Social reality is just too complex to grasp without a working outline that points to the interrelationships of social structure and culture. A theory is needed that informs observers how society is organized, how it changes over time, and how this structure and change affect human behaviors. Social theory, while not popular, could be one of the most relevant subjects of our time. Biopsychological Needs Sociocultural materialism begins with the assertion that individual human beings are motivated to satisfy several bio-psychological needs. While the needs are universal, the ways in which people meet these needs as well as the extent to which these needs are met, are highly variable.
Mankind is relatively free from biological instincts, drives and predispositions.
Rather than relying on instinctual behavior, the vast repertoire of our social behavior is learned. Sociocultural systems thus have dramatic impact on how people satisfy these biopsychological needs. People need to eat and will generally opt for diets that offer more rather than fewer calories and proteins and other nutrients. People cannot be totally inactive, but when confronted with a given task, they prefer to carry it out by expending less rather than more human energy. People are highly sexed and generally find reinforcing pleasure from sexual intercourse.