In sociology, structures are often defined as “relatively stable patterns of social relations” (Brym, 2014, p. 8). They are the actions that are commonly implied (understood as acceptable) in “routine, implicit rule-following activity” (Craib, 1997, p. 113). However, this can be a very vague and confusing definition. For this course, it is more useful to think of
social structure as the way that any specific space is organized and the rules people are expected to follow while in that space. Sometimes these rules are explicit (think of signs, instructions, formal contracts), but more often they are simply the ways we have learned to behave through socialization. In any society, the key component to the structure is the development and function of the institutions that make up its core.
Social Structure
In sociology, structures are often defined as “relatively stable patterns of social relations” (Brym, 2014, p. 8). They are the actions that are commonly implied (understood as acceptable) in “routine, implicit rule-following activity” (Craib, 1997, p. 113). However, this can be a very vague and confusing definition. For this course, it is more useful to think of social structure as the way that any specific space is organized and the rules people are expected to follow while in that space. Sometimes these rules are explicit (think of signs, instructions, formal contracts), but more often they are simply the ways we have learned to behave through socialization. In any society, the key component to the structure is the development and function of the institutions that make up its core.