In What Sense Man Is A Social Animal?

Every man is born into a society but he is not born human or social. He is at the outset an
organism belonging to an animal specie. It is only through his interplay with his fellows that
he gets his “human nature" and his personality, his self hood . The infant has no ‘self'. Self
can come into being only through interaction with other people.

Every person is born into a social environment ( i .e . A community or other groups to which
he or she belongs) and culture (heritage of the society, i .e. the arts, devices, techniques,
lores, myths, values, traditions, mores and institutions) but he or she is not born human or
social.

A newborn baby is at the outset an organism belonging to an organism belonging to an

animal specie. It is only through living in this social environment and culture it carries that
the infant, as it grows , becomes genuinely human. It is only by interacting with others, by
linking itself to others in knowledge, work and thinking that the growing child is capable to
express himself as a human being.

Culture is at one and the same time taught, learnt and shared. These are the characteristics
which distinguish man as a social being. It is the possession of culture that differentiates man
from other species. “It is this" , to quote Peter Worsley ,”that mark's off human society from
even the most complex insect ‘society’; insects do not learn to behave, they do so
instinctively. Their society has no culture at all".

To meet the minimum requirements for social survival, animals depend largely upon the
inherited, standard ways of behaviour (usually called ‘instincts’), supplemented by some
learning , inventing, remembering, and abstracting capacities and infinitely greater
communication.

It is the idea of “fundamental” and dynamic interdependence of individual and social heritage
“ that is contained in Aristotle’s famous dictum, man is a social animal.
 Significance And Function Of Groups

The attention of those who use, participate in, or study groups has focused on functioning
groups, on larger organizations, or on the decisions made in these organizations.[8] Much less
attention has been paid to the more ubiquitous and universal social behaviors that do not
clearly demonstrate one or more of the five necessary elements described by Sherif.
Some of the earliest efforts to understand these social units have been the extensive
descriptions of urban street gangs in the 1920s and 1930s, continuing through the 1950s,
which understood them to be largely reactions to the established authority.[9] The primary
goal of gang members was to defend gang territory, and to define and maintain the
dominance structure within the gang. There remains in the popular media and urban law
enforcement agencies an avid interest in gangs, reflected in daily headlines which emphasize
the criminal aspects of gang behavior. However, these studies and the continued interest have
not improved the capacity to influence gang behavior or to reduce gang related violence.
The relevant literature on animal social behaviors, such as work on territory and dominance,
has been available since the 1950s. Also, they have been largely neglected by policy makers,
sociologists and anthropologists. Indeed, vast literature on organization, property, law
enforcement, ownership, religion, warfare, values, conflict resolution, authority, rights, and
families have grown and evolved without any reference to any analogous social behaviors in
animals. This disconnect may be the result of the belief that social behavior in humankind is
radically different from the social behavior in animals because of the human capacity for
language use and rationality. Of course, while this is true, it is equally likely that the study of
the social (group) behaviors of other animals might shed light on the evolutionary roots of
social behavior in people.

Types of Social Groups

According to Charles Horton Cooley (1864–1929), a primary group is a small social group
whose members share personal and lasting relationships. People joined in primary
relationships spend a great deal of time together, engage in a wide range of activities, and feel
that they know one another well. In short, they show real concern for one another. In every
society, the family is the most important primary group. Groups based on lasting friendships
are also primary groups.[4]:149
Secondary groups, in contrast to primary groups, are large groups
involving formal and institutional relationships. Secondary relationships involve weak
emotional ties and little personal knowledge of one another. Most secondary groups are short
term, beginning and ending without particular significance.[4]:149 They may last for years or
may disband after a short time. The formation of primary groups happens within secondary
groups.

Primary groups can be present in secondary settings. For example, attending a university
exemplifies membership of a secondary group, while the friendships that are made there
would be considered a primary group that you belong to. Likewise, some businesses care
deeply about the well being of one another, while some immediate families have hostile
relations within it.

The second type of group is based on the membership of the group. They are known as In-
group and out-group, which are based on individual memberships and preferences. In-groups
are those groups that an individual is a member of and out-groups are those groups those the
individual is not a member.

Individuals almost universally have a bond toward what sociologists call reference groups. A
reference group is a social group that serves as a point of reference in making evaluations and
decisions.[4]:152

Some examples of types of groups include the following:

 Relationship Between Individual and Society
Traditionally there have been two answers to the problem of the relationship between the
individual and his society the social contract theory and the organic theory. According to
social contract theory, society is the result of an agreement entered into by men who
originally lived in pre-social state. And because society is made by man he is more real than
his creation. From these premises the contractualists logically concluded that society is a
mere aggregation of individual s. Individual who compose society resemble a heap of stones.
A stone may be removed from the heap, and it remains a stone.

According to the organic theory, on the other hand, society is an organism. Just as the parts of
an animal body are functioning related and none can exist isolated from the rest, so the
members of a social body are functionally related to each other and to the society as a whole.
Hence society is more real than the individual and is greater than the sum of its individual
members.

Thus, a fundamental and dynamic interdependence of individual and society. Society is a

complex network of relations between individuals, but the elements (individual selves) which
enter into relations are only centers of activity, of feeling , of function, of purpose that we
know and retain a measure of autonomy. ”The only experience that we know is the
experience of individuals.” All thoughts or feelings are experienced by individuals. Society
cannot have a mind or will of it’s own. Conversely, individuals have interests, aspirations,
goals only because they are part of society. Ginsberg,” since social life moulds all his ideals
and gives definitenedd and form to all his impulses.”

Societies are characterized by patterns of relationships (social relations) between individuals

who share a distinctive culture and institutions; a given society may be described as the sum
total of such relationships among its constituent of members. In the social sciences, a larger
society often exhibits stratification or dominance patterns in subgroups.
 Individuality and Society
A society can also consist of like-minded people governed by their own norms and values
within a dominant, larger society. Society, in general, addresses the fact that an individual has
rather limited means as an autonomous unit. The great apes have always been more
(Bonobo, Homo, Pan) or less (Gorilla, Pongo) social animals, so Robinson Crusoe-like
situations are either fictions or unusual corner cases to the ubiquity of social context for
humans, who fall between presocial and eusocial in the spectrum of animal ethology.
Cultural relativism as a widespread approach or ethic has largely replaced notions of
"primitive", better/worse, or "progress" in relation to cultures (including their material
culture/technology and social organization).
According to anthropologist Maurice Godelier, one critical novelty in society, in contrast to
humanity's closest biological relatives (chimpanzees and bonobos), is the parental role
assumed by the males, which supposedly would be absent in our nearest relatives for whom
paternity is not generally determinable.

Sociologist Peter L. Berger defines society as "...a human product, and nothing but a human product,
that yet continuously acts upon its producers." According to him, society was created by humans, but
this creation turns back and creates or molds humans every day.
Sociologist Gerhard Lenski differentiates societies based on their level of technology, communication,
and economy: (1) hunters and gatherers, (2) simple agricultural, (3) advanced agricultural, (4)
industrial, and (5) special (e.g. fishing societies or maritime societies).

In many societies, adult male or female status is subject to a ritual or process of this type. Altruistic
action in the interests of the larger group is seen in virtually all societies. The phenomena of
community action, shunning, scapegoating, generosity, shared risk, and reward are common to many
forms of society.
 Couple, Dyad, Triad
Smallest group with defined number of people often associated with family building; social
interaction in a dyad is typically more intense than in larger groups because neither member
shares the other's attention with anyone else; a triad is more stable than a dyad because one
member can act as a mediator should the relationship between the other two become strained .

Family, Household
Small group of people who live in the same home. Family may or may not form clan,
fellowship, bigger kinship groups, a basic unit of community. Anglophone (and other) culture
may include various models of household, including the family, blended families, share
housing, and group homes.

Crew or Band
Small group of skilled people with common interest; a rowing crew; a music
band; construction crew; subunit of a tribe as band society

Peer group
A peer group is a group with members of approximately the same age, social status, and
interests. Generally, people are relatively equal in terms of power when they interact with
peers.

Clique
A group of people that have many of the same interests & commonly found in a High
School/College setting; most of the time they have a name & rules for themselves.

Club
A club is a group, which usually requires one to apply to become a member. Such clubs may
be dedicated to particular activities: sporting clubs, for example.

Community
A community is a group of people with a commonality or sometimes a complex net of overlapping
commonalities, often—but not always—in proximity with one another with some degree of continuity
over time.

Gang
A gang is usually an urban group that gathers in a particular area. It is a group of people that
often hang around each other. They can be like some clubs, but much less formal. They are
usually known in many countries to cause social unrest and also have negative influence on
the members and may be a target for the law enforcers in case of any social vices
 Mob
A mob is usually a group of people that has taken the law into their own hands. Mobs are
usually groups which gather temporarily for a particular reason.

In-group
It is a social group toward which a member feels respect and loyalty.

It is a group that an individual identifies in positive direction. If a person is part of the in-
group then they are collectively part of an inner circle of friends. An inner circle may contain
sub-groups within the inner circle including the apex (best friends), core (very close friends),
outer rim, etc. This group provides a support structure and being exclusive offers protection
from anyone in an Out-group (see below.)
Out-group
It is a social group toward which a person feels a sense of competition or opposition.

Posse
A posse was originally found in English common law. It is generally obsolete, and survives
only in America, where it is the law enforcement equivalent of summoning the militia for
military purposes. However, it can also refer to a street group.

Squad
This is usually a small group, of around 3 to 15 people, who work as a team to accomplish
their goals.

Team
Similar to a squad, though a team may contain many more members. A team works in a
similar way to a squad

Groups can also be categorized according to the number of people present within the group.
This makes sense if the size of the group has consequences for the way group members relate
with each other. In a small group, for example, "each member receives some impression ... of
each other member distinct enough so that he or she ... can give some reaction to each of the
others as an individual person.
 Conclusion
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook
that emphasizes the moral worth of the individual. ... Individualism makes the
individual its focus and so starts "with the fundamental premise that the human
individual is of primary importance in the struggle for liberation."

It has also been used as a term denoting "The quality of being an individual;
individuality” related to possessing "An individual characteristic; a quirk." Individualism is
thus also associated with artistic and bohemian interests and lifestyles where there is a
tendency towards self-creation and experimentation as opposed to tradition or popular mass
opinions and behaviors, as with humanist philosophical positions and ethics.

the final analysis, social groups, whether they are classified as primary or secondary, are not
random aggregates of people who are in the same place at the same time. Primary and
secondary groups are intentional social groupings. Primary group refers to small groups that
last long enough to form emotional attachments between members, differentiated roles, and a
group subculture. In contrast, secondary groups refer to groups of people who are not
emotionally involved with one another but come together for a practical purpose such as a
class, military exercise, or work project. Primary and secondary groups differ in their main
characteristics, the function they serve for group members, and the group members'
qualitative experience of each. Understanding the role that primary and secondary groups
play in social life is vital to all those interested in the sociology of social interaction. The
primary and secondary nature of groups tends to affect the dynamics, norms, values, laws,
boundaries, roles and decision-making abilities of the group.
 References

I have consulted and taken references from the following books, which was helpful in
completing this project. The books are as follows:

1. Politics, Sociology, Social theory by Anthony Giddens.

2. Heritage of Sociology Series by George Simmel.

3. Caste, Hierarchy and Individualism by R.S Khare.

4. Individuality and Social forms by George Simmel.

5. Social Stratification and Change in India by Yogendra Singh.

6. Sociological theories by N.Jayapalan.

 Contents
Topic Page Number
Introduction 1 - 2

In What Sense Man 3

Is A Social Animal?

Relationship Between 4
Individual and Society

Individuality and Society 5

Significance And
Function Of Groups 6

Types of Social Groups 7 - 9

Conclusion 10

References 11