SI - Social Structure Lesson
Social Structure Lesson
Before we discuss the social institutions that are found in every society, let's look at the social structure. Social Structure consists of the statuses and roles that result from all social interactions. When we interact with someone, we take on a status. Right now, you are taking on the status of the student as you read this sentence and the writer of this sentence took on the status of teacher when she wrote the sentence. Throughout our lives, we are labeled by a plethora of statuses. Some are achieved (earned or chosen) and some are ascribed (assigned at birth). As a person taking this class, you have achieved the status of the student. It is an achieved status because it is one that you have chosen. Any status that is either earned or chosen is an achieved status. Besides choosing the status of a student, you might also choose to be an athlete or musician, a follower or a leader, an extrovert or an introvert, a Baptist or a Methodist, or a combination of all of these things depending on your social circumstances at any given time. Besides the statuses that you have chosen or earned, you also hold statuses that were assigned to you at birth or later on. These statuses are known as ascribed statuses. You are a son or a daughter, you are a member of an ethnic or racial group, you are a teenager...we have very little say over the ascribed statuses that we hold in our lives. As you can see, though, you are more than just one status description. The various statuses that we hold at any given time are referred to as a status set. A person may hold a variety of statuses within their set- teacher, mother, daughter, wife, community activist, political party member, volunteer, coach, friend. Usually, though, one status will prevail over the others to shape a person's life. When a person can identify that one special status that has shaped his or her identity, he or she is identifying the master status. A master status can be anything. It could be the job that defines your lifestyle, it could be your status as the child of someone in particular that defines your lifestyle, it could be your status as a believer of a particular faith that defines your lifestyle... it is different for everyone and it can change as you age.
The word "status" refers to the social position that a person holds, the social position or behavior that a person performs is the role. Just as a person can hold a status set, a status can contain a role set. For example, as a student (your status) you are expected to study and learn as an individual, question and interact with your teacher, and work alongside your fellow students. The expected behaviors that accompany your status as a student make up your role set. As you hold more than just the status of the student, you also are expected to perform a variety of role sets. As a teenager, your role set might include a little questioning of authority, helping a little financially around the house, caring for younger siblings at times, going on dates, learning to drive, looking into colleges or the military... in other words, the role set of a teenager includes behaviors that will help prepare you for the next role in life.
As a result of our myriad statuses and their accompanying roles, we experience a lot of challenges as individuals in fulfilling the expectations associated with each. Flip through the album below for examples.
Groups and Roles
Our statuses and roles influence the choice of groups with which to associate and the forming of relationships in our lives. Watch the presentation below to learn about the types of groups we join and the relationships that form from them.
As a son/student/Muslim/American/employee/neighbor, you choose groups made up of similar statuses who perform similar roles. You interact within these groups and develop relationships with other members. Where do you find these people? This question brings us back to the existence of social institutions- family, education, religion, government, economy, health, and welfare.
Roles, Groups, and Statuses Review Activity
Let's check your understanding of roles and statuses.
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