What is society?

We explain what society is and some of the components that characterize it. In addition, the importance of living in society.

1. What is society?

The term  society , from the Latin ‘societas’, refers to any grouping or group of living beings that live in community , both among humans and among some animals. In the case of the latter, there is usually the common phenomenon of grouping according to the species to which it belongs.

On the other hand, a factor common to both societies can be identified, given by the relationship of communication , collaboration and interaction between its members. In the particular case of societies formed by human beings , they are characterized by having a greater complexity in their structure , in addition to a fundamental element called culture .

The culture of a society includes its  norms , customs, values , ethical and moral norms, language , and other elements that identify it. That is why, thanks to the cultural component, if certain rules are not met, certain sanctions will be given, either formally or informally . As a result, it must be said that every man born and raised in society suffers a great influence from her in her formation process .

2. The importance of life in society

In addition, life in society will allow the human being to develop factors such as communication , language or social life that will be fundamental for the correct physical and psychic evolution of the subject .

It can be said then, that from the psychological and medical point of view, it is essential that the human being shares the path of his life with other human beings who will collaborate with each other so that it occurs in the best possible way from birth to death of the individual.

Setting an example , living in society is necessary for factors such as starting to walk, talk, read, and write ; as well as to be able to signify their sensations and perceptions, being able to transform them into emotions and feelings. Another very important element for those who live in it will be the presence of symbols that will be encoded and decoded in a certain way according to culture, area, etc.

At present, the organization of societies occurs in a hierarchical manner , thus managing the so-called social classes (high, medium and low). This classification is generated from the economic level that the individual has fundamentally. In this way, different parameters are established that vary according to the country, by which both minimum and maximum salaries that define the membership of each class are determined.