What is a Social Structure? Describe the features of social structure.

What is a Social Structure? Describe the features of social structure.

According to some sociologists, social structure is the term applied to the arrangement of interrelated institutions, agencies, and social patterns as well as the statuses and roles each person assumes in the groups.

Meaning of Social Structure

Churches, colleges, playgroups, and political parties are examples of organizations. 
There are many kinds of organizations.

A state is a political organization because it concerns political matters. 

 Definition of social structure by different scholars

1. Herbert Spencer: – Spencer viewed social structure as analogous to the biological organism. 
2. Talcott Parsons: –  Parsons described social structure as a system of roles and norms that dictate the expectations and behaviors of individuals in society.
3. Karl Marx: – Marx defined social structure primarily in terms of economic relations. 
4. Max Weber: –  Weber saw social structure as a system of stratification based on class, status, and power. 
5. Ralph Linton: – Linton defined social structure as “the network of relations among members of a society.” 
6. Radcliffe-Brown: –  A key figure in structural-functionalism, defined social structure as the set of relations between individuals and groups that create the enduring patterns of society.
7. Anthony Giddens: –  Giddens defined social structure as a set of rules and resources that shape the behaviors and actions of individuals. 
8. George Homans: –  Homans defined social structure in terms of social exchange theory. 
9. Robert Merton: – Merton viewed social structure as the organized set of social relationships and institutions that guide behavior and maintain order within society. 
10. Claude Lévi-Strauss: –  Lévi-Strauss viewed social structure through a structuralist lens, focusing on the underlying patterns and binary oppositions that organize human thought and culture.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE

1. Organization of Relationships
2. Hierarchy and Stratification
3. Norms and Values
4. Stability and Continuity
5. Social Institutions
6. Roles and Status
7. Functional Interdependence
8. Cultural Context
9. Social Control
10. Adaptability and Change
11. Social Networks
12. Regulation of Social Behavior
13. Role of Power and Authority
14. Differentiation
15. Role Expectations
16. Social Inequality

Here we will describe the features of the Social Structure

Features of social structure

Elements of social structure

1.  Status
2.  Roles
3.  Institutions
4. Groups
5. Norms
6. Values
7. Social Hierarchy (Stratification)
8. Social Networks
9. Social Control
10. Cultural Symbols and Language
11. Social Interaction
12. Division of Labor
13. Socialization