Basic Sociological Concepts: Society

BASIC SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
All Social and Physical sciences including Sociology have their own concepts. With concepts no science or discipline can study anything and conduct any research. Concepts to a Science or Discipline are like alphabets to a language. Concepts are the indispensible to any branch of knowledge.
Concepts are words or group of words that gives special meaning. They are abstract in nature. Concept is “a word or set of words that express a general idea concerning the nature of something or the relations between things, often providing a category for the classification of phenomena”. For eg: Religion, Density of Population etc.,
The basic and more widely used concepts of Sociology are Society, Community, Association, Institution, Social interaction, Social Process and such others. To study sociology and to understand it better it is very much necessary to know more and more about these basic sociological concepts.

SOCIETY – MEANING AND DEFINITION
Society is the most widely used concept in Sociology. As the name itself suggest Sociology is the Science of Society. The term society is used very loosely by common men. But in Sociology it has very significant meaning.
LITERARY MEANING OF THE WORD SOCIETY
The English word Society is derived from the Greek word Socius, which means companionship or fellowship. Hence, society is a system formed out of companionship.

DEFINITION OF SOCIETY
Many Sociologists have defined the concept Society. Here are few – According C H Cole, “Society is the complex of organized associations and institutions within the community” In simple words, according McIver and Page, “Society is the web of social relationships”.