Introduction
Social class
.Culture
Social status
Role
Group
Social institutions
Conclusion
Social structure is an organization of a set of patterns between people and social institutions that together make up the society. It is both a determinant and product of social interaction. Social structure is made up of six major components each with a different use in the society. The first component is social class that is a grouping of people whose wealth, prestige, and power rank closely together and is comparable to one another. The existence of social classes in society is known as stratification and leads to people from different social classes having unequal access to the available social opportunities (Long, 2013). This has always been the norm in social structures and it has been passed down from one generation to the other. The second is culture that refers to how a group of people live their daily lives in the society. These people share the same behaviors, language, beliefs, gestures, and values. Society is much more than just its members, becoming a member of a society means sharing a culture. Examples of culture that exist in many societies include celebrating Christmas and spending many years in school. The third is social status, which is the rank an individual possesses in society. People can earn their social status either through their own efforts that is known as achieved status or through inheritance that is known as ascribed status. Just like social class, higher social status in society come with some element of prestige while lower social status brings very little or no prestige. However, there exists a master status that is more powerful than any other status a person holds in society. An example of such a status is either being male or female. The fourth component is role that is certain behaviors and obligations that come with holding a certain position in society. Roles are very important in society because they dictate what each and every individual is expected to do. The joint effort of everyone performing their expected roles is what forms a society. The fifth is group, which consists of individuals with the same values, goals, and expectations. Members of a group usually consciously interact with each other on a regular basis. However, belonging to a group requires an individual to give up some of the control of their lives to others. The level to which one gives up control over their lives depends on the amount of interaction and relationship one has with the group. Finally, there are social institutions that are what societies use to meet their basic needs. Examples of social institutions include family, law, education, and religion. The social institutions have their own value, status, and groups and play also play a very crucial role in society by providing guidelines and setting limits to people’s behaviors.
The social structure components vividly describe how people interact in the society and how the society itself functions. Some of the social structure components like roles and social institutions are very important to society while social class seems to play a more oppressive role. However, the society cannot function effectively without all of these components.
References
Long, R. (2013, November 16). Social Class (Stratification). Retrieved June 18, 2016, from Introduction to Sociology, http://dmc122011.delmar.edu/socsci/rlong/intro/class.htm
