Your question is really too complicated for quick answers but I'll try & get things started.

Society teaches us what is normal & what is expected. It teaches us what is acceptable & what thought wrong. As we go through life we are conditioned and trained.

Some examples.

Beliefs: Most religions are keen to recruit the young. The young accept what adults tell them without questioning it.

Behaviour: Society has expectations. Society has authority figures to enforce those expectations like police & teachers. Different groups demand certain behaviours for entry to that society, you behave how they behave if you want to be in, whether it's drugs or sports or posh dining clubs.

Life chances depend on what openings your society present to you, which in turn depends on what it thinks is important. Some societies place a high value on education. Some societies place a high value on personal wealth. People tend to focus energies on what their society deems important. Society is more equal now, but 100 years ago the different social classes (working middle & upper) had distinct cultures & values that set them apart from the other two, & often determined that once born to a class a person would stay there. I say often, but it was NOT always so, there always has been some movement between classes based on opportunity, ability & luck.

Society basically moulds us to behave in a certain way. It is that behaviour thereafter that determines what we become.

As far as beliefs it depends on your environment and up ring throughout your younger days. You could grow up to believe that robbing, stealing, and drugs are ok and normal everyday life. Or that education is the key to success in life. As far as behavior hell it's monkey see monkey do. People imitate what the famous people do and what they buy. And then break their backs to try and afford anything that famous people have or endorse to fit in with others. It's sad really, you watch movies and tv and it's like hey that's what's suppose to be normal and cool or "real" as some label it. But whatever, as far as life changes go, it depends on what you choose to believe in and how you want your life to go in later years. Whether it be a positive or negative outcome you control your own life and you only.

In the end people determine their own lives, but its the influence of others that they act upon. You are limited by your own frame of mind. Your own frame of mind is often a product of what you have been told you are. For example, a girl from a ghetto has a baby in her teens. People will label her as a whore who is going nowhere. She is constantly told negative things and this sticks with her. Making it hard for her to have upward social mobility. She is by no means incapable, but she believes that. You see? We can accomplish or believe anything, but we are stuck in the box other people put us in.

Example: The pilgrims were kicked out of Britain and moved to the colonies for being radical fundamentalists. Then came the witch trials and witch burnings. Now they have megachurches and influence politics.

For the most part--your individual characteristics determine your path in life. If you have good characteristics (honesty, responsibility, morals, compassion, etc.) you will do well in life. However, if you have poor character traits (dishonesty, irresponsibility, drug/alcohol abuse, etc.) you do poorly in life. Society does not determine your path, you do.