See Social structure of the United States for an explanation of concept's exsistance within US society. The contemporary United States has no legally-recognized social classes. ...

Social structure is a term frequently used in sociology and more specifically in social theory — yet rarely defined or clearly conceptualised (Jary and Jary 1991, Abercrombie et al 2000). This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The term social structure, used in a general sense, refers to entities or groups in definite relation to each other, to relatively enduring patterns of behaviour and relationship within social systems, or to social institutions and norms becoming embedded into social systems in such a way that they shape the behaviour of actors within those social systems.

The notion of social structure as relationships between different entities or groups or as enduring and relatively stable patterns of relationship emphasises the idea that society is grouped into structurally related groups or sets of roles, with different functions, meanings or purposes. One example of social structure is the idea of "social stratification," which refers to the idea that society is separated into different strata, according to social distinctions such as a race, class and gender. Social treatment of persons within various social structures can be understood as related to their placement within the various social strata. In sociology, social stratification is the hierarchical arrangement of social classes, castes, and strata within a society. ... The term race serves to distinguish between populations or groups of people based on different sets of characteristics which are commonly determined through social conventions. ... Gender often refers to the distinctions between males and females in common usage. ...

The notion of structure as embedded institutions or norms that shape the actions of social agents is important, as structural determination may occur as the actions of people and organisations are guided partially by the underlying structures in the social system. This approach has been important in the academic literature with the rise of various forms of structuralism, and is important in the contemporary organisational context as organisation structure may determine an organisation's flexibity, capacity to change and many other factors, and is therefore an important issue to management. Structuralism as a term refers to various theories across the humanities, social sciences and economics many of which share the assumption that structural relationships between concepts vary between different cultures/languages and that these relationships can be usefully exposed and explored. ... Look up Management in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Social structure may be seen to underly important social systems including the economic system, legal system, political system, cultural system, and others. Family, religion, law, economy and class are all social structures. The social system is the parent system of those various systems that are embedded in the social system. This box:  • • An economic system sucks(social institution) which deals with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services in a particular society. ... A political system is a social system of politics and government. ... Cultural system refers to the functional interaction between the different elements of culture in a particular manner. ... A family in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 1997 A family consists of a domestic group of people (or a number of domestic groups), typically affiliated by birth or marriage, or by analogous or comparable relationships — including domestic partnership, cohabitation, adoption, surname and (in some cases) ownership (as occurred in the... Lady Justice or Justitia is a personification of the moral force that underlies the legal system (particularly in Western art). ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ...

History of the concept of social structure

The concept of social structure has a long history in the social sciences, going back for example to the functionalism of figures such as Herbert Spencer, the class structure analysis of Karl Marx , or the work of 19th century German sociologist Georg Simmel on social structure as abstract patterns underlying human this is so cool!!!!! haha im changing it!!!!!!!!!. Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English philosopher and prominent classic-liberal political theorist. ... Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818, Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883, London) was a German philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Georg Simmel Georg Simmel (March 1, 1858 – September 28, 1918, Berlin, Germany) was one of the first generation of German sociologists. ...

The notion of social structure has been extensively developed in the twentieth century, with key contributions from structuralist perspectives drawing on the structuralism of Levi-Strauss, Feminist or Marxist perspectives, from functionalist perspectives such as those developed by Talcott Parsons and his followers, or from a variety of analytic perspectives (see Blau 1975, Lopez and Scott 2000). See also structural analysis and structural functionalism. ... Talcott Parsons (December 13, 1902–May 8, 1979) was for many years the best-known sociologist in the United States, and indeed one of the best-known in the world. ...

The notion of social structure is intimately related to a variety of central topics in social science, including the relation of structure and agency. The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...

Definitions and concepts of social structure

As noted above, social structure has been identified as

(i) the relationship of definite entities or groups to each other,

(ii) as enduring patterns of behaviour by participants in a social system in relation to each other, and

(iii) as institutionalised norms or cognitive frameworks that structure the actions of actors in the social system.

Lopez and Scott (2000) distinguish between institutional structure and relational structure, where in the former:

. . . social structure is seen as comprising those cultural or normative patterns that define the expectations of agents hold about each other's behaviour and that organize their enduring relations with each other. (p. 3)

whereas in the latter:

. . . social structure is seen as comprising the relationships themselves, understood as patterns of causal interconnection and interdependence among agents and their actions, as well as the positions that they occupy. (p. 3)

Social structure can also be divided into microstructure and macrostructure. Microstructure is the pattern of relations between most basic elements of social life, that cannot be further divided and have no social structure of their own (for example, pattern of relations between individuals in a group composed of individuals - where individuals have no social structure, or a structure of organizations as a pattern of relations between social positions or social roles, where those positions and roles have no structure by themselves). Macrostructure is thus a kind of 'second level' structure, a pattern of relations between objects that have their own structure (for example, a political social structure between political parties, as political parties have their own social structure). Some special types of social structures that modern sociologist differentiate are relation structures (in family or larger family-like clan structures), communication structures (how information is passed in organizations) and sociometric structures (structures of sympathy, antipathy and indifference in organisations - this was studied by Jacob L. Moreno). Microsociology is one of the main branches of sociology (contrast with macrosociology) which concerns itself with the nature of human interaction on a small scale. ... Macrosociology is one of the main branches of sociology (contrast with microsociology) which deals with primarily with the statistical nature of society. ... In sociology, social status also known as Social position social status means a position of an individual in a given society and culture. ... A function is part of an answer to a question about why some object or process occurred in a system that evolved or was designed with some goal. ... Sociometry is the science and art of measuring relationships developed by psychotherapist Jacob L. Moreno in his studies of the relationship between social configurations or structures and psychological well-being. ... Dr. Jacob (Jakob) Levy Moreno (18 May 1889 - 14 May 1974) was a leading psychiatrist, theorist and educator. ...

Sociologists also distinguish between:

• normative structure — pattern of relations in given structure (organisation) between norms and modes of operations of people of varying social positions
• ideal structure — pattern of relations between beliefs and views of people of varying social positions
• interest structure — pattern of relations between goals and desires of people of varying social positions
• interaction structure — forms of communications of people of varying social positions

It has been suggested that Convention (norm) be merged into this article or section. ... In sociology, social status also known as Social position social status means a position of an individual in a given society and culture. ...

Origins and evolution of social structure

Some believe that social structure is naturally developed. It may be caused by larger system needs, such as the need for labour, management, professional and military classes, or by conflicts between groups, such as competition among political parties or among elites and masses. Others believe that this structuring is not a result of natural processes, but is socially constructed. It may be created by the power of elites who seek to retain their power, or by economic systems that place emphasis upon competition or cooperation. In classical economics and all micro-economics labour is a measure of the work done by human beings and is one of three factors of production, the others being land and capital. ... Look up Management in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A professional can be either a person in a profession (certain types of skilled work requiring formal training / education) or in sports (a sportsman / sportwoman doing sports for payment). ... Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... Look up elite, élite in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Masses may refer to: Mass (music) Mass Mass (liturgy) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This box:  • • An economic system sucks(social institution) which deals with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services in a particular society. ... Competition is the act of striving against another force for the purpose of achieving dominance or attaining a reward or goal, or out of a biological imperative such as survival. ... This article is about cooperation as used in the social sciences. ...

The most thorough account of the evolution of social structure is perhaps provided by structure and agency accounts that allow for a sophisticated analysis of the co-evolution of social structure and human agency, where socialised agents with a degree of autonomy take action in social systems where their action is on the one hand mediated by existing institutional structure and expectations but may, on the other hand, influence or transform that institutional structure. The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...

The notion of social structure may mask systematic biases

Some argue that men and women who have otherwise equal qualifications receive different treatment in the workplace because of their gender. Others note that individuals are sometimes viewed as having different essential qualities based on their race and ethnicity, regardless of their individual qualities. When examined, these social distinctions are often considered stereotypes based on prejudice. However, these social distinctions often go unexamined because they appear to be the result of social structures rather than prejudice. For the 1996 Blur single, see Stereotypes (song). ...

See also

Related ideas:

• Social structure of the United States
• Structure and agency
• Political structure
• Conflict theory
• Systems theory
• Marxism
• Norms
• Structural functionalism
• Theory of structuration
• Values
• Social Model
• Social network

Related theorists: The contemporary United States has no legally-recognized social classes. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Political structure is a term frequently used in political science. ... In sociology, conflict theory states that the society or organization functions so that each individual participant and its groups struggle to maximize their benefits, which inevitably contributes to social change such as changes in politics and revolutions. ... Systems theory is a transdisciplinary/multiperspectual scientific domain that seeks to derive and formulate those principles that are isomorphic to all fields of scientific inquiry. ... Marxism refers to the philosophy and social theory based on Karl Marxs work on one hand, and the political practice based on Marxist theory on the other hand (namely, parts of the First International during Marxs time, communist parties and later states). ... It has been suggested that Convention (norm) be merged into this article or section. ... The article is about functionalism in sociology; for other uses, see functionalism. ... The Theory of Structuration, proposed by Anthony Giddens (1984) in The Constitution of Society, (mentioned also in Central Problems of Social Theory, 1977) is an attempt to reconcile theoretical dichotomies of social systems such as agency/structure, subjective/objective, and micro/macro perspectives, which consider individuals as either acted upon... Value is a term that expresses the concept of worth in general, and it is thought to be connected to reasons for certain practices, policies or actions. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... // An example of a social network diagram Social network analysis views social relationships in terms of nodes and ties. ...

• Anthony Giddens
• Emile Durkheim
• Karl Marx
• George Murdock
• Max Weber
• Robert K. Merton

Image needed Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens (born January 18, 1938) is a British sociologist who is renowned for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. ... David Émile Durkheim (April 15, 1858 - November 15, 1917) is known as the founder of modern sociology. ... Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818, Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883, London) was a German philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary. ... For the first mayor of Calgary, Alberta, see George Murdoch George Peter Murdock (May 11, 1897 - March 29, 1985) was a notable anthropologist. ... For other persons named Max Weber, see Max Weber (disambiguation). ... Editing Robert K. Merton This article is about the sociologist. ...

References

• Abercrombie, N., S. Hill and B. S. Turner (2000), 'Social structure' in The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology, 4th edition, London: Penguin, pp. 326–327.
• Blau, P. M. (editor) (1975). Approaches to the Study of Social Structure, New York: The Free Press A Division of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.
• Jary, D. and J. Jary (editors). (1991). 'Social structure', in The Harper Collins Dictionary of Sociology, New York: Harper Collins.
• Lopez, J. and J. Scott (2000), Social Structure, Buckingham and Philadelphia: Open University Press.
• Porpora, D. V. (1987), The Concept of Social Structure, New York, Wetport and London: Greenwood Press.
• Porpora, D. V. (1989). 'Four Concepts of Social Structure', Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 19 (2), pp. 195–211.
• Smelser, N. J. (1988). 'Social structure', in N. J. Smelser (editor), The Handbook of Sociology, London: Sage, pp. 103–209.
• George Murdock (1949). Social Structure. New York: MacMillan.