ABSTRACT
In her discussion of the structure of society, Marion Levy argued that there were four criteria which had to be fulfilled before any group could be considered as constituting a society. These criteria are the group must be capable of existing longer than the life-span of the individual, the group must recruit its new members, at least in part, by means of sexual reproduction, the group must be united in giving allegiance to a common complex, general system of action, and that system of action should be self-sufficient. A society, in terms of a self-sufficient structure or system of action, would cease to exist if most of its members became extinct or were dispersed; or if the members became unmotivated and apathetic; or if within the society there is 'the war of all against all', involving the exploitation or annihilation of one group by others.
