Man is a social being and as such, one of his innate needs is the desire to form interpersonal relationships with other human beings. The resulting social bonds from these relationships facilitate other needs as well. These include the need for a sense of belonging, and the desire to love and be loved.
Society consists of man as well as social wealth and social relationships that are not natural things and phenomena. Social wealth and social relationships are created by man, the social being. If we insist that social wealth and relationships made by man are also social beings, there can be no difference between man and them. Therefore, we should consider that a social being is a man who makes a social relationship and creates and enjoys social wealth.
From the satisfaction of these needs, man derives a sense of completeness and in the process, his survival is ensured. Human beings are different from each other and consequently, are unique in their tastes and preferences for a suitable mate.
Aristotle, the Greek philosopher writes “Man is a social animal. He who lives without society is either a beast or God”. Thus, man is by nature a social animal. He is born in society lives in society and dies in society. Society is indispensable for man. Man cannot live as a man, without society.
Isolation from society is regarded as a punishment. A solitary life is unbearable for him. Social life is necessary for man. The instinct for some form of social life is innate in human beings. Professor Park says, “Man is not born human but to be made human”.
Human nature is such that it cannot but live in society. Man’s nature impels him to live in society. The human child is endowed with some latent capacities. Human qualities like the capacity to learn the language, enquire and think, play and work, help or harm others, etc. are developed in human society only. These capacities grow through social interaction with others. One cannot develop into a normal person in isolation. There is eminent sociologist like Maciver and others who have cited several cases. Studies. These case studies show the fact that man develops human qualities only in society.
Man is social because he depends on social heritage which is a mixture of customs beliefs and ideals etc. Society preserves the social heritage and transmits it from one generation to another. Social heritage molds man’s attitudes, beliefs, morals, and ideals. It is said that “Man only becomes man among Men”. Man is born with some inborn potentialities. It is the social heritage, which determines how innate potentialities express themselves in society. Emotional development and intellectual maturity are not possible without society. Therefore, society determines our mental equipment. It shapes our identity, our thought, and our emotions.
Necessity compels man to live in society. Man has a variety of needs. If he leads a cooperative life with his fellow beings in society, he can easily get his needs fulfilled. Many of his needs will remain unsatisfied if he does not lead a cooperative life with his fellow beings.
The human child is born helpless. Without proper care, he cannot develop himself. During infancy, he must be provided with nutrition, shelter, and affection. It is society, which extends protection, attention, and opportunities necessary for his survival and growth.
Society protects the child against all sorts of danger and difficulty. Apart from fulfilling the basic needs of a man, society satisfies his desires and aspirations. Society fulfills various needs like education, protection, nurture, opportunity, equipment, etc. The need for self-preservation which is felt by everyone is fulfilled by society. So, the prolonged dependence on human children compels him to live in society.
We, humans, are social beings; we share mirror neurons that allow us to match each other’s emotions unconsciously and immediately. We leak emotions to each other. We anticipate and mirror each other’s movements when we’re in sympathy or agreement with one another when we’re on the same side. And we can mirror each other’s brain activity when we’re engaged in storytelling and listening – both halves of the communication conundrum.
This view of the human state is directly contrary to the way most people think about communications. The old model has a sender, a message, a receiver, feedback, and noise. It’s far too mechanistic and simple to describe adequately what’s going on. It leaves out the communal nature of communications. Though accurate information about the exact origin of society is not known still it is an accepted fact that man has been living in society since time immemorial. Man must live in society for his existence and welfare. In almost all aspects of his life, he feels the need for society. Biologically and psychologically, he is compelled to live in society.
IN CONCLUSION
Man is a social animal because his nature makes him so. Sociality or Sociability is his instinct. He can’t but live in society. All his human qualities such as thinking to enquire to learn the language, play, and work only developed in human society. All this developed through interaction with others. One can’t be a normal being in isolation. His nature compels him to live with his fellow beings. He can’t afford to live alone.
