a detailed study about social structure

1. Social Structure
FRANKLIN S. GHOROZA

2. Meaning of Social Structure
 Social structure is the organized set of social
institutions and patterns of institutionalized
relationships that together compose society.
Social structure is both a product of social
interaction and directly determines it.

3. Definition of Social Structure
 Talcott Parsons(1951)-
“Social structure is a term applied to the particular arrangement of
interrelated institutions, agencies and social patterns as well as status
and roles which each person assumes in the group.”
 A. R. Radcliffe-
“Components of social structure are human beings, the structure
itself being an arrangement of persons in relationship institutionally
defined and regulated.”

4. Elements of Social Structure
 (1) Values:
At the top level are the societal values. These are the most general or abstract
normative conceptions of what the ideal society itself would be like.
Individuals or groups are found to be emotionally committed to values. These values
help to integrate personality or a system of interaction.
 (2) Groups and Institutions:
Social structure can be viewed in terms of inter relationships of the component parts.
Social structure includes social groups and institutions. These are called the major
groups and institutions. Four of these – the family, economic institutions, political
institutions and religious institutions – centre upon getting food and other items of
wealth, procreation, worship and ruling.

5. Contd…..
 (3) Organizations:
In the larger societies of modern time, human beings deliberately establish certain
organizations for the pursuit of their specific ends or purposes. These organizations, very
often called associations, are group manifestations of life and common interests. To
quote Maclver and Page, “The associations constitute the most conspicuous part of the
social structure and they gain in coherence, definite number and efficacy as the
conditions of the society grow more complex”.
 (4) Collectivities:
There are specialized collectivities such as families, firms, schools, political parties etc.
(Differentiated institutional patterns almost directly imply the existence of collective and
role units whose activities have different kinds of functional significance).

6. Contd…..
 (5) Roles:
Finally, within all such collectivities one can distinguish types of roles. “Concretely these are the
relevant performances of their individual occupants. Functionally, they are contributions to
collective goal attainment”. Role occupants are expected to fulfill their obligations to other
people (who are also role occupants). For example, in family the husband has obligations
towards his wife. According to Nodal, the elements of social structure are roles.
 (6) Norms:
According to H.M. Johnson, sub-groups and roles are governed by social norms. Social norms
are of two types: (i) obligatory or relational and (ii) permissive or regulative. Some norms
specify positive obligations. But they are not commonly applied to all the roles and sub-
groups. For example, the positive obligations of a family are not the same as those of business
firm.

7. Types of Social Structure
Talcott Parsons has described 4 principal types
of social structure. His classifications is based on
four social values – universalistic social values,
particularistic social values, achieved social
values and ascribed social values.

8. Contd…
 Universalistic social values are those which are found almost
in every society and are applicable to everybody.
Particularistic social values are the features of particular
societies and these differ from society to society. When the
statuses are achieved on the basis of efforts it means that
such societies attach importance to achieved social values.
When the statuses are hereditary even the society gives
importance to ascribed social statuses.

9. Universalistic –achievement pattern
 This is the combination of the value patterns which
sometimes opposed to the values of a social structure built
mostly around kinship,community,class and race. Under this
type of social structure, the choice of goal by the individual
must be in accord with the universalistic values. His pursuits
are defined by universalistic moral norms. Such a system is
dynamically developing norms. Such a system is dynamically
developing system with an encouragement for initiative.

10. Universalistic ascriptions pattern
 under this type of social structure the elements of value-
orientation are dominated by the elements of ascription.
Therefore in such a social structure strong emphasis is laid on
the status of the individual rather than on his specific
achievements. The emphasis is on what an individual is rather
than on what he has done. Status is ascribed to the group
rather than to the individuals. The individual derives his status
from his group. In this type of social structure all resources
are mobilized in the interest of the collective ideal.

11. Particularistic-Achievement Pattern
 This type combines achievement values with particularim.The
primary criterion of valued achievement is found not in
universalistic terms such as conformity to a generalized ideal
or efficiency but these are focussed on certain points of
reference within the relational system itself or are inherent in
the situation. The emphasis on achievement leads to the
conception of a proper pattern of adaption which is a
product of human achievement and which are maintained by
continuous efforts.

12. Particularistic-ascriptive pattern
 In this type also the social structure is organized around the
relational reference points notably those of kinship and local
community but it differs from the particularistic achievement
type in as much as the relational values are taken as given
and passively adapted to rather than make for an actively
organized system. The structure tends to be traditionalistic
and emphasis is laid on its stability.

13. Thankyou!