We often talk about society in the contexts of so many different discussions including politics, health, business, and entertainment. However, rarely do we talk about what a society even is as compared to a group of people, and the psychology of society itself. The concept of “society” goes far beyond groups of people but has deep psychological roots because it’s defined more than just a numerical value of people clustered together. How can we define what that is, especially since we are so deeply intertwined in it?
The concept of society in terms of psychology could bet better understood if we looked at society almost as one person itself. This is not too much of a stretch as society is considered one entity made up of a bunch of smaller parts. These smaller parts can be viewed as institutions that guide our beliefs, our behaviors, and our actions. When working in cohesion, these parts create a healthy society but if not, it can lead to dysfunction, as stated by the functionalistic approach to society. It can almost be paralleled to the organ system of the human body where each individual part is integral to the success of the whole. It is true that each part wholes a very important vital role. However, if one part fails, then we have sickness or even death.
Social institutions make up our psychology; they are the bits that define who we are. They include first and foremost, family. Family is first mentioned as they are the surroundings during the most psychologically malleable years of one’s life. They are the “heart”, comparing to an organ, of one’s societal upbringing. Families can vary with their belief systems, practices, race, ethnicity, culture, and religion. Over time, family dynamics can change as well with the loss or gain of a parent or sibling, having one’s own children, and more. Religions and sets of beliefs can vary from person to person and over time, there has been a gradual shift to secularization in both East and West societies to better assimilate and grow together. This is an interesting pattern as despite differences in culture and physical distance between Eastern and Western counties, the overall growth and movement of society tends to parallel itself. This can often blur the lines of how we define society itself, which can be scaled at different levels. It even poses the question if psychologically, we are all wired to follow a similar thought and belief path over time.
Unfortunately, such things as divorce, domestic abuse and violence can occur as well. Consequences of this can be carried by the individual and can be contributed to society. Beginning in the late last century, divorce rates as a society have increased both in the West and the East. This is a prime example of how society as a whole really is a living being. It morphs and evolves just as we do on an individual level, psychologically.
The second layer of society are social institutions that form one’s surroundings outside of their home. The first exposure to this social institution for most is school. An education system hopes to teach members of society so that they can not only sustain society but help to move it further. We can look at education as the “brain” to the body that is society. To move society further, there are the cognitive skills that students learn within the classroom including language arts, mathematics, science, and physical skills. However, the purpose of sustaining a society is through the latent curriculum in school. Although not a direct class, this hidden curriculum teaches young children how to socialize and interact with one another, what is considered normal and abnormal, and what is socially acceptable. This includes such things as waiting in line, developing social circles, not speaking over others, holding certain beliefs, and more. Unfortunately, a sad reality of schools is that it can be a societal divider at times. The quality of the education system can often be directly proportional to the household income. In some poorer areas of the country, the education system is a direct reflection of the household income and investment given back into it by the city.
The psychology of society is not only defined by abstract thought, but also numerical value. The character and psychological beliefs of a society can also be defined by its average age, gender, and race. For example, during World War II, it finally became more common for women to join the workforce as men were deployed in the army to fight. This generation fundamentally shifted collective societal psychology. However, remnants of the pre-World War II ideologies remain with pay discrepancies of women and their role constantly morphing in society balancing being the traditional home caretaker conflicted with having a career. Even in the short span of half a century, the psychology of society pertaining to women’s roles has vastly shifted. Surprisingly, other societal shifts can happen even faster. In sharp contrast, the war generation is now referred to as Baby Boomers. Their ideologies once championed as revolutionary and a point of inflection in society are now considered outdated and obsolete.
Factors such as gender and race also play a role in the psychology of society. How we have perceived gender has changed vastly even over the course of the past few years. There is an overall move towards acceptance of gender fluidity. Oddly, in other areas as mentioned previously, there is still gender inequality, as reflected in the workplace. These dichotomies that exist in the psyche of society cause us to question why one aspect of society can grow faster than the other. Race also plays a role in society’s consciousness. Despite being a superficial trait, it has permeated through the psychology of society as it has defined identities of peoples and society.
It is difficult to say what exactly something means when one is in the thick of it. It is difficult to get a bird’s eye view of what exactly society is, but one thing we can say is that the psychology and belief systems of society are ever-changing and are fluid. This is because the change is ignited at the microscopic level of our brains. Despite tragedy, setbacks, and inequalities, it is safe to say that one beauty of society is that it pushes us eternally forward. It sheds its old skin and morphs into something new every day which speaks volumes about the human psyche itself. Society reflects the microscopic parts of itself, which are human beings. Thus, it speaks volumes that society’s psyche is forever evolving and will continue to do so as long as we grow and thrive.
