived from Latin word
‘socius’ which means
friendship
 Defined as a network of
relationship of people
emerged by sharing of
needs and interaction
CONTD..
 According to Lapiere “The term
society refers not to group of
people, but to the complex
pattern of the norms of
interaction that arise among and
between them.”
 PRE-INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY
 Informal and simple society
 Importance of ascribed status
 Dominance of patriarchal practices
 Subsistence based farming
 Joint and extended family
 No proper use of natural, economic
and human resources
 State domination
 TYPES

Pastoral Society

Hunting and
Gathering Society

Agricultural Society
 INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY
 Formal and complex
 Importance of achieved status

 Class based society

 No state intervention

 Domination of nuclear family

 Heavy use of available

resources
 COMMUNITY
 Combination of two Latin
words “Com + Munis ”.
Com(together)+Munis
(service)
 Defined as a geographical
area, where people with
similar character live with
definite identity with a sense
of ‘we-feeling’
 Newar community, Gurung
community etc..
 CONTD..
 According to Kingsley Davis,
“Community is the smallest
territorial group that can
embrace all aspects of social
life.”
 Major elements
 Group of individual
 Definite geographical area
 Community sentiment
 Common identity People in Newar community
celebrating same ceremony..
 CULTURE
 Most important concept in
social sciences
 Defined as the complex body of
things of materials acquired by
man to get their needs
 Includes all our way of life , our
modes of behavior, philosophy,
ethics , norms and values etc.
 It is all forms of material and
non-materials items made by
man Cultural practice of Rai
Udhauli
 CONTD..

 According to Robert Bierstadt , “Culture is the complex

whole that consists of all the ways we think and do and
everything we have as members of society.”
CONTD..

Feature
 Both material and non
material
 It is learnt
 Dynamic and social
 Transferable and adaptive
elements
 An universal
phenomenon
Function
 To give knowledge
 To give identity to people
 To make people social
animal
 To maintain peace and
security
 To bind people together
 ELEMENTS OF CULTURE
 Norms: They are unwritten rules to measure behavior of
people.
 Value: It refers to emphasis given to particular material
and non-material culture
 Knowledge: It is a means to enhance the skill or capacity
of people to use things for the fulfillment of needs
 Beliefs: It is psychological conceptions of people that
determine the way of life of people
 Technology: It is a new technique generated to apply in
production of goods and services
 Signs: They are the signals for conveying the messages
from one person to other. Eg: Blinking Eye
SOCIAL GROUP
 Simply, it is the collection of people
 Eg : family group, kin group , sex
group etc.
 According to Ginsberg, “A social
group is a collection of an
individual interacting with each
other under a recognizable
structure.”
 Elements-collection of people ,
interaction , common ideals, role
feeling..
CONTD..
Nature
 Generates strength to
achieve goal
 Produce knowledge for
society
 Makes people follow
norms, values and rules
 Works as agent of
socialization
Factors
 Psychological factors
 Biological factors
 Physical factors
 Socio-cultural factors
 Economic factors
 Political factors
 Kinship
 TYPES
Primary Secondary
 Small in size  Larger in size
 More stable  Dynamic
 Face to face relationship between  Face to face relationship not
members required
 Direct cooperation  Indirect cooperation
 Confined to small geographical  Not confined to limited area
area  Formal interaction among the
 Informal interaction among the members
members  Organic solidarity
 Mechanical solidarity  Eg : political parties, lions club
 Eg : family, play groups etc.
 ORGANIZATION
 Defined as the structural
framework with division of
people in hierarchical
structure
 According to August
Comte, “Social
organization is defined as
the general social
agreement or social
consensus.”
 Elements: a goal, role and
MAX WEBER’S BUREAUCRACY
 Defined jurisdiction and Authority
 Specialization of work
 Hierarchical division of work
 Administration based of written
work
 Detachment from personal life
 Definite career system
 Fixed salary according to their ranks
 Merit based selection procedure of
officials
MAX WEBER  Redtapism
 INSTITUTION
 It is a complex form of
folkways, mores and laws to
determine the way in which
order shall be maintained
 Gives life to an association.
 Can be compared as software.
 According to MacIver and
Page, “Institution may be
defined as the established forms
or conditions of procedures
characteristic of group activity.”
CONTD..
Nature
 Social and universal
 Means of satisfying needs
 Relatively permanent
 Controlling mechanism
 Abstract in nature
 Use symbol for identity
Function
 Fulfillment of human
needs
 Controls and regulate
human behavior
 Simplify activities of an
individual in group
 Determines roles, status
rights of an individual