Relationship between Individual and Society:

1. Introduction: The debate whether individuals came first and society followed or vice-versa is perhaps not a very productive exercise. Both individuals and society compliment each other.

2. Need of Society by an Individual: The individuals require society for their own survival. Human infants, in fact, require the longest period of dependence before they are able to work independently. The members of the family, mainly the mother, contribute to the rearing and training of the child: In Modern society, several institutions directly or indirectly provide assistance to the family in performing this role.

3. By nature man is a social being: Society also exists because of the fact that the human individual is essentially a social animal. Sociability is his basic nature, society came into existence due to this human nature which extends from the family bonds.

4. Kingley Davis, in his book 'Human. Society' writes that society for its existence has to have a population and has to maintain that population by way of making provisions of nutrition, protection and reproduction of new organisms. 

5. Different functions have to be allocated among the people in order that they have a feeling of mutual solidarity.

6. Society has to motivate people to have contact among themselves and to learn about tolerance and resistance to the outsiders. And, finally society has to evolve a mechanism for the perpetuation of the social system. All these taken together assist meet the basic requirements of social survival.