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"Much has been written from time to time on the nature of the individual and society; for the drama of man through the ages is an absorbing one and resistless in its appeal. The individual who is outstanding in goodness or evil, of extraordinary power in some direction, has often been seized upon as a hero or heroine in drama, song, and novel. Society also has received the special attention of historians and philosophers who have theorized on the great movements in the story of mankind, and have striven to account for them. Too often however, the place of the ordinary individual in society, and the interaction between them, which accounts for the particular development of both, have been neglected. Accordingly, in this book, an attempt is made to show the relation between the two by examining the nature of personality in relation to the various aspects of social life. From this it will be seen that the final criterion of true progress lies in the opportunity given to every individual to develop his personality to the fullest extent in conformity with the common good; and that such an opportunity may only occur in an atmosphere of peace and cooperation within society as a whole"--Introduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

What is the relationship of the individual to society? This paper argues it is one of mutual dependence. Individuals cannot hold beliefs or perform actions other than against the background of particular social structures. And social structures only influence, as opposed to restricting or deciding, the beliefs and decisions of individuals, so social structures can arise only out of performances by individuals. The grammar of our concepts shows it is a mistake to postulate a moment of origin when either individuals or social structures must have existed prior to the other. Our concepts of an individual and a social structure are vague, and this allows for their existence being dependent on one another.

Cilj ovog članka je da razmotri ideje određenih marksistički orijentiranih učenjaka koji se bave problemom odnosa jezika, pojedinca i društva. Izlaganje počinje kratkim pregledom Marksovih ideja o ulozi društva koje ono ima u formiranju svijesti pojedinca u stvarnim životnim situacijama. Zatim se govori o stavovima Lava Vigotskog oko problema intelektualnog razvoja djece, a na široj kulturnoj razini o eksperimentu Aleksandra R. Lurie u kojima se dokazuje kako dolazi do kognitivnog razvoja kod pojedinaca nakon provedenih društvenih promjena. Izlaganje se završava diskusijom ideja Valentina N. Vološinova o problemu jezika, pojedinca i društva i načina na koji se pojedinac integrira u društvu pomoću jezika. Sva tri pristupa na svoj specifičan, ali u osnovi i zajednički način, vide pojedincu kao kompleksnu formaciju koja se izgrađuje interakcijom u određenoj sredini. Sva tri autora vide svijest (tj. pojedinca) kao odraz objektivnog svijeta, životna situacija određuje svijest i ona utječe na razvoj pojedinca koji se adaptira kako bi bolje upoznao sredinu i njene zakone. Društveno biće prethodi društvenoj svijesti, a obe su objedinjene putem jezika.

"There is something in this book to interest every literate person and, says one critic who read the manuscript, "something to offend everybody--the rugged individualists, the liberals, the collectivists"--which means that it is an intensely vital book. Professor Bridgman begins by admitting that he says "out loud all sorts of things that are perfectly obvious to anyone, but which anyone with a ghost of sense or of social instinct knows enough to keep to himself." His great desire is to lead an intelligently ordered life, and it seems to him that this longing is one of the fundamental drives of human beings. He writes: "The intelligently ordered life is for me first of all a life in which the relations, consequences and implications of the drives that make me go are apprehended with complete vividness--a life in which the fundamental drives are served with all possible intelligence, in which the bearing of every action on my fundamental purposes is apprehended with the greatest vividness, and every action is deliberately so chosen as to further this end with the greatest possible efficiency." But he says he falls far short of this ideal. "I am not able to answer any question with regard to my life, whether concerning fact or motive or chance of success, with even an approach to that clearness and completeness which I demand with regard to my scientific activities." He sees the greatest need for the application of intelligence in the solution of social problems. He is convinced that the situations in physics and society today are practically identical, that in the social sciences, as in physics, the old ways of thinking are inadequate, and that social concepts must be revised in the face of altered circumstances as the physicists have learned to revise their concepts. Detailed application of methods similar to those successfully employed by physics shows the utter inadequacy of the conventional understanding of our mental machinery, as involved in our relations to the external world, the verbalizing in terms of which we do most of our thinking, and the relation of the individual to his fellows. In the light of an analysis of mental possibilities and limitations, he takes up and presents in a new aspect such ideas as those of duty, freedom, "rights," morality, justice, race survival, service, idealism; and discusses from a fresh viewpoint such questions as the use of physical force, the way to social reform, the future of education"--Jacket. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).