Michael D. LucasSoc 3314-501Test 1 3/04/02Social ComplexityWithout delving into deep sociological theories of the nature of society, we can consider human societies as any community of individuals who are united together by a common bond of nearness or intercourse and are those who recognize each other as associates, friends and acquaintances. Individuals who play certain roles and the relationships between each role form the society itself. The complexity of society makes it difficult for us to identify our relationships. Generally, societies form different norms and cultures and these norms and cultures will change. Despite the changes in ones society and culture, members of any society like happiness in their own ways. In complex societies, it is valid to question about our contributions to happiness of its members. While material contributions to societies meet the physical needs, mental problems and needs are more difficult to satisfy. This is the point where society and culture become intertwined.To understand how culture and society coexist, you need to know the basic definition of culture: a system of socially acquired values, beliefs, and rules of conduct which limit the range of accepted behaviors in any given society. It is the human capacity to classify experiences, encode such classifications symbolically, and teach such abstractions to others. This enculturation was brought to light by Emile Durkheim who said, ”We live in a society we did not make (Noble 86). Our very ideas of ourselves are shaped by the society we were born into”. Basically stating that culture is embedded into ones life at an unconscious level. For example, if a child is born into a white supremacist family, that child will grow up believing that whites are the superior race and everyone else is below them. It is the same for every culture no matter how big the value or belief. A central challenge for any culture is trying to se...
