SOCIAL STRUCTURE

- Organized pattern of social relationships and social institutions that

together compose society.

Elements of Social Structure

Statuses
Social roles
Groups
Social networks

Social institutions

Social Statuses
Daughter

18
years
old

Ascribed Statuses
Filipina

Female

Sister

Me
Class
mate

Student

Dormitory
Resident

Friend

Achieved Statuses
Employee

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Statuses
Refers to any of the full range of socially
defined positions within a large group or
society from the lowest to the highest

position.

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Ascribed and Achieved Status

Ascribed Status is

Achieved Status

assigned to a person by
society without regard for
the persons unique talents
or characteristics.
This assignment takes
place at birth; thus, a
persons racial background,
gender, and age are all
considered ascribed
statuses.

comes to us largely
through our own
efforts.
a social position that a
person can acquire on
the basis of merit; it is
a position that is
earned or chosen.

Master Status
A status that dominates others and thereby
determines a persons general position within
society.

a status that has exceptional importance

for social identity, often shaping a person's
entire life.

Social Roles
A set of expectations for people who occupy a given social position or

status.
It is the expected or free or continuously changing behaviours and may

have given individual social status and social position.

Role Conflict
Occurs when incompatible expectations arise
from two or more social positions held by the
same person.
Fulfillment of the roles associated with one

status may violate roles linked to a second

status.
Occurs among individuals moving into
occupations that are not common among
people with their ascribed status.

Role Strain
Describes the difficulty that arises when the
same social position imposes conflicting
demands and expectations.
refers to the situation whence an individual

associates a single social circle with some

form of incompatible obligation, behaviour or
hope and thereof experiences strain due to
this.

Role Exit
The process of disengagement from a role
that is central to ones self identity in a new
role.
the process of a person leaving their own true

identity to take on another role that allows

them to fit in with others.

Groups
Is any number of people with similar norms, values, and
expectations who interact with one another on a regular basis.

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Social Networks and Technology

A series of social relationships that links a person directly to others

and through them indirectly to still more people.

May constrain people by limiting the range of their interactions, yet

these networks may also empower people by making available vast

resources(Lin 1999).

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Social Institutions
are organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic

social needs.
Social institutions provide insight into the structure of society.

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Functionalist View
Social institutions create survival and stability
for society.
Social change can be dysfunctional, since it

often leads to instability.

Conflict View
Major institutions maintain the privileges of
the most powerful individuals and groups
within a society, while contributing to the

powerlessness of others.
Social institutions operate in gendered and
racist environments.
Social changes are needed to promote
equality.

Interactionist View
Behavior is conditioned by roles and statuses
that we accept, the groups to which we
belong, and the institutions within which we

function.

SOCIAL GROUPS
We become who we are because of our membership in human groups.

Social Groups

AGGREGATE individuals who

temporarily share the same physical
space but who do not see
themselves belonging together.

a CATEGORY consists of people

who share similar characteristics but
do not interact with one another.

a GROUP think of themselves as

belonging together, and they
interact with one another.

Copyright Allyn & Bacon 2004

Primary and Secondary Groups

PRIMARY GROUPS

SECONDARY GROUPS

provide face-to-face
interaction.
Primary groups give us
identity.
They are essential to our
well-being.
Their values and attitudes
become fused into our
identity.

groups that are larger,

anonymous, formal, and
impersonal.
They are based on some
common interest or
activity.

Copyright Allyn & Bacon 2004

Composition of Primary and Secondary Groups

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Types of Groups
In groups groups
toward which we feel
loyalty.
are any groups or
categories to which people
feel they belong.

Out groups are any

groups or categories to
which people feel they do
not belong.

Reference groups are

any groups that individuals

use as a standard for
evaluating themselves and
their own behavior.

Studying Small Groups

Small Groups
--Small groups are groups small enough for
all members to interact simultaneously (to
talk with one another or at least be well
acquainted).

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cont.
Size of Group

--Smaller groups have greater interaction opportunities.

Dyad:

A two member group(0ne relationship).

Triad:

A three member group(two relationship).

Coalition:

A temporary or permanent
alliance geared toward a
common goal.

Copyright 2004, The Mcgraw-Hill Companies Inc,

Formal Organizations and Bureaucracies

Formal Organization
A formal organization is a special-purpose group

designed and structured for maximum efficiency.

Money is important part to these group, and the

organization use money in fulfilling some objective.

People belong to some type of formal organization
because of some purpose.
Examples of formal organizations:
the U.S. Post Office
McDonalds restaurants

this college

Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is a component of formal organization in

which rules and hierarchical ranking are used to achieve

efficiency.