Society is a structured community where individuals interact, share values and contribute to collective well-being. It consists of various institutions and relationships that shape human behaviour and development.

Composition of Society:

Table of Contents

Our society is composed of several elements:

Family: The primary unit providing the emotional, moral, and social foundation.
Educational Institutions: Schools and universities impart knowledge, discipline, and societal values.
Friends: Personal relationships that influence social skills, emotional support, and decision-making.
Peers: Colleagues or age-group companions shaping perspectives, behaviour, and competition.
Social Groups – Collections of individuals (family, peer groups, organizations) that interact regularly and influence each other’s behaviour.
The Government – It is the most powerful organisation of society which brings order and implements the law.

In this chapter, we shall study the role of society in inculcating values in us. In the next chapter, we will study the role of education in this regard.

Role of Society in Inculcating Values

Inculcating values entails educating someone on moral principles. This helps him build a moral code that applies to various aspects of his life and helps one decide ‘what is right and wrong’. The inculcation of values mainly occurs at an early age through the process of socialization.

Process of Socialisation

When a child is born, it is a biological organism with instincts alone. It possesses no value system. The newborn child is, therefore, primarily a biological being rather than a social being. It is the process of socialization by which an individual learns to conform to social norms.

It is a gradual process that transmits its culture from one generation to another. Through this individual becomes a functional member of society and a biological person into a social person.

Agencies of Socialization Related to Society

There are several agencies of socialization as shown in the diagram. Here, we will discuss the Role of Society in inculcating values.

Culture and Religion

Culture encompasses the social behaviour, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, and habits of the individuals in these groups. Culture often originates from or is attributed to a specific region or location. These are the most influential factors in value inculcation through societal channels.

Positive Values inculcated by Culture and Religion

The very first injunctions of morality that a person receives are through religion.
Love and Charity: Most religions popularise the ideas of humanity, charity, austerity, compassion, selflessness etc.
Equality and acceptance: All are equal in the eyes of the Almighty. Therefore, all religions teach values of Equality. For example, the idea of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam”.
All religions provide a sense of Community.

Negative Values inculcated by Culture and Religion

Religious bigotry may give rise to intolerance, social tensions and communalism in society.
Sometimes original liberal religious values are distorted with time for vested interests or otherwise. These distorted teachings spread negative values in society. For instance, Islamic fundamentalists misuse the lesson of Jihad in Islam to justify terrorism.

Tradition and customs

Custom is an accepted or prevalent way of behaving/acting in a very specific area, society, place or time. On the other hand, a tradition has more longevity and is passed on between generations. Traditions and customs are the basic essence of any societal setup and are one of the most powerful sources of inculcating values in society. Every social custom or tradition has one or more underlying value/s.

Positive Values Inculcated by Tradition and Customs

Most customs convey one or more positive values. For instance, the custom of Raksha-Bandhan has underlying values of affection and loyalty. The Festival of Holi signifies values of Belongingness, unity, etc.

Negative Values Inculcated by Tradition and Customs

Some traditions and customs are remnants of old social order and undermine modern democratic values and fundamental human rights. For example, the custom of child marriage, which is still prevalent in rural India in many regions, undermines the fundamental human rights of girls. This perpetuates negative values of gender inequality and subjugation of women.

Political system

Certain types of ethical values are transmitted in a country based on the nature of the political system that is functioning in a country. Political systems may be either democratic or autocratic. However, sometimes, the Politics of other state/s can influence societal values towards incumbent setup. For example, There were protests in Hong Kong for democratic rights despite being an autonomous region of China.

Positive Values Inculcated by Political System

A well-functioning democratic type of government is more likely to transmit positive values such as people’s sovereignty, justice, equality, transparency, responsibility of government, fundamental freedoms and respect for individual human rights.

Negative Values Inculcated by Political System

On the other hand, faulty democratic setups (such as in Pakistan) or autocratic political setups (such as in North Korea) transmit negative values like despotism, opaque nature of governance, misuse of authority, restrictions on fundamental/human rights and so on.

Economy

The economic setup of society also influences the values that are transmitted in society. For instance, a socialist economy promotes equity, whereas a market economy inculcates values of creativity and competition.

Positive Values Inculcated by Economic System

Based on the type of economic system, different types of values are inculcated by people.

Economic Liberalism: It is a philosophical idea that promotes free markets, minimal government intervention, private property rights, and competition, aiming for economic growth, efficiency, and individual entrepreneurship in a capitalist framework.

A free market economy promotes values of equality, open competition, better quality and competitive pricing of products, etc.

Economic socialism advocates for government control or regulation of key industries, wealth redistribution, and social welfare to ensure economic equality, public ownership, and reduced income disparities, prioritizing collective well-being over individual profits. In such a system, often the Idea of equality trumps the idea of liberty.

For example, India supports the redistribution of wealth and prevents the concentration of wealth as per Article 39 (b) and (c) of the constitution of India.

Negative Values Inculcated by Economic System

Similarly, all economic systems have their due share of limitations.

A liberal economy might give so much freedom to businesses that:
- They indulge in anti-competitive practices and monopolise production. This hurts the long-term interests of the consumers.
- They harm the environment and the community by prioritising profit over other values.
A closed economy may promote negative values such as lack of fair competition, regional bias in economic development, license/inspector raj, monopolistic or oligopolistic tendencies, cartelization, profiteering, etc.

Therefore, we should choose our values after careful consideration of our end goals.

Needs v/s Wants Approach

The ethics of needs and wants examines the moral implications of fulfilling essential human necessities versus desires that enhance comfort.

“Need” refers to something essential or vital for survival, while “want” refers to something desirable but not essential, enhancing the quality of life but not necessary for basic functioning.

- Needs are essential for survival and well-being, such as food, water, healthcare, and education. If a person doesn’t have these things, their body will not function and they will die.
Want is something that can improve your quality of life, but is not essential. Wants are desires or preferences that go beyond basic survival needs. Wants can add enjoyment, convenience, or purpose to life, but they are not essential to sustain life itself.

1. Ethical Importance of Needs

Ethical theories, like Deontology, emphasize a moral duty to prioritize needs over wants.
Utilitarianism supports fulfilling needs first as it maximizes overall well-being and reduces suffering.
Social justice principles argue for equitable distribution of resources to meet everyone’s basic needs.

2. Ethical Considerations of Wants

‘Wants’ include luxuries, entertainment, and material possessions that enhance life but are not essential.
While desires can drive economic growth and innovation, overconsumption leads to environmental and social inequalities.
Ethical consumerism promotes responsible fulfilment of wants, considering sustainability and fairness.

3. Balancing Needs and Wants

Ethics suggests prioritizing needs universally while allowing wants within reasonable limits.
Governments and societies must ensure policies that protect fundamental needs while promoting responsible economic choices.

Mass Media/Social Media

In the current digital media age, mass media assumes higher significance in inculcating ethical values in society. The recent controversy surrounding the Cambridge Analytica case, i.e. social media companies leaked user data to private firms, led to the misuse of personal data to analyze the behaviour of voters for political benefits.

Positive Values Inculcated by Mass/Social Media

Social media is a double-edged sword.

Awareness & Education – Mass and social media provide real-time information on global and local issues, fostering awareness about politics, climate change, human rights, and science. For example, environmentalists get the much-needed platform to create awareness throughout the world. Health experts spread awareness on nutrition and mental health.
Accountability & Transparency – Encourages social responsibility by exposing corruption, injustice, and unethical practices. For example, with ordinary people being empowered by a camera in recent times, sting operations have become a major tool to expose corruption.
Empathy & Compassion – Exposure to diverse stories of struggles and achievements helps people develop empathy toward different communities and social causes.
Civic Engagement – Encourages active participation in democratic processes, social movements, and volunteering efforts, strengthening civic responsibility. For instance, the #Metoo movement helped spread the value of gender equity and dignity.
Cultural Appreciation – Promotes inclusivity by showcasing different cultures, traditions, and lifestyles, fostering mutual respect and understanding. For example, Pakistani Sitcoms allow Indians to understand the social issues of the other side for the first time.
Social Responsibility and Critical Thinking – Encourages analysis of multiple perspectives, helping individuals distinguish between facts and misinformation. This encourages Ethical behaviour.

Negative Values Inculcated by Mass/Social Media

On the other hand, social media is also a tool that can spread negative values in society, such as hate, intolerance, sexism, communalism and misinformation. For example, recent Islamophobic Twitter trends led to the spread of communal hatred and tensions in society.

Civil society

Civil society includes voluntary organizations formed by citizens themselves. These have a profound influence on people’s values. For instance, Majdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghthan led the movement for the RTI Act, inculcating the values of openness and transparency in public life.

Positive Values by Civil Society

- All civil society organizations project values of brotherhood, unity, fraternity, equity, justice for vulnerable sections, equal access to opportunities, etc.

However, every civil society organization have a particular well-defined purpose that reflects the specialized values that they mainly focus on and strive to achieve.

For instance, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) is fighting for the values of improving governance and strengthening Indian Democracy by working on Electoral and Political Reforms.

Negative Values by Civil Society

In some instances, civil society organizations are misused for vested selfish interests or even for subversion. For instance, the Intelligence Bureau has flagged several thousands of NGOs that were misusing foreign contributions for subversive activities and harming national interests. The Centre has cancelled the FCRA licences of more than 6,600 NGOs in the last five years for violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.

In many cases, NGOs are formed solely for the purpose of getting tax benefits, tax evasion and money laundering.

Furthermore, many NGOs have a disruptive political and religious agenda that is not in the interest of society.

Law

Law plays a direct role in inculcating values by using force of punishment. The laws of a state reflect the values that are important to it. For example, our constitution is the supreme law of the land, which embodies critical values that define India and Indians. Individuals conform to these values due to fear of punishment and to be accepted as respectable members of their community.

Positive Values Inculcated by Law

Law as a tool for value promotion: Well-intended and properly implemented laws are a great tool for teaching positive societal values.

For instance, the Right to Information Act in India signifies that ‘transparency in administration’ is seen as a critical value.

The Abolition of Dowry Act gives a signal to society that dowry is bad.

Rule of Law and Equality: The idea of the Rule of law shows us that everyone is equal in front of the law.
It also shows that the nation is above everyone.

Negative Values Inculcated by Law

Outdated Values: Laws can project wrong values in society If they are outdated, not well intended or not properly implemented. For instance, section 377 of IPC is used to project the value of intolerance towards the LGBTQIA+ community, which the Supreme Court later struck down. On the other hand, the Prevention of Child Marriage Act is well intended yet ineffective in controlling child marriages due to its poor implementation.
Individual Liberty is often undermined: For example, in many cases, even the criticism of the government is taken as sedition by several governments.

Work Place

A job or profession has a major role in moulding an individual’s value system. The individual also changes their values in accordance with their career aspirations. Once a career objective is achieved, many more changes in the value system follow as new career objectives are set by the person.

Organizational values are a set of core beliefs crucial for an organization. They act as guiding principles for the organization. The organization sets its vision, mission, and purpose based on these core beliefs. Further, in line with its core beliefs, the organization adopts a strategy to achieve its purpose and set the tone for its interactions with its customers, employees and other stakeholders. Employers promote organizational values by using a system of rewards and punishments. Rewarding employees for displaying behaviours that align with organizational values helps inculcate suitable values.

For instance, the core values of Reliance are Customer Value, Ownership mindset, Respect, Integrity, One Team and Excellence. Strong commitments to these values have been the guiding principles for Reliance.

Positive Values Inculcated by Workplace

Job/Profession helps inculcate values such as being ambitious, a sense of competition, hard work, teamwork, leadership and cooperation. However, there are some job-specific values. For example, working for an NGO inculcates values like the spirit of giving back to society, building social capital, volunteerism for social welfare, kindness, altruism, compassion, etc.

On the other hand, defence forces inculcate values such as patriotism, serving the nation, sacrificing for the nation’s cause, keeping the nation’s security above one’s personal interests and so on.

Negative Values Inculcated by Workplace

Just like ethical professions/workplaces inculcate positive values, unethical professions/workplaces can inculcate negative values in the person/society.

A negative workplace generally consists of unhealthy interpersonal relations, poor communication, an unsupportive environment and a competitive ‘everyone for themselves’ mindset. Such an environment inculcates selfishness, greed, laziness, rudeness, carelessness and stress in employees and other stakeholders.
Unethical work practices spread negative values not only to employees but also to society as a whole. For instance, the practice of bribery in civil services inculcates corruption, dishonesty, poor integrity, greediness and selfishness in employees and society.
Unethical professions like cheating customers by selling poor-quality products are responsible for the spread of distrust and intolerance in society.

Leaders

Leaders mould followers’ values by using formal or informal leadership power.

Informal leaders influence followers by using persuasion, demonstration and role-modelling effects. These can be business leaders like Ratan Tata or Anand Mahindra, or sports leaders like Sachin Tendulkar or Vishy Anand. When they speak, the society listens. Informal leaders majorly use charismatic personalities to influence others.
Formal leaders, on the other hand, use formal authority to mould the behaviour of others. For instance, a Manager in an organization, or the Prime Minister of the country.

Aspect	Formal Leader	Informal Leader
Definition	A leader officially designated within an organization or group	A leader who gains influence naturally based on skills or charisma
Authority	Derived from position, hierarchy, or appointment	Based on respect, trust, and personal influence
Structure	Operates within defined roles and responsibilities	Functions without an official title or authority
Decision-making	Follows organizational policies and procedures	Influences decisions through persuasion and personal relationships
Examples	CEO, manager, school principal, government official	Team motivators, senior employees, influential peers, community elders, and social media influencers
Flexibility	Bound by organizational rules and regulations	More adaptable to group dynamics and changing situations

Positive Values Inculcated by Leadership

Mahatma Gandhi inculcated the values of Satya and Ahimsa in his followers. When formal leaders like managers of a company successfully exhibit organizational values like respect for diversity, integrity, responsibility, teamwork, respect for team members, etc., these are easily adopted by subordinates.

Positive impact of Social Media Influencers/Informal Leaders

Social media influencers positively impact society by:

Spreading awareness of important issues, promoting education, and inspiring positive change.
Social and Political Activism: Influencers shape public opinion and drive meaningful conversations, contributing to a more informed and connected society
Social Support: Supporting mental well-being, they encourage healthy lifestyles and entrepreneurship.

For example, In 2015, comedians and influencers like Tanmay Bhat, and Kanan Gill played a key role in India’s Net Neutrality movement. Through viral videos and social media campaigns, they educated the public on free internet access.

This led to over a million emails to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) advocating for net neutrality to ban differential pricing, ultimately defeating Facebook’s Free Basics initiative.

Negative Values Inculcated by Leadership

If the leader showcases negative values, then his followers also adopt them. For instance, Hitler was a negative role model for lakhs of his followers. Officers and soldiers who worked for Hitler exhibited similar values of anti-Semitism rooted in Social Darwinism.

Celebrities influence public values in terms of their dress, eating, behaviour, etc. often becoming just a marketing tool.

For example, Social Media Influencers often promote unrealistic lifestyles, materialism, and unhealthy beauty standards. They may spread misinformation, endorse harmful products, or manipulate followers for profit. Additionally, influencer culture fosters comparison, anxiety, and addiction, affecting mental well-being and distorting perceptions of success and self-worth.

Peer groups

The relationship between a person and their friends is that of cooperation and understanding. The relationship is that of equality between them. The role of peer groups is most influential during adolescence.

Individuals often adopt the value system of their peer group to be accepted in the group. Therefore, Peer groups largely influence one’s life goals, career goals, social behaviour, etc.
A child acquires cooperative morality, and some informal aspects of culture, like fashion, fads, crazes, modes of gratification and other such information, are necessary from the social point of view.
Childhood/Teenager friends: This is the time when an individual goes through emotional and cognitive changes. Therefore, adequate intervention by family and school is required to prevent any negative socialization.

Positive Values Inculcated by Peer Group

Peer Socialisation: One often consciously or unconsciously reflects the good habits of his friends. For example, peers who are committed to doing well in academics or sports influence peers to do the same and be more goal-oriented. Likewise, peers who are kind, loyal or supportive influence others to be the same.
Positive peer pressure often leads to more encouragement and improvement in performance than actual pressure or persuasion.
Learning the important values of friendship, cooperation and trust.

Negative Values inculcated by Peer group

Negative Peer Pressure: Some examples of negative peer influence are the urge to dress or act a certain way, copying others’ work or letting others copy your work, indulging in risky behaviour etc.
Social Exclusion: Not including certain people in social activities (exclusion), group thinking, etc. Often people learn discrimination from their peer groups.
Wrong company and wrong habits: It is often seen that addiction to alcohol, drugs or smoking starts with peer pressure when one adopts these to be accepted in a group.

Technology

Technological developments have transformed the world into a global village and produced profound changes in social values. Almost all technological developments have brought about changes in social practices, interaction patterns, and social life.

Positive values inculcated by Technology

Several positive ethical values are promoted by a rise in technology, such as the promotion of Rational thinking, a spurt in creativity and Innovation, better focus on the protection of individual rights, reduced gender discrimination, women empowerment, increased equality in society,

These changes in the social value system are brought due to better employment of females, Changes in the very basis of social stratification, reduced effect of the caste system on employment and day-to-day living, promotion of individualism, inter-caste and late marriage, closeness to extended family and kinship ties, small family size due to availability of devices for birth control; reduced role of superstitions in day-to-day life; reduced casteism and untouchability, etc.

Negative Values inculcated by Technology

Technology itself does not project any negative value. However, misuse, overuse or improper use of technology may promote negative values. For example, the loss of discipline due to the overuse of mobile phones is a common issue among youth these days.

Some major changes in the social value system are- a decline in collectivistic values, a rise in individualism, elitism, commercialization, inequality, a rise in competition, etc. These changes in value system are manifested as a change in family structure from a joint family system to a nuclear family system, reduced role of the family in social control and neglect of the elderly due to a decline in community life, commercialization of recreation, rising intolerance due to migration; developments of slums in urban areas; stress and strain as a result of competition and fast-paced life; rise in tendency of suicide in youth, emotional instability and occasional economic disruption and insecurity, etc.

Limitations of Society as an Agency of Inculcating Ethical Values

Promotion of Regressive Values: Some values that are regressive and unsuitable for modern democratic society are still persistent to some extent. For instance, caste-based discrimination is still practised in India. Several unjust values such as patriarchy and communalism are still prevalent.

Since a slight deviation in social values may bring radical changes in the way society functions, there is resistance to changing the value system as per the need of the time. This results in status quoism in the ethical framework, even if it harms the interests of society. For instance, orthodox sections of society advocate that women should only do caring work at home. Even if eminent economists favour higher participation of women in the workforce.

Conflicting values: Different agencies of society that are responsible for inculcating values may impart different values. These values can be conflicting. For instance, the workplace promotes values of gender equality and women empowerment, whereas customs and traditions tend to limit the independence and freedoms of women. These conflicting values create role conflict in most educated and working women.

The growing weakness of Traditional Agencies of Socialisation: The changing socio-economic milieu has weakened traditional socialization agencies. These have traditionally played a crucial role in inculcating values, but now, these are losing their relevance, especially among youth. For example, Most of the Youth do not have true allegiance to customs. Rather, they fulfil these customs for the sake of formality.

Prevalence of Materialistic Values: Due to the forces of globalization and the free market economy, there has been a rise in the standard of living. However, as a flip side, there is an increase in materialistic values like the commodification of relations, consumerization, the decline in environmental ethics, etc. For example, competition has taken the place of care and love in social relations.

Inadequate Autonomy: Ethical values are imposed on children by various social forces without teaching their relevance or justification. This greatly curtails the autonomy of individuals to choose the set of morals that they want to practice. For example, children are taught to respect elders irrespective of the qualities that elders possess. Rather than respecting one’s age, children should be taught to give respect to someone for the good qualities that he/she possesses.

Failure to Ethical Framework: The value system prescribed by society has failed to inhibit various anti-social behaviours to some extent. There is the failure of the value system at different stages- failure to prescribe correct value system; failure in inculcating ethical values in youth effectively; values that are taught are ineffectively implemented; value system fails to inhibit anti-social behaviours. For instance, corruption in several government organs implies the failure of an ethical framework.

Biases Inherent in Agencies of Socialisation: Agencies of socialization that are responsible for inculcating values often suffer from inherent biases. That is why they result in transmitting the wrong value system. For example, the Issue of biased media/paid News. Mass values are shaped by somebody who is not neutral but controlling media with money power. Biased media may promote wrong values, such as desensitization to violence and sensationalization of news that may promote communal hatred or ethnic tensions.

The multiplicity of values: In a diverse society like India, there is a prevalence of different sets of ethical values, some of which are different from each other. For instance, Jainism prescribes strict vegetarianism as a religious value, whereas many other religions don’t prohibit non-vegetarian food.

Majoritarianism/Moral Policing: Social forces are mainly driven by values prescribed by culture, traditions, and customs held by the majority of the population. This may undermine the values of minorities (minorities are those that are different from the majority of the population in terms of religion, gender, value system or other factors) that are against liberalism and constitutional morality. For instance, the Institution of Khap Panchayats in North Indian states punishes those adults who engage in love marriage or inter-caste marriages.

Reducing the Credibility of Role Models: Social institutions and leaders that act as agencies for inculcating ethical values are losing credibility due to the deterioration of moral values. For instance, the involvement of religious leaders in unethical practices has reduced the significance of their role in the promotion of ethical values.

Irrational Enforcement Mechanism: Social institutions often deploy irrational enforcement mechanisms to punish those who deviate from social norms. Many times, it turns out to be counter-productive. For instance, social boycott of lower caste people by upper caste. The social boycott doesn’t help in the process of socialization. Rather, it causes instability in society.

Thus, we need moderation in society by way of formal education. It gives us a better mindset to take the values of the society positively.