Murray sums up the points of resemblance between a society and an individual organism as noted by Spencer in the following ways:

1. Society as well as individual organism grows in size.
2. They grow from comparatively a simple structure to that of an increasingly complex one.
3. Increasing differentiation leads to increasing mutual dependence of the component parts. The life and normal functioning of each becomes dependent on the life of the whole.
4. The life of the whole becomes independent and lasts longer than the life of the component.

However, Spencer is of the view that society differs from human organism in the following important respects:

1. In organic growth, nature plays a dominant and organismic naturally grows. Social growth may be checked or stimulated by human beings themselves.
2. The units of a society are not fixed in their respective positions like those of the individual organism.
3. In an organism, consciousness is concentrated in the small part of the aggregate, that is, in the nervous system while in a society it is diffused throughout whole aggregate.

Relationship between the Individual and Society

According to Peter Berger, society not only controls our movements but shapes our identity, our thought and our emotions. The structures of society become the structures of our own consciousness. Society does not stop at the surface of our skins. We are entrapped by our own social nature.

Berger is of the opinion that the walls of our imprisonment were there before we appeared on the scene but they are ever rebuilt by ourselves. We are betrayed into the captivity ourselves. We are betrayed into the captivity with our own cooperation.

Berger emphasizes that it was there before we were born and it will be there after we are dead. Our lives are but episodes in its majestic march through time. In sum society is the walls of our imprisonment in history.

According to Emile Durkheim, society confronts us as an objective fact. Society is external to ourselves. It encompasses our entire life. The institutions of society pattern our actions and even shape our expectations. We are located in society not only in space but also in time. Our society is a historical entity that extends beyond the temporary life of any individual.

According to John Holmwood, Human beings are social animals and organize their activities in groups. The term “society” is used to describe a level of organization of groups that is relatively self-contained. However, the boundedness of groups is always relative and so sociologists may refer to human society, where the reference is to the interdependencies among all social groups, or to subgroups such as family society, where the reference is to the typical interactions among the individuals making up a grouping of close kin. Equally the term “society” may be used to indicate the wider activities of those under the authority of a particular state, for example, Indian society, British society, French society or German society.