SOCIETY: NATURE, TYPES AND

CHARACTERISTICS
Lecture 6 / Chapter 4 of textbook

CHECKLIST: UNIT II CONTENT

The nature, characteristics and types of society
(Ch. 4)
The rural and urban communities (Ch. 13)
Intergroup relations and problems (Ch. 5)
The changing society and its contemporary issues /
Globalization and social movements (Ch. 20)

SOCIETY

Represents a geographical aggregate which has

boundaries, a form of government, and a common culture
(Panopio & Raymundo, 2004)

It is a manner or condition in which members of the

community live together for mutual benefit.

It has some adaptive functions that ensure human

survival.

Members of the society are mutually interdependent as

they follow the adopted rules, conduct, customs,
traditions, folkways and mores, and social expectations
(Palispis, 2007)

SOCIETY
LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING IN
THE SAME TERRITORY; PARTICIPATES
IN/SHARES A COMMON CULTURE.

LIVING TOGETHER =
INTERACTING

SOCIOLOGICAL & ANTHROPOLOGICAL

CHARACTERISTICS OF A SOCIETY
A society may be characterized by:
1. Social solidarity members live and work
together for mutual benefit.
2. National or cultural identity members of
society share a common culture which enables
them to follow patterns of action for harmonious
existence with others
3. Language members use a common language to
communicate with one another
4. Hierarchical organization society is an
economic, social and industrial organization

5.

6.

7.

Large membership it is the largest social unit

Specific territory members live in a definite
geographical area
Ability to sustain membership it has the ability
to endure, produce, and sustain several
generation of members (Palispis, 2007)

New World Encyclopedia:

Members of society have a common goal that binds
them together.
Members have a primary means of subsistence.

TYPES OF SOCIETY
Hunting, fishing, and gathering society
Earliest forms of human society
Subsistence economies that rarely produce surplus
Its basic units of social organization were the
households and the local clan to which most of the
hunting and gathering activities were organized
Division of labor was based on sex:
Males do the hunting
Females participated in shore fishing, gathering and
preserving food; child care

Horticultural society
Gave way to the first breakthrough in subsistence
economythe development of agriculture
People began to plant and cultivate crops rather than
just harvest whatever nature provided them
2 distinct approaches to horticulture:
1. Subsistence farming producing enough to feed the
group
2. Surplus farming producing surpluses that are
culturally valued

Pastoral society
Depends on herding and domestication of animals
(for food, clothing or ornaments)
Milk, blood
Fur
Etc.

Agricultural society
Second wave of agricultural revolution occurred
Doubling of the efficiency of food production
through better technology
Characterized by the use of a plow and irrigation in
production which allowed men to produce surpluses

Industrial society
Advent of industrialization in Europe
Third major revolution in production

The substitution of mechanical, electrical and fossil-fuel

energy for human and animal labor caused an explosive
growth in productivity, not only of goods but also of
knowledge and technology (Brinkerhoff et al, 2008)

Post-industrial society
Depends on special knowledge to bring about
continuing progress in technology
There is a burgeoning of computer industries
Highly trained specialists work to increase the
capabilities of computers