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Social Structure and Social Interaction as a Social Problem - Essay Example

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This paper "Social Structure and Social Interaction as a Social Problem" focuses on the fact that social interaction refers to ways in which people engage and interact with each other. Social structure refers to the organizational structure of the society concerning the relationships that exist. …
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Social Structure and Social Interaction as a Social Problem
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Extract of sample "Social Structure and Social Interaction as a Social Problem"

Social Problem Social interaction refers to different ways in which people engage and interact with each other. Social structure refers to the organizational structure of the society concerning the various relationships that exist. The composition of the social structure consists of various variables that determine how the various people engage and interact with each other. Social interaction exists because of various key elements, which include institutions, statuses, networks, groups and social roles. Social structure has various sociological significances that act as a lead to the various types of behaviors exhibited by various individuals. The particular type of behavior is dependent upon the various locations in the social structure, which previously did not exist as a social problem but in the present day possess as a major challenge in the society Social Structure and Social Interaction as a Social Problem A very big relationship between the social structure of a given society and the social interaction that accompanies it respectively exist as a social problem in the current society. In the earlier years of 1970, when the society was guided and ruled by various norms, social structure and interactions were seen to be the main principles that guided character and behavior (Loseke, 2011). In the present day, it is a source of deterioration of character and behavior in the modern society. However, some questions remain unanswered. Why can the social structure not solemnly exist and standalone as a holder of societal values and norms? Why social interactions exist as attributes of the basic element of the social structure? What happens when there is absence of a defined social structure? What can lead to the decadence of social interaction? These therefore form some of the basic queries brought up in the particular area of research and study. The social structure consist of various aspects of culture that people have been born and bred to believe in (Calhoun, 2012). There exist various values and beliefs in which the society has a great source of esteem. Moreover, various aspects of the gestures, behaviors and the language of use highly determine the main social structure and he various modes of interactions that will exist in the various society members. So, how did Social Structures and Social Interactions come to be regarded as a social problem? In an attempt to find the interrelationship between the two paradigms, the society exists as a strong network that has various cultural values and practices (Rose, 2013). These specific norms govern the existence of the various attitudes and habits that the various societal members adopt in their lives (Rowlingson, 2011). Various predominant actors try to define the characters of various individuals. The aim is to determine the various causative agents of their levels of interactions with other members of the society. The various causative agents that determine social interaction originate from the basic elements that made u the social structure (Kofler et al, 2011). Taking for instance social class, various people become attributes of belonging to a particular social class basing on various key fundamental factors. Social classes exist in some instances as the amount of income that an individual gets at the end of the month or from his particular investment. Moreover, social class is also an attribute of the level of education that an individual has attained. For instance, professors will tend to interact with their fellow scholars as opposed to the lower level citizen who has acquired basic education (Mizushima & Sakura, 2012). The social class occurs because of the occupational prestige acquired by an individual. Various people who are in a related occupation tend to interact more with the main purpose of building their specific knowledge base. Social structure and social interactions are two disciplines that have various factors that lead to the existence of each other. According to Durkheim, in the earlier days, people in the society existed as a union of mechanical solidarity. The present state of the world exists as organic solidarity. According to Tonneies, he proposed that Gemeinschaft, which referred to a personal and closely-knit society, was once in existence. He outlines the gradual changes that have occurred to the present state of Gesellschaft, referred to as an impersonal society (Fine, 2012). Various related studies conducted to determine the relationship that exists between the social structure and the social interaction. According to Barbalet, in his book “Emotion Social Theory and Social culture: In micro sociological approach”, various perspectives that govern the social interaction among the various individuals in their daily lives (Rose, 2013). According to the authors of the specified book, the micro sociological perspective draws its principles on various elements that determine the ways society interacts. The studies look at the stereoscopic perception and perspective people have on an individual (Calhoun, 2012). He argues that there exist various assumptions that the individual in the society have attached to the specific people. The society constantly monitors the individuals with an aim of determining whether the descriptions actually match with the individual in question. It always leads to the generalization of character of an individual. According to studies conducted by Edward Hall, he reviewed a fact that he referred to as Personal space (Verboom et al, 2014). The personal space was similar to a big dome in which an individual existed underneath it. He proposed that the personal space existed in four main specific levels. These levels were the public level, social, personal and intimate level. In his particular research study Erving Goffman, he concluded that life was like a big arena where every individual had a part to play (Calhoun, 2012). There is need for a research to be conducted to seek for the right answers to the specified research questions. The research’s main purpose will be to test the stated hypothesis that the various grounds of social interaction in the society are highly affected by the elements of social structure as a way of determining the deviation towards being a social problem (Mooney & Schacht, 2014). The test will be done and the various roles.one by analyzing the individual elements of the social structure, for instance social institutions, groups. In order for the hypothesis to be effectively tested, various functional definitions stated for the various elements. Concerning the study conducted, the operational definition of Social Institution is something formulated by the society to match up with its basic needs and demands (Silverman, 2010). The second operational definition for groups is an accumulation of people characterized by constant interaction and has a sense of belonging. Roles being the third operational definition refer to the associated behaviors of an individual’s status. Social interactions and structures have in the modern day proven to pose a major challenge in the societal belief system. There are various factors that are seen to maintain the main foundations of the societal beliefs. The society in the older days was guided by various tributes arising from the teachings that had been engraved in individuals in the society (Berg et al, 2013). The society had a liberal structure marked with absolute respect and form of hierarchy which marked a unique form of governance. There was a unique existence and interaction between the members of the society marked by values that had been bred from various teachings. The educational system at that time insisted on the molding of a child to be a responsible adult (Calhoun, 2012). At that particular time, majority of the students learnt how to establish various key social relations that enabled interaction and communication in the society. The society at the particular time did not condone phlegmatic. Phlegmatic are people who are reserved in their characters and opinions about various issues that tend to generally affect the operation of the society. The society at that particular time did not view deformity as a way of altering the social interaction and structures as a way of propagating social problems (Best & Harris, 2012). Majority of the people were communicative and expressive in voicing out their opinions. The society grew because the elements that led to the deterrence of the values unified them. These elements include high social status of various members in the society. The people who earned a lot of money in that specific time were humbled in character and behavior. They respected the rule of law of the lands and they were generous in their giving. They helped the members of the society without prejudice or preference. They were the absolute role models due to their sharing of their experiences with various members of the society. It was a great source of inspiration and majority of the people in the society worked tirelessly to achieve the particular status. In the modern society, the values that joined majority of the people during the earlier years have been diluted by influence of various cultural and religious factors (Mayo, 2014). The rise of a class of the elite has therefore made social interaction and structures a major social problem. The rich constantly frustrate the poor in the society through various means. The have introduced various vices that have resulted to the corrosion of the basic principles for existence of the society. Vices such as hate speeches, prostitution, ignorance, violence and many others have come up. It is a big alteration from the factors that we initially thought to be joining the society together. It becomes important to note that various issues affecting the society result from aspects not cemented during the previous years. The existence of the societal and elemental factors existing as social problems in the current world have been the key factors that formed and founded the principles and existence of the current world and society. Conclusion Social structures and social interactions are principle elements that exist together. They have transformed to cause the main problems that affect the society. Moral decadence has resulted from the values that formed the operational structures of the society. It therefore exists as a social problem which can only be solved if the society reverts back to the initial principle elements. In the present day, social interactions and social structures continue to exist as social problems based on what these principles have bred. Vices of disrespect, hatred, envy, revenge, anger or rage, jealousy, competition and pride started evolving in the society as a result of the norms (Calhoun, 2012). It therefore becomes important to restructure the society to adopt values that lead to positive growth and foster proper and healthy interactions and growths. References Berg, M. T., Stewart, E. A., Stewart, E., & Simons, R. L. (2013). A Multilevel Examination of Neighborhood Social Processes and College Enrollment. Social Problems, 60(4), 513-534. Best, J., & Harris, S. R. (Eds.). (2012). Making Sense of Social Problems: New Images, New Issues. Geneva: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Calhoun, C. (Ed.). (2012). Contemporary sociological theory. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Ferguson, C. J., Coulson, M., & Barnett, J. (2011). A meta-analysis of pathological gaming prevalence and comorbidity with mental health, academic and social problems. Journal of psychiatric research, 45(12), 1573-1578. Fine, G. A. (2012). Group culture and the interaction order: Local sociology on the meso-Level. Annual Review of Sociology, 38, 159-179. Kofler, M. J., Rapport, M. D., Bolden, J., Sarver, D. E., Raiker, J. S., & Alderson, R. M. (2011). Working memory deficits and social problems in children with ADHD. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 39(6), 805-817. Loseke, D. R. (2011). Thinking about social problems: An introduction to constructionist perspectives. New York: Transaction Publishers. Mayo, E. (2014). The social problems of an industrial civilisation. New York: Routledge. Mizushima, N., & Sakura, O. (2012). A Practical Approach to Identifying Ethical and Social Problems during Research and Development: A Model for a National Research Project of Brain-Machine Interface. East Asian Science, Technology and Society, 6(3), 335-345. Mooney, L., Knox, D., & Schacht, C. (2014). Understanding social problems. New York: Cengage Learning. Rose, A. M. (2013). Human behavior and social processes: An interactionist approach. London: Routledge. Rowlingson, K. (2011, September 21). Does income inequality cause health and social problems? Retrieved December 8, 2014, from JRF: http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/income-inequality-health-social-problems Silverman, D. (Ed.). (2010). Qualitative research. New York: Sage. Verboom, C. E., Sijtsema, J. J., Verhulst, F. C., Penninx, B. W., & Ormel, J. (2014). Longitudinal associations between depressive problems, academic performance, and social functioning in adolescent boys and girls. Developmental psychology, 50(1), 247. Read More
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