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Social Theory & Social Structure

by Lee Flamand

Overview

A social theory is a fundamental set of theoretical assumptions and observations that give rise to a coherent articulation of how society is composed, functions and develops. Social structure is a fundamental concept within social theory that seeks to understand how societies and social phenomena are composed. Several schools of thought exist, each with its own approach to society and social structure.
Conflict Theory

A branch of social theory largely influenced by the works of Karl Marx posits that society and social structure are the result of different groups working to achieve their interests. Frequently, these interests do not align, and conflicts arise. For Marx, this was primarily class conflict between capitalists, who own the means of production, and workers, who produce for the capitalists.

Social Contract

For theorists such as Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau, the structure of society is primarily composed of the implicit or explicit set of agreements between people to behave in certain ways, observe certain taboos, obey certain laws and follow certain authorities. This agreement is thought of in terms of a contract. Theorists disagree exactly what entities are party to this contract, and what kinds of things they are obliged to agree upon.
Organic Structure

For some theorists, society is organic in structure, meaning that it is structured holistically, and when it is working properly, it functions in harmony with itself. Sometimes, this is towards teleological ends, or at least towards a state of equilibrium, by which some kind of maximum efficiency and common good is pursued.
Relation of the Social to the Individual

One problem routinely addressed in social theories is the relationship of the individual and the rest of society. Most theorists agree that individuals have particular personalities, but that society also provides a set of roles and expectations that they are required to meet. How much an individual is his or her own self-contained subject, and how much he or she is determined by societal norms and pressures, is a point of dispute.
Social Construction and Social Reality

A social construct is anything that exists by means of intersubjective agreement, whether implicit, unconscious or explicit. These things combine to reflect social reality, which exists because of human beliefs and actions, as opposed to belonging to the physical universe of human-independent objects and facts.