Individual and Society: Exploring Social Structures and Interactions

This essay delves into the intricate relationship between the individual and society, exploring how these two entities interact and shape each other. It begins by defining the individual as a distinct being within society, highlighting their inherent rights, responsibilities, and the importance of social interaction. The essay then moves on to define society as a group of individuals sharing a common space, political structure, and cultural expectations, emphasizing the role of societal norms in regulating behavior. The core of the essay focuses on social construction, explaining how individuals create their understanding of the world and how concepts like race, class, and gender are shaped by cultural and institutional factors. The essay underscores how these constructs evolve over time due to political, historical, and economic influences, providing a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic relationship between individuals and the societies they inhabit.

Running head: INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY
INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY
Individuals:
An individual is a distinct entity. An individual is a social being who exists in the society
and interacts with the other entities in order to acquire his goals and fulfill his responsibilities.
Individuality refers to the concept of self-hood that is the state of being an individual, and being
separate from other persons in the society. All the individuals come together to make up a
society. The proper functioning of a society depends upon the interaction of the individuals.
Every human being is born with his own dignity and rights. They have a conscience and are
bestowed with reasoning that enables them to act with the spirit of brotherhood. Each individual
in the society comes together to fulfill certain goals. Man is a social animal and without any kind
of interaction, the very existence of the society would fail. An individual cannot survive on his
own. Every individual has his own perspective and opinions for every aspect of life however,
they come together to function as a society. A nation can develop only when each individual
works together for its benefit and works towards its progress.
Society:
The term society originated from the Latin word “societas” that was used to describe the
bond or interaction that existed between the individuals that were friendly and civil. A society
refers to a group of individuals who are involved together and have social interaction. A society
is a large group of people who share the same place or a territory, are subjected to the same
political group and have similar cultural expectations. The society is characterized by different
patterns of relationships in the culture and institutions that the individuals share. Societies
establish specific patterns of behaviour that recognize whether certain actions or speech is
acceptable or not. These patterns of behaviour are called societal norms. Human beings created

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society however; this society constantly molds and shapes the patterns of behaviour of the
individuals.
Social construction:
Social construction refers to the concept where the people construct or create their
understanding of the society and the world. They give meanings to their encounters with various
other people and other products. Social construction is also referred to as constructionism. After
a long debate over the various possible options for the term, social construction was finally
decided and the term is now used in the 21st century. It is a theoretical approach in the field of
psychology, sociology, education, anthropology, philosophy and linguistics. People develop the
knowledge of the world and perceive the reality based on the assumptions that they make. From
the perspective of social construction, individuals may take things for granted and believe in
objective reality. Therefore, these concepts can change as the society changes. The
understandings of race, class, gender, disability are all socially constructed and are often not the
reflection of the actual reality. Social constructs are created within specific cultures and
institutions and their dependence on the political, historical and economic situations can help
them change and evolve with time.