Social Structure is All Around You

 

Culture shapes human social behavior. In the absence of biological pre-programming, culture guides us in our thinking, feeling, and behaving. Without culture, humans would have no blueprint for social living. This chapter helps explain the relationship between culture and social structure.

So, what is social structure? Imagine a situation in which unexpected behavior results in confusion for a newcomer. We are usually spared such confusion when entering a new group because we bring some knowledge of how people will normally relate to one another. In our minds, we carry a "social map" for various group situations. We have mental images of the new group with its patterns of social relationships. This underlying pattern is called social structure.

Everyone Has Status

We are not born with mental maps of social structure; we must learn them from others. In the process, we learn about statuses and roles—major elements of social structure.

What do sociologists mean by Status? People may refer to themselves as students, doctors, welders, secretaries, mothers, or sons. Each of these labels refers to a status—a position a person occupies within a social structure. Status helps us define who and what we are in relation to others within the same social structure. Some social statuses are acquired at birth. For example, a newborn female instantly becomes a child and a daughter. From then on, she assumes an increasingly larger number and variety of statuses. Sociologists are interested in the relationships among social statuses. A sociologist investigating delinquency, for example, may focus on the status of social worker in relation to the statuses of the police officer, judge, and teacher. There are two basic types of social statuses – ascribed and achieved. An ascribed status

is neither earned nor chosen; it is assigned to us. At birth, an infant is either a male or a female. We do not choose our gender. Age is another example of an ascribed social status. In some societies, religion and social class are ascribed by the family of birth. If you were born into a lower-class home in India, for example, you would not be permitted to rise to a higher social class.

How is status achieved? An achieved status is earned or chosen. Achieving statuses is possible where people have some degree of control and choice. In most modern societies, for example, an individual can decide to become a spouse or a parent. Occupations are also achieved statuses in modern societies where people have freedom to choose their work. Plumber, electrician, sales representative, nurse, executive, lawyer, and doctor are examples of achieved statuses.

What is a status set? A person who is a social worker does not occupy only one status. This person holds various other statuses that may be totally unrelated to that of social worker. A status set is all of the statuses that a person occupies at any particular time. One social worker may be a wife, mother, author, and church choir director. Another may be a single parent, service club leader, and jazz musician. Another status set might be that of a student, a brother, a tennis player, a tutor, and a store clerk. Each of these statuses is part of another network of statuses. Assume, for example, that in addition to being a social worker, an individual is also a part-time jazz musician. In this status, she might interact with the statuses of nightclub owner, dancer, and fellow musician, among others.

Are all of a person's statuses equal? Among the statuses held by an individual, some are more important than others. Master statuses are important because they influence most other aspects of the person's life. Master statuses may be achieved or ascribed. In industrial societies, occupations—achieved statuses for the most part—are master statuses. Your occupation strongly influences such matters as where you live, how well you live, and how long you live. "Criminal" is an achieved master status, since it affects the rest of your life.