Transcript ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE

ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL
STRUCTURE
VALUS
STATUS
Elements
of Social
Structure
ROLE
NORMS
Meaning of Status
The term ‘ Status’ simply indicates the position a person occupies in a
group.
Where as in sociology or anthropology, social status is the amount of
honor or prestige a person receives from members of the community
and from the large society in a stratification system. It denotes not only
the position but relative ‘social standing’ of a person on publicly
recognized scale or hierarchy of social worth. It may also refer to a rank
or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter,
playmate, pupil, etc. For example, a boy behaves differently as compare
girls. There is a condition in which various constituents discharge
different functions in relation to quality as result of which it is possible
to achieve a social object.
R. Linton (1936) defined status simply as a position in a social system,
such as child or parent. Status refers to what a person is, whereas the
closely linked notion of role refers to the behaviour expected of people
in a status.
Definition of Status
Davis Kingsley :” Status is the position in the general institutional
system recognized and adopted by the entire society spontaneously
evolved rather than deliberately created rooted in the folkways and
customs.”
Maciver,R.M. & Page :” Status is the position that determines for its
possessor , apart from his personal attribute, as social services , a
degree of respect , prestige and influence.”
Ogburn & Nimkoff: “The simplest definition of status is that it
represents the position of the individual in the group.”
Majumdar: Status means the location of the location of the
individual within the group his place in the social network of
reciprocal obligations and privileges, rights and duties.”
Characteristics of Status
 The status is determined by cultural situation of a society.
 Status is determined only in relevance of other members of the society(relative concept)
Every individual has to play certain roles in accordance with status.
Status is not only a part of society as a whole of the society or the society as a whole.
As a result of status society is divided into various groups.
Every status carries with it some prestige(joking and avoidance relationship).
Status is an important aspect of society thus on the basis of the status, Society is divided into
groups.
 According to status people may be divided into different categories. These categories or
statuses are not imposed from above. Some of theses statuses are earned or achieved while
other are ascribed.
Status has noting to do directly with the temperament of character of the individual but every
individual is assigned a status on the bases of membership of group and placement in the group.
Importance of Status
 Status is important in society because it is the fundamental unit of analyses of social
structure.
A large number of interaction in society are status interactions and which is based on the
status of an individual.
A large number of relationship of individual are also based on their status.
A status which contributes to interactions patterns and indolently harmonious interaction
among people this contributes to the stability of society.
Status is important because it entitle an individual certain right and responsibility.
Status prepare a person to performer some role.
Statues help in the development of personality of the individual and teach the person a
normative aspect with pattern of behavior.
The structure of society is made up of network of status and these statuses contribute to
fundamental order of society.
Types of Statuses
Two types
of Status
Achieved
Status
Ascribed
Status
Ascribed Status: Is one that is assigned to a person at birth or at different
stages in the life cycle . For Example , being male and female. This has often
been said about the youth culture in the U.S. because of the high value
Americans attach to being young. Pre-modern China, by contrast, attached the
highest value to old age and required extreme subordination of children. The
perquisites and obligations accompany age change over the individual's lifetime,
but the individual proceeds inexorably through these changes with no freedom
of choice.
Achieved Status
are those which the individual acquires
during his or her lifetime as a result of the exercise of knowledge,
ability, skill and/or perseverance. For Example, Being a
professional athlete is an achieved status, as is being a lawyer,
college professor, or criminal.
Ascribed Status
Achieved Status
Sex Differences
Education
Age Differences
Occupation
Kinship
Caste Differences
Racial Differences
Politics
Physical Strength
Specialization
A role is the expected behavior associated with a specific social status. Role has
an aspect of action which is nothing but a cluster of inter –related structures
around specific rights and duties and duties and associated with a particular
status position within a group of social situation .A persons’ role in any situation is
defined by the set of expectations for his behavior held by others and by the
persons himself. Thus as in the Ralph Linton words has referred to role as
dynamic aspect of status: a role is the totality of all the culture patterns associated
with particular status.
Role is the social action or behavior of the individual in a particular status.
Role is a manner in which the position of a status is supposed to be filled.
Role is the way of behavior or a social action which fits to a given status .
All social activities and action are organized around role.
Role is the set of privileges and expectation both of one’s own behavior and the
behavior of others.
Definition of Role
Davis, Kingsley : “Role is the manner in which a person actually carried out
the requirements of his position”
Ogburn and Nimkoff : “Role is a set of socially expected and approved
behavior patterns consisting of both duties and privileges, associated with a
particular position in a group”.
Elliot and Merrill:”Role is the parte he plays as a result of each status.”
Fitcher,J.H. : “ When a number of inter-related behavior patterns are
clustered around a social functions , we call this combination a social role.”
Characteristics of Role
 Action aspect of the Status: The role is the action aspect of the status. It
involves the various type of action that a person has to perform in accordance of
the expectation of the society .These action are depend not on individual but on
social sanctions. That’s why it is said that every social role has a cultural bases.
Changing aspect of role: The social role has already states ,accordance
with the social value , pattern norms etc. These ideas ,values and object change so
the concept of the role also changes. The role which is justified at a particular
time may not be justified at other time . E.g. Sati Pratha at traditional time is AntiSocial but in modern time it is called Reform ( Change accordance to situation or
time).
Limited field of operation : E.g An officer has a role to play in the office
when he reaches in family his role is ceased.
The role is not performed 100% for the fulfillment of the
expectation :It is not possible for any one to perform his duty (role) fully in
accordance with the expectation of society.
E.G one may not be able to perform his role to the full satisfaction of the children.
Difference in the importance of role : From the Social-cultural point of
view all the role are not equal important . Some role are more important than
other’s are not so important or less important . The role that are most important
are called key Role while the role Generally performed are called General Role.
Role is concerned with differential behavior of the individual.
Role requires the presence of a series of inter-connected characteristics. Eg.
priest must have a knowledge of religion, ritual .
Role Conflict
ROLE CONFLICT OCCURS WHEN PEOPLE FACE CONFLICTING SETS
OF EXPECTATIONS : Playing roles is not always easy for Tarun or for us. Role
bring problems. They are meant to make interaction easier by helping us know
what to do. But in the real world we often don't know what to do because if we
act according to one set of expectations we fail to meet another set that is
important to us. We are faced with role conflict. There are several kinds of role
conflict.
One Person Has Contradictory Expectations of Another
(Intrasender Conflict): Sometimes a person (or persons) expects us to do
contradictory things in our role. ("My parents say they expect me to be
independent, but they treat me like a child.") Katz and Kahn (1966) call this
kind of role conflict instrasender conflict.] .
E.g students expect instructors to be personal, to show interest in them, to
treat them as individuals, yet instructors must also grade everyone impersonally—otherwise they are charged with having "favorites.“
Most of us are at some time or other in positions where the same people expect
incompatible actions from us. Role conflict may or may not become serious. If it is
serious, something must change—other people's expectations must change, or the
individual must leave the relationship or a compromise must be worked out. At the
very least, the individual must choose one kind of behavior and not let the conflict
bother him or her. Probably one of the most important reasons we leave positions is
that other people, perhaps without even realizing it, make demands on us which are
so contradictory that it is impossible for us to meet them.
Some People have One Set of Expectations of a Person and Other People have a
Contradictory Set (Inter sender Conflict) :An individual may be subject to
contradictory expectations from different people. E.g -The president of the college
might expect the vice president to get rid of deadwood", the faculty might expect him
or her to represent them in a favorable light to the president, and the faculty union
might demand that the vice president do only what the union contract spells out.
A Person Plays Roles which Conflict with Each Other (Inter role Conflict) :
There may be conflict between roles when one person is both, say, wife and
professional soldier and Christian, social scientist and social reformer, student and
working person, political radical and corporate lawyer, or world peacemaker and
defender of the nation's security
Norms are social rules that specify appropriate and inappropriate behavior in given
situations. They afford a means by which we orient ourselves to other people.
Folkways, mores, and laws are types of norms
Norms are the guidelines people follow in their relations with one another ; they are
shared standard of desirable behavior .
Social norms are rules developed by a group of people that specify how people must,
should, may, should not, and must not behave in various situation.
Norms not only indicate what people should or should not do in a given situation, but
they also enable them to anticipate how others will interpret and respond to their
words and actions.
Some norms are situational that is , they apply to specific categories of people in
specific circumstances.
Definitions of Norms
Davis , Kingsley: ”social norms are controls. It is through that
human society regulates the behavior of its members in such a
way , they perform activities fulfilling social needs-even sometime
at the expense of organic needs.”
Bierstadt, Robert : “A norm in short, is a standardized mode of
procedure, a way of doing something that is acceptable to our
society.”
Norms vary from society to society, from group to group within societies , and
from situation to situation . Behavior which in one society is the highest of
propriety in another may be disgraceful. For example The hand –shake is not a
“natural “ greeting , but is a social norms in most Western societies . In traditional
Japan , blowing is the customary of exchanging hellos.
Exchange of Hello in Japan
Shaking – hand
Characteristics of Norms
Social norms are universal
Norms are related to the factual order
Norms incorporate value judgment
Norms are relative to situations and groups
Norms are not always obeyed by all
Norms vary with sanctions
Norms are normally internalized by the people
Functional Importance
Norms assist Survival : E.g. if the young matured girls are not
protected by proper norms they would be subject to sexual
exploitation which would lead to serious consequences.
A norm less society is an impossible
Norms guide behavior
Norms permit efficient functioning
Norms help the maintenance of social order
Norms give Cohesion to society
Norms help self – control
What is Value
“Values are ideas about what is important or what
is ‘GOOD’ and ‘BAD’ in a society.”
Values are broad ideas regarding what is desirable,
correct and good that most members of a society
share. Values are so general and abstract that they
do not explicitly specify which behaviors are
acceptable and which are not.
Values are related to the norms of a culture , but they are more
general and abstract than norms.
They are the general principles or beliefs which underlie the norms
which from our social rules.
Values often related to what a society or culture regards as good or
bad and what it regards as important.
Definition of Value
M.Haralambos : “ A value is a belief that something is good and
desirable. It defines what is important, worthwhile and worth striving
for.”
H.M. Johnson: “ Value may be defined as a conception or standard
cultural or merely personal, by which things are compared and
approved or disapproved relatively to one other held to be
relatively desirable or undesirable , more meritorious or more or less
correct.”
Radha Kamal, Mukerjee : “ Values may be defined as socially
approved desires and goals that are internalized through the process
of conditioning, learning or socialization and that become subjective
preferences, standards and aspirations.”
Characteristics of Values
 Abstract
 Unconsciously Upheld
 Specificity
 Collection
 Integration
 Emotionally Based
 Conflict Resolution
 Change and Value
 Positive and negative values
 Values are Psychological Realities
Functions of Value
 It provide goals or ends
 It provide stabilities and uniformities in group interaction
 It brings legitimacy to the rules that govern specific activities
 It help in bringing some kind of adjustment between different
set of rules