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- The Study of Social Stratification. Social stratification is the division of society into hierarchical levels, primarily based on wealth, power, and privilege (Doob, 2013).
- The Study of Deviance. Deviance in sociology refers to the violation of societal norms and expectations, which can manifest in many forms, ranging from minor transgressions to severe criminal behavior (Bernburg, 2018).
- The Study of Racial Segregation. Racial segregation refers to the physical or institutional separation of racial groups, and the study of it is central to the sociological examination of racial and ethnic relations (Massey, 2016).
- The Study of Social Movements. The sociological study of social movements focuses on collective social action aimed at creating or resisting social change (Jasper, 2015).
- Conflict Theory. Type of Theory: Macrosociology. Conflict Theory proposes that society is marked by ongoing struggles for resources and power, resulting in social inequalities.
- Functionalism. Type of Theory: Macrosociology. Definition: Functionalism considers society as a complex system of interdependent parts, each having a function fulfilling societal stability.
- Symbolic Interactionism. Type of Theory: Microsociology. Symbolic Interactionism emphasizes how individuals use symbols to navigate social interactions and create social worlds.
- Social Exchange Theory. Type of Theory: Microsociology. Social Exchange Theory postulates that human relationships and interactions are guided by a cost-benefit analysis and the pursuit of rewards.
Deviance in sociology is the behavior, belief, or condition that violates societal norms or expectations. It's not always criminal or harmful; sometimes it's just different or unexpected. Deviance can range from minor infractions like jaywalking to more severe actions like theft or violence.
- Sociological Definition of Social Structure
- Social Structures Examples
- Five Key Social Structures in Sociology
- Benefits of Social Structures
- Conclusion
The word social structure was first introduced in 1873, by Herbert Spencer, who was an English philosopher, sociologist, anthropologist, and biologist. We generally consider him to be a functionalist sociologist. Spencer compared the many groups in a society to the various organs in the human body. Just like organs they, “performed a specifiable fu...
Nations: The nation-state is one of the formal social structures that shape how we interact as imagined communities, and shapes geopolitical structures worldwide.Economies:Economies act as social structures on local (i.e. industrial and commercial estates such as silicon valley), national, and international levels (i.e. the European economic zone).Racial Groups:Humans have, throughout history, been separated into groups based on racial traits (such as skin colour, facial features, types of hair, stature).Religions:Religion provides moral guidelines and laws for behavior of members of the religious groups.1. Racial Groups
Throughout history, racial identities have been used as social structures to stratify societies (often leading to discriminatory outcomes). People cohere around racial identities both as a matter of self-identification and through ascribed statuses that they have no choice about. This can result in different treatment of groups based upon their identification. Sociologists often concern themselves with identifying how societies are stratified on racial lines. For example, research conducted b...
2. Ethnic Groups
While race and ethnicity overlap, the concepts do differ. In fact, if we look at ethnic groups within societies like Myanmar, we can see that there can be many ethnicities with shared racial origins, who mark their difference by culture and tradition. Abramson (1976) suggests a four-point definition of ethnicity: 1. Intergenerational continuity:relationships and customs that transfer from grandparents to grandchildren (p. 44). Simply put, the origin of someone’s ethnicity is based on a histor...
3. Community
The word community is derived from two Latin words; ‘com’ and ‘munis’. When used in the English language, ‘com’ means together, while ‘munis’ means to serve. Therefore, community means to serve together (Mini Pradeep & Sathyamurthi,2017, p.58). However, community can mean different things to different people. Some sociologists believe that a main component of a community is a specific geographic location where people live together. While, others, like American anthropologist Robert Redfield (...
Human beings can create social structures to more effectively organize society, achieve efficiency in the economic sphere, and work of the common good. Indeed, humans’ capacity to create large-scale social structures that transcend immediate relationships has facilitated rapid economic growth, the spread of ideas around the world, and growing globa...
Social structures in sociology help sociologists to better understand how society functions. They allow sociologists to analyze the interactions between different social institutions, groups, individuals, communities, and other layers of society to better understand what they have in common and how they may differ. Researching on the macro, meso, a...
- Socialization. The process of learning how to interact with others socially.
- Socialization agents. Individuals, groups, institutions and experiences that play a role in socialization.
- Culture. The shared meaning and behavior that emerges in groups.
- Social structure. The institutions, systems and relationships that organize a society.
Later, George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) studied the self, a person’s distinct identity that is developed through social interaction. Mead argued that our selves have two components, an “I” and a “Me.” The “I” is our creative, novel response to a situation.
Oct 5, 2019 · Symbolic interaction theory, or symbolic interactionism, is one of the most important perspectives in the field of sociology, providing a key theoretical foundation for much of the research conducted by sociologists.
