Social Structure
By: Anna • Essay • 488 Words • January 16, 2010 • 910 Views
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Social Structure
As it is said in the Dictionary of Social Sciences a social structure is the most basic, enduring, and determinative patterns in social life.
A social structure refers to the fact of how individuals act one toward another according to their position in the interaction. These positions create what we know as a social structure.
The three main causes of inequality from a status position in a society are: power, prestige and privilege.
Each status position has a certain amount of power and a certain degree of prestige and with it, there will come some privileges. Usually the power brings us many goods that are called privileges, and when we have power and privileges we obtain prestige.
As said in a presentation of Ronald Keith Bolender the social power is the ability that a person has on achieving his or her will in relation to others in the social organization. An example of power could be seen in any company, because in a company each employment has a different position and this position is the one which determines how much power a person has toward the others employments.
Also as said in a presentation of Bolender the social prestige refers to the honor that people in social structure accord the position. This prestige is given to each person because of “who he/she is” toward the society. The social prestige is related with the position that a person has in a social structure, and which gives honor by others. An example of prestige could be find in a kid who comes from a wealthy family which name is very known, because this kid will have better opportunities in life than another kid who is from an unknown family and is