Question

defination of social structure distinguish between social structure and social organisation

Answer 1

According to Raymond Firth social structure is concerned with the ordered relation of parts to the whole with the arrangement in which the elements of social life are linked together. The abstract social relationship which are displayed in the social reality as a patterned manner and in a regular fashion are concerned about institutional arrangements and relation between social groups. Thus the term social structure means a more permanent and continuous pattern of social reality.

Firth has proposed the concept of social organization in this context which as opposed to social structure is concerned about temporary and changing nature of social reality.Social organization as he explains refers to the systematic ordering of social relations by acts of choice and decision. It allows individual choices and decisions in response to a situational condition. Individuals choose between alternative modes of behaviour and take decisions as they evaluate them according to their perceptions to the fulfilment of a goal which are set by the group they belong.

Answer 2

The Concept of Social Structure: The term Social Structure points to the fact that society is structured – i.e. organised or arranged–in particular ways. The social environments in which we exist do not just consist of random assortments of events or actions. There are underlying regularities, or patterns, in how people behave and in the relationships they have with one another. It is to these regularities that the concept of social structure refers. Upto a point, it is helpful to think of the structural characteristics of societies as resembling the structure of a building. A building has walls, a floor and a roof, which together give it a particular ‘shape’ or form. But the metaphor can be a very misleading one if applied too strictly. Social structures are made up of human actions and relationships. What gives these their patterning is their repetition a cross periods of time and distances of space. Thus, the ideas of social reproduction and social structure are very closely related to one another in sociological analysis. For example, consider a school and a family structure. In a school certain ways of behaving are repeated over the years and become institutions. For instance admission procedures, codes of conduct, annual functions, daily assemblies and in some cases even school anthems. Likewise in families certain ways of behaving, marriage practices, notions of relationships, duties and expectations are set. Even as old members of the family or school may pass away and new members enter, the institution goes on. Yet we also know that changes do take place within the family and in schools.

Although it is generally agreed that the term social structure refers to regularities in social life, its application is inconsistent. For example, the term is sometimes wrongly applied when other concepts such as custom, tradition, role, or norm would be more accurate.