Society and the Citizen
Meaning of Social Interdependence
1. No individual can be self-sufficient, that is, no person can fulfil all his/her needs
and requirements alone.
2. Every individual has to depend on others for his daily needs.
3. Society is thus based on interdependence, which can be observed in all spheres of
human life.
4. Goods, which are produced must also be consumed.
For example: The clothes which we wear are made up of cotton which is made by the
farmer, then converted into cloth by another person and then made into clothes by the
industries involving many people. Then it is transported or carried to the retailers by
the transporters.
Joint Family: A joint family is made up of a combination of nuclear families and
consequently they are much larger. Sometimes, a child’s father, mother, grandparents,
aunts, uncles and cousins may stay together in the same family. Joint families are
disappearing gradually because:
1. With the growth of industries, joint families are being replaced by nuclear
families.
2. When children of a family become self-sufficient in different professions, they
often have to work in different places.
3. With the society becoming more industrialised, the number of nuclear families
increases.
Advantages of a Joint Family against a nuclear family
1. In a joint family, the work can be shared among the members, which is not
possible in a nuclear family.
2. It helps in the care of old people and young children with working parents, not
possible in a nuclear family.
3. It gives the family a large number of people which can help in agriculture,
whereas in nuclear families, agriculture is not possible.
Advantages of Nuclear Families
1. In a joint family, members quarrel over property, which is much rare in nuclear
families.
2. Women are much badly and unequally treated in a joint family which is not such
in nuclear families.
3. Housing in big cities is not a problem for nuclear families.
‘Family is the first school of social virtues’ because it is the first social institution
we come to know about
1. A child is born and brought up in a family. It provides a child, physical and
emotional security and other members as well as the first lesson as living in a
society.
2. The co-operation on which society is based begins within the family.
3. The family develops proper attitudes among the children because at a young age
children take after the grown-ups.
4. Family influences shape their habits. For eg. If the child is encouraged to think
independently, then they would like to think independently about social and
political issues as a citizen.
5. Moreover, the family teaches the child, what is right and what is wrong.
The role of the school as a social institution
1. It makes the children aware of their surroundings, state, nation and the world and
shapes their personality.
2. Students gather various kinds of knowledge through different subjects and learn
about the past and present of human society.
3. They also understand our present problems and try to find out what can be done to
deal with them.
4. The school is a little society in itself where children of different religions, cultures
and communities intermix.
5. It makes them conscious about other people and the problems and promises of the
world.
6. They learn the skill of reading, writing and analysing various problems and issues
as well as understanding them through enquiry.
7. They provide vocational training to students and form their habits and attitudes.
Interrelation of rights and duties
A good citizen is one who is conscious of both his rights and duties. For instance, the
right to vote is one of our most important rights. If a person does not vote, he or she
cannot be considered a good citizen. Good citizens should not only be conscious of
their own rights but also give the government what is due. They may practise any
religion they like but also let others practise their religion as they like. They should
obey laws and pay taxes.
Citizen
Any individual living in the territory of a state or outside and who owes allegiance to
and may lawfully demand protection from the government of that state is called the
citizen of that state. The government has some claims on its citizens and the citizen in
turn has some claims on it.
Main Evils of Industrialisation
The main evils of industrialisation are: Unemployment, Decline of artisans and
traditional art-work, Pollution, Exploitation of the workers by the capitalists,
Agriculture remains less developed, and it breeds idleness among the people.
Citizen
1. One who has claims on the government and on which that government has claims
is called the citizen of that state.
2. The government has some claims on a citizen and a citizen has some claims on the
government.
3. They have all the rights and duties of a citizen of that state.
Alien
1. Aliens are those who live in the territory of a country but do not owe any
allegiance to the state.
2. Here, the government nor the alien have any claim on each other.
3. They do not have any rights or duties of a citizen of that country, except some
personal liabilities.
Natural born citizen Naturalised citizen
1. Those who are citizens simply 1. Those who are granted citizenship
because they were born in that by applying to the government of
country are called natural born that state are called naturalised
citizens. citizens.
2. He does not have to do anything to 2. He has to fulfil some conditions to
become a citizen. become a citizen.
3. If his parents are not citizens of 3. Anyone can apply for this kind of
that country then in India one citizenship in India.
cannot have natural born
citizenship.
A modern society
It is the society, which is extremely industrialised and has improved considerably in
its knowledge, techniques and equipment from the past societies.
Democratic state
It means a state where the government is elected by the people, through elections, it is
of the people (consists of the people) and is for the people (works for the welfare of
the people).
Individual and Society
The society is an organised group of individuals (one person) residing in a territory
for a long period, having common interests, sharing common historical background
and who observe common customs and traditions.
- Kshitij Misra
- http://www.kkeducation.com/