what do you understand the term social structure explain 250 words
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Essay on Social Structure – A number of sciences deal with the phenomenon of ‘structure’ in their own way mainly to discover the characteristics of “structure” of their interest.
For example, atomic physics deals with the structure of atoms, chemistry with the structure of molecules, crystallography and colloidal chemistry with the structure of crystals and colloids, and anatomy and physiology with the structures of organisms.
In sociological and social anthropological studies also the term ‘social structure’ is relevant because, the main task here is to discover the general characteristics of those ‘social structures’ the component parts of which are human beings:
‘Social Structure’ is one of the basic concepts of sociology. But it has not been used consistently or unambiguously. In the decade following the Second World War the concept ‘Social Structure’ became extremely fashionable in social anthropological studies. It became so general that it could be applied to almost any ordered arrangement of social phenomena.
The word ‘structure’ in its original English meaning refers to “building construction” or “arrangement of parts”, or “manner of organisation”. But by the 16th century it was used to refer to the interrelations between the component parts of any whole.
It was in this sense widely used in anatomical studies. The term became relatively popular in sociological studies with the works of Herbert Spencer, that is, after 1850. Spencer who was very much fascinated by his biological analogies (organic structure and evolution) applied the term ‘structure’ to his analysis of society and spoke of ‘social structure. Even Durkheim, Morgan, Marx and others gave their own interpretations to it.
At modern times, George Murdoch in America, A.R. Radcliffe-Brown and his followers in Britain and Claude Levi-Strauss in France used profusely this concept and popularised it. The usages of other writers are mostly the modified versions of these writers.
Murdock’s use of term ‘structure’ implies either a building analogy or a dead organic model dissected for demonstration. Radcliffe-Brown presumes that society may be compared to a living organism or a working mechanism. For Brown, society has a life of its own.
Society is not an object but it is very much like a creature. Hence, the study of structure, that is, the inter-dependence of the component parts of the system-is invariably linked with the study of function. It means one has to study how the component parts of the system ‘ work’ in relation to each other and to the whole.
Definitions of Social Structure:
The concept of social structure has been defined in different ways by different thinkers. We may consider some of these definitions:
1. Radcliffe-Brown defines social structure as “an arrangement of persons in institutionally controlled or defined relationships, (such as the relationship of King and subject, or that of husband and wife)”.
2. In the British social anthropological circles the term social structure is used to refer to “a body of principles underlying social relations, rather than their actual content”.
3. Morris Ginsberg regards social structure as “the complex of principal groups and institutions which constitute societies”.
4. In current sociological usage the concept of social structure is applied to small groups as well as larger associations, communities and societies. Thus, Ogburn and Knockoff are of the opinion that “In society, the organisation of a group of persons is the social structure. What the group does is the function.” They use the terms ‘social organisation’ and ‘social structure’ almost interchangeably.
5. In a loose manner, the term ‘social structure’ is used to refer to any recurring pattern of social behaviour.
6. Many sociologists have used the term ‘social structure’ to refer to “the enduring, orderly and patterned relationships between elements of a society…” (But there is disagreement as to what would count as an “element”.
For example, according to A.R. Brown, general and regular kinds of relationships that exist between people constitute the elements. For S.F. Nadel, the elements are roles. For most of the sociologists who are called ‘functionalists’, the elements of social structures are ‘social institutions’. They consider these elements (that is, social institutions) as necessary because they are “functional pre-requisites”. Without these institutions no society can survive
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Social structure, in sociology, the distinctive, stable arrangement of institutions whereby human beings in a society interact and live together. Social structure is often treated together with the concept of social change, which deals with the forces that change the social structure and the organization of society.
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.
Studies of social structure attempt to explain such matters as integration and trends in inequality. In the study of these phenomena, sociologists analyze organizations, social categories (such as age groups), or rates (such as of crime or birth). This approach, sometimes called formal sociology, does not refer directly to individual behaviour or interpersonal interaction. Therefore, the study of social structure is not considered a behavioral science; at this level, the analysis is too abstract. It is a step removed from the consideration of concrete human behaviour, even though the phenomena studied in social structure result from humans responding to each other and to their environments. Those who study social structure do, however, follow an empirical (observational) approach to research, methodology, and epistemology.
Social structure is sometimes defined simply as patterned social relations—those regular and repetitive aspects of the interactions between the members of a given social entity. Even on this descriptive level, the concept is highly abstract: it selects only certain elements from ongoing social activities. The larger the social entity considered, the more abstract the concept tends to be. For this reason, the social structure of a small group is generally more closely related to the daily activities of its individual members than is the social structure of a larger society. In the study of larger social groups, the problem of selection is acute: much depends on what is included as components of the social structure. Various theories offer different solutions to this problem of determining the primary characteristics of a social group.
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Before these different theoretical views can be discussed, however, some remarks must be made on the general aspects of the social structure of any society. Social life is structured along the dimensions of time and space. Specific social activities take place at specific times, and time is divided into periods that are connected with the rhythms of social life—the routines of the day, the month, and the year. Specific social activities are also organized at specific places; particular places, for instance, are designated for such activities as working, worshiping, eating, and sleeping. Territorial boundaries delineate these places and are defined by rules of property that determine the use and possession of scarce goods. Additionally, in any society there is a more or less regular division of labour. Yet another universal structural characteristic of human societies is the regulation of violence. All violence is a potentially disruptive force; at the same time, it is a means of coercion and coordination of activities. Human beings have formed political units, such as nations, within which the use of violence is strictly regulated and which, at the same time, are organized for the use of violence against outside groups.
Furthermore, in any society there are arrangements within the structure for sexual reproduction and the care and education of the young. These arrangements take the form partly of kinship and marriage relations. Finally, systems of symbolic communication, particularly language, structure the interactions between the members of any society.
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