Social structure
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'''Social structure''' is a term frequently used in [[sociology]] and [[social theory]] — yet rarely defined or clearly conceptualised (Abercrombie, et al., 2000; Jary & Jary 1991). In a general sense, the term can refer to:
* [[entities]] or groups in definite relation to each other,
* relatively enduring patterns of behaviour and relationship within a society, or
* social [[institution]]s and [[Norm (sociology)|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 [[role]]s, 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 (classification of human beings)|race]], [[social class|class]], [[disability]] and [[gender]]. Social treatment of persons within various social structures can be understood as related to their placement within the various social strata.
The notion of structure ''as embedded institutions or norms that shape the actions of social agent''s 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 organizational context as organisation structure may determine an organisation's flexibility, capacity to change and many other factors, and is therefore an important issue to [[management]].
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]], [[Economics|economy]] and [[Social class|class]] are all social structures. The social system is the parent system of those various systems that are embedded in the social system.
== History of the concept of social structure ==
The study of social structures has informed the study of institutions, culture and agency, and social interaction as well as history. [[Alexis de Tocqueville]] was apparently the first to use the term social structure; later, [[Karl Marx]], [[Herbert Spencer]], [[Max Weber]], [[Ferdinand Tönnies]], and [[Emile Durkheim]] all contributed to structural conceptualizations in sociology. Weber investigated and analyzed institutional arrangements of modern society: [[market]], [[bureaucracy]] (private enterprise and public administration) and politics (e.g. democracy).
One of the earliest and most comprehensive accounts of social structure was provided by Karl Marx, who related political, cultural, and religious life to the [[mode of production]] (an underlying economic structure). Marx argued that the economic [[Base and superstructure (Marxism)|base]] substantially determined the cultural and political [[Base and superstructure (Marxism)|superstructure]] of a society. Subsequent Marxist accounts, such as that by [[Louis Althusser]], proposed a more complex relationship that asserted the relative autonomy of cultural and political institutions, and a general determination by economic factors only "in the last instance".<ref name=Calhoun>Dictionary of the Social Science, "''Social Structure''" article</ref>
1905, the German sociologist [[Ferdinand Tönnies]] first published his study ''The Present Problems of Social Structure'' in the United States,<ref>''in: The [[American Journal of Sociology]]'', vol. 10, 1905, no. 5, p. 569-688</ref> arguing that only the ''constitution'' of a multitude into a unity does create a "social structure" (basing this approach on his concept of [[will (sociology)|social will]]).
[[Emile Durkheim]] (drawing on the analogies between biological and social systems popularized by Herbert Spencer and others) introduced the idea that diverse social institutions and practices played a role in assuring the functional integration of society — the assimilation of diverse parts into a unified and self-reproducing whole. In this context, Durkheim distinguished two forms of structural relationship: mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity. The former describes structures that unite similar parts through a shared culture; the latter describes differentiated parts united through exchange and material interdependence.<ref name=Calhoun/>
[[Georg Simmel]] developed a wide-ranging approach which provided observations and insights about domination and subordination (as Marx and Weber did but more generally), competition, division of labor, formation of parties, representation, inner solidarity coupled with exclusiveness toward the outside, and many similar features in the state, in a religious community, in an economic association, in an art school, and in family and kinship networks (however diverse the interests that give rise to these associations, the forms in which interests are realized may yet be identical (Crothers, 1996)).
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). Some follow Marx in trying to identify the basic dimensions of society that explain the other dimensions, most emphasizing either economic production or political power. Others follow Lévi-Strauss in seeking logical order in cultural structures. Still others, notably [[Peter Blau]], follow Georg Simmel in attempting to base a formal theory of social structure on numerical patterns in relationships—analyzing, for example, the ways in which factors like [[Group size measures|group size]] shape intergroup relations.<ref name=Calhoun/>
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 most influential attempts to combine the concept of social structure with agency are [[Anthony Giddens]]'s theory of structuration and [[Pierre Bourdieu]]'s practice theory. Giddens emphasizes the duality of structure and agency, in the sense that structures and agency cannot be conceived apart from one another. This permits him to argue that structures are neither independent of actors nor determining of their behavior, but rather sets of rules and competencies on which actors draw, and which, in the aggregate, they reproduce. Giddens's analysis, in this respect, closely parallels [[Jacques Derrida]]'s deconstruction of the binaries that underlie classic sociological and anthropological reasoning (notably the universalizing tendencies of Lévi-Strauss's structuralism). Bourdieu's practice theory also seeks a more supple account of social structure as embedded in, rather than determinative of, individual behavior.<ref name=Calhoun/>
Other recent work by [[Margaret Archer]] ([[morphogenesis theory]]), [[Tom R. Burns]] and collaborators ([[actor-system dynamics theory]] and [[social rule system theory]]), and [[Immanuel Wallerstein]] ([[World Systems Theory]]) provided elaborations and applications of the sociological classics in structural sociology.
== 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:
{{cquote|''...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:
{{cquote|''...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 [[Microsociology|microstructure]] and [[Macrosociology|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 position]]s or [[social role]]s, 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 structure]]s'' (in family or larger family-like clan structures), ''[[communication structure]]s'' (how information is passed in organizations) and ''[[sociometry|sociometric structure]]s'' (structures of sympathy, antipathy and indifference in organisations - this was studied by [[Jacob L. Moreno]]).
[[Social rule system theory]] reduces the structures of (3) to particular rule system arrangements, that is, the types of basic structures of (1 and 2). It shares with [[role theory]], [[organizational sociology|organizational]] and [[institutional sociology]], and [[network analysis]] the concern with structural properties and developments and at the same time provides detailed conceptual tools needed too generate interesting, fruitful propositions and models and analyses.
Sociologists also distinguish between:
* [[normative structure]] — pattern of relations in given structure (organisation) between [[norm (sociology)|norm]]s and modes of operations of people of varying [[social position]]s
* [[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
== 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 (economics)|labour]], [[management]], [[professional]] and [[military]] classes, or by conflicts between groups, such as competition among [[political party|political parties]] or among [[elite]]s 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 system]]s that place emphasis upon [[competition]] or [[cooperation]].
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 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 [[stereotype]]s based on prejudice. However, these social distinctions often go unexamined because they appear to be the result of social structures rather than prejudice.
== See also ==
{{multicol}}
;Related ideas:
*[[Conflict theory]]
*[[Norm (sociology)]]
*[[Political structure]]
*[[Social Model]]
*[[Social network]]
*[[Social structure of the United States]]
*[[Sociotechnical systems theory]]
*[[Structural functionalism]]
*[[Structure and agency]]
*[[Systems theory]]
*[[Morphological analysis]]
*[[Theory of structuration]]
*[[Values]]
{{multicol-break}}
;Related theorists:
*[[Anthony Giddens]]
*[[Emile Durkheim]]
*[[Niklas Luhmann]]
*[[Karl Marx]]
*[[Robert K. Merton]]
*[[George Murdock]]
*[[Talcott Parsons]]
*[[Ferdinand Tönnies]]
*[[Eric Trist]]
*[[Max Weber]]
{{multicol-end}}
== References ==
* Abercrombie, N., S. Hill and B. S. Turner (2000), 'Social structure' in ''The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology'', 4th edition, London: [[Penguin Books|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.
* Calhoun, Craig (2002), ''Dictionary of the Social Sciences'' (Article: Social Structure) Oxford University Press
* Crothers, Charles (1996), ''Social Structure'', London: Routledge
* 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]].
* [[George Murdock|Murdock, George]] (1949). ''Social Structure''. New York: MacMillan.
* 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.
* [[Neil Smelser|Smelser, N. J.]] (1988). 'Social structure', in N. J. Smelser (editor), ''The Handbook of Sociology'', London: [[SAGE Publications|Sage]], pp. 103–209.
* [[Ferdinand Tönnies|Tönnies, Ferdinand]] (1905). ''The Present Problems of Social Structure'', ''American Journal of Sociology'', 10 (5), p. 569–588
==Footnotes==
<references/>
[[Category:Sociology]]
[[Category:Structure]]
[[Category:Social systems|Structure]]
[[ar:بناء اجتماعي]]
[[cs:Sociální struktura]]
[[de:Sozialstruktur]]
[[es:Estructura social]]
[[eu:Gizarte egitura]]
[[fr:Organisation sociale]]
[[ko:사회구성체]]
[[he:מבנה חברתי]]
[[lt:Socialinė struktūra]]
[[no:Sosialt system og sosial struktur]]
[[pl:Struktura społeczna]]
[[fi:Yhteiskuntajärjestelmä]]
[[uk:Соціальна система]]
[[zh:社会结构]]