The relationships between members of a community shape the social structure.
A structure is a formation, whether physical or symbolic, that arises from the way in which the elements that compose it are related. Social , for its part, is that linked to society (a group of individuals who share a culture and live according to common norms).
The idea of social structure is used in the field of sociology . This is the name given to the form adopted by the system that is created from the relationships maintained by the members of a society . These systematic relationships promote the development of a certain social structure.
Organization of the population
A social structure, therefore, is reflected in a population organized in a specific way. The structure supposes a kind of network that is built through social relationships and where language, culture, values and other factors come into play that constitute the identity of the group and its members.
It is important to keep in mind that the notion of social structure refers to systematic relationships : the members of society are linked regardless of the direct contact they maintain. The social structure is responsible for describing the form that the global system of these links takes in a community.
Continuing with this reasoning, the structure determines the characteristics of social activities , being in turn a product of them. A social structure assumes that there are constituent elements that form a unit and that remain over time, guaranteeing stability. In a society, in short, there is an order of its elements that is maintained despite the passage of time .
There are different kinds of social structures.
Types of social structure
Having said all this, the study of the social structure can detect different nuances or tendencies in each community, which characterizes it and allows us to understand how it is organized, what its main needs are and also its potential. Broadly speaking, we can differentiate four types of social structure, depending on the aspect that dominates it:
* the economy : in a society for which the economy is the fundamental aspect, people who are dedicated to business, both in the field of manufacturing and distribution, enjoy a position of great importance on the scale social. The behavior of individuals in a community of this type is considerably influenced by material and commercial values;
* the family : here we find a very different way of understanding the social structure, which focuses on blood ties and respect for previous generations. In a society of these characteristics, status is not measured by money or influence in industry, but by issues related to morality and ancestry;
* religion : although this kind of social structure is no longer as common as in the past, it still exists in several countries. It is one in which the supernatural issues collected and explained through a specific religion are the central point of its organization. Depending on each case, beliefs may point to the existence of one or more divine entities to which the human being must subordinate himself;
* politics : a system of this type is called totalitarian , and is characterized by the direct intervention of the State in the creation of rules to control all groups and institutions.
It should be noted that the definition of the concept of social structure has evolved in recent decades, and currently it is preferred to understand it as a population that organizes, develops and lives in a certain space, in a certain way, immersed in a particular system. and very complex that allows the interaction of its members.