Society is a complex social system that includes many interconnected social communities, ethnic groups, institutions, statuses and roles. There are several approaches to determining its structure.
Instructions
Step 1
Society is a complex structure that is in constant flux. It consists of groups of persons who are united according to the territorial principle, according to the place of work (study) or profession. Within one society, many social positions and statuses, as well as social functions, are represented. In addition, society includes a wide variety of norms and values. The connections that arise between these elements determine the social structure.
Step 2
The organic theory considers society as a living organism and believes that it also includes different organs and systems (digestive, circulatory, etc.). O. Comte distinguishes, as organs of a social organism, regulatory (management), production (agriculture, industry), and distribution (roads, trading system). The key institution of the social organism is considered to be administrative, which includes the state, the church and the legal system.
Step 3
According to the supporters of Marxism, a basic and superstructure component is distinguished in the social system. The defining element was considered to be economic (basic). The superstructure formation represented by the state, law, and the church was considered secondary. The understanding of the social structure by Marxists divided the material-production sphere (economy), social (people, economic classes and nations), political (state, parties and trade unions) and spiritual spheres (psychological, value, social component).
Step 4
The most popular understanding of society, which is used by modern sociologists, was proposed by T. Parsons. He proposed to consider society as a kind of social system. The latter, in turn, is part of the system of action. According to the proponents of the systems approach, society consists of four subsystems, each of which performs its own functions. The societal system serves as a way of integrating people and social groups into society; it consists of behavioral norms. It is she who is the core of society. The cultural subsystem is responsible for the preservation of cultural identity and the reproduction of typical behavior and includes a set of values. The political system aims to achieve the objectives of the societal subsystem. The economic subsystem provides interaction with the material world.
Step 5
Some researchers understand society as a set of social relations that arise between people. Among them, two large groups can be distinguished: material (arising in the process of a person's practical activity) and spiritual relations (ideal relations, which are determined by their spiritual values). The latter include political, moral, legal, artistic, religious, philosophical.
