Hong Kong Baptist University

Department of Social Work

SOPY 3005
Diversity and Social Structure of Modern States

Lecture 1
General Overview of Social Structure

7 Sep 2018

Dr. CHAN Bing-Kwan

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 1
1. Social structure

1.1 Definition
Social structure is the typical patterns of groups, such as the usual
relationships between men and women or students and teachers.

1.2 Significance
Why social structure matters?
Social structure is important because it guides human behavior. In
modern states, most of our behaviours are structured or organized in a
regular way.
•People learn their behavior and attitudes from their locations in the
social structure. The difference in behavior and attitudes are led by
people’s locations in the social structure.

e.g.
• You sit in this classroom because you are a student, even if you
want to celebrate your birthday.
• You buy coffee from Starbucks because you think you are, or you
want to be a middle class person.

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 Henslin 2009:86-7 2

1.3 Components of social structure

A group’s language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors & even

Culture gestures & material objects that are passed from one
generation to the next.

Group A group consists of people who regularly interact with one

another. Ordinary, a group share similar values, norms &
expectations.

Status Status is the position that someone occupies in a social

group.

Role Role is the behaviors, obligations and privileges attached to

a status.

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 3
1.3 Components of social structure (Cont.)

Class Social class is a large group of people who rank closely to one
another in property, power and prestige.

Social The organized and standard ways that each society develops
institutions to meet its basic needs.
e.g. Family, religion, education, economics, politics, etc.

Society A system of structured social relationships connecting people

together according to a shared culture and territory.

Note: All these components coexist and are interrelated with one another.

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 4
1.4 Relationship between social structure and individuals

The operation of a social system or a society is on the basis

that all individuals are guided or restricted to see the world,
and to do what are expected (or not to do what are not
expected).
How you see the world

How you think of yourself (Identity)

What you should or should not do

Social structure
What you can do or cannot do

What you prefer

How other people think of you

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2. How social structure matters:
A case study of Status & Role
2.1 Definition of Status
• Status is the position that someone occupies in a social group.
• Since an individual usually occupies a number of position, sociology
usually use the term status set to refer to all the statuses that an
individual occupies.
• Your status set changes when your particular status change over time.

e.g. You are a son/daughter, a student and a part-time librarian at the same
time. When you graduate from this college and get a full-time job. You status
of student will be replaced by your occupation.

Note:
• People usually think of prestige when talking about status.
• In sociology, however, some statuses may carry a great deal of
prestige while some may bring little prestige.
• e.g. The President, a manager, a son, a beggar are all considered to
be a status.
Henslin 2009:89-91

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 6
2.2 Classification of Status

Ascribed status
• An ascribed status is involuntary. e.g. gender, race, class of your
parents.
• People cannot choose it although some ascribed statuses may
change over time. e.g. teenagers.

Achieved status
• Achieved status is voluntary. It can be considered to be a result of
your efforts or your lack of effort.
e.g. Friend or lawyer, a former friend or debarred lawyer.

Significance of status:
Each status provides guidelines for how we are to act and feel,
and set limits on our behavior.

Henslin 2009:89-91

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 7
2.3 Role

Definition
Role is the behaviors, obligations and privileges attached to a status.
• Role is different from status, though they are highly related to each
other.
• Status is the position you occupy while role is what you should do or
should not do (or you are expected to do or not to do) in this status.
• e.g. Your status is student. In this case, your role is to attend class
and take examinations.

Significance
• Roles lay out what is expected of people, keeping they in line.
• The operation of society is on the basis that all individuals perform
their roles.
• e.g. A lesson is possible only if students participate the class and
teacher deliver a well prepared lecture.

Henslin 2009:91

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 8
3. How to study the society and social structure ?
Sociological perspective / sociological imagination
3.1 What is sociological perspective?
Sociological perspective / sociological imagination stresses how social
contexts influence people’s lives.
In this case, sociological perspective focuses on how people are
influenced by groups, their society and their social location.

Influence of society:
e.g. A Hong Kong Chinese, a mainland Chinese and an American Chinese
may have completely different mindsets and behavioral patterns.

Influence of social location:

e.g. You believe that you are a boy and that you should be strong. If you
believe that you are a girl, you may want to be pretty.

Influence of personal experience:

…

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 9
Henslin 2009:2-5
3.2 Two levels of analysis of sociological perspective

Macrosociology Microsociology
Focuses: Focuses:
Social structure (broad Social interaction: what people
features of society); do when they come together.
How groups and classes are
related to one another;
How groups influence e.g. symbolic interactionism
individuals

e.g. Functional analysis &

conflict theory

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 10
Henslin 2009:86-7
3.3 Symbolic interactionism

What is symbol?
Symbols are the things to which we attach meaning. That means when we see
a sign, or hear some sound, we have some ideas in our mind. That is our
understanding of the world and our relations with it. e.g. father, mother,
teacher, student, wealth, poverty, etc. Even the self is a symbol.

• Symbolic interactionists suggest that symbols define our relations

with other people and the society. In other words, symbols tell us
how to interact with other people, and coordinate our actions with
other.

• Thus, symbolic interactionists study how our behaviors depend on

the ways we define ourselves and others. When symbols change
over time, our behaviors change as well.

• In most cases, symbolic interactionists focus on the micro-level, on

the social interaction, what people do with others.

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 11
Henslin 2009:15-9
3.3 Symbolic interactionism (Cont.) Robert Butler
(1927-2010)

Example: Ageism
Butler (1975;1980) suggests the term ageism which refers to the
stereotyping and discrimination on the basis of age. E.g. complains
about the plans to provide special apartments for senior citizens. (Henslin
2009:286)

A case of coffee:
How do people choose the kind of coffee they drink and where they buy
it? It depends on our understanding of various symbols.
e.g. Meet for coffee means a social gathering.

Organic means health… Fair trade means justice…

Starbucks means lifestyle, HK style café means

fashion, middle class… traditions or old-fashion…
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3.4 Functional Analysis

Functional analysis emphasizes the function of elements of society:

• Each element in the society has its function.
• Individuals, groups and rules of the society are like different organs of the person.
• Society is like a living organism or a person.
• When all the parts of the society fulfill their functions, the society is in “normal” state.
• If some parts or some people do not fulfill their functions, the society will become
“abnormal”.

• Functional analysis is that society is a whole unit, made up of interrelated

parts that work together.
• If all parts of society work together in harmony, the society will function
smoothly. By contrast, when some groups or some people do not follow the
rules of their society, the society will be harmed.
• Analysts study the relationship (the structure) among these interrelated
parts; how these parts function or dysfunction, and how social phenomena
are explained by the function or dysfunction of these parts.
• Usually, functional analysts focus on the macro-level, i.e. the large scale
patterns of society.

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 13
Henslin 2009:15-9
 Edmund Burke
3.4 Functional Analysis (Cont.) (1729-1797)

Example: Conservatism
Traditional values and structure have their functions in maintaining
the society. This, the stability of traditions is important. Thus, the
changes in traditional values and social hierarchy should be
prevented and slowed.

A case of coffee:
Production of coffee involves a series of production, transportation,
distribution and investment across the world.

• What are the relations among farmers, transporters, traders,

resellers, advertisers and consumers and even investors (e.g. fund
managers)?
• How does coffee production benefit the economy of a country?
• How does coffee industry contribute to the labor market across the
world?
• If there are quarrels between farmers and traders, what are the
negative impacts across the world?

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3.5 Conflict theory
According to Conflict theory
• Society is composed of groups that are competing with one another for limited
resources.
• Although sometimes there are alliances or cooperations among groups, there
is struggle for power actually.
• Conflict theory was found by Karl Marx who focused on the conflict between
the capitalist class (the wealthy employers) and the working class (the poor
workers) in Europe.

• Conflict theorists argue that there is constant struggle throughout

society.
• Conflict theories study the relationship among groups of society, how
the struggle determines who has authority or influence, how far that
dominance goes, and how opposing interests permeate every layer of
society – whether that be a small group, an organization, a community,
or the entire society.
• Most conflict theorists focus on the macro-level, i.e. the large scale
patterns of society.

SOPY 3005-Lecture 1 15
Henslin 2009:15-9
 Karl Marx
(1818-1883)
3.5 Conflict theory (Cont.)

Example: Marxist approach:

• The society is dominated by the capitalist class who exploit the
working class.
• In this sense, welfare and other social phenomena are considered
to be the results of the struggle between these two classes.

A case of coffee:
Most coffee is consumed by wealthy developed countries while it is
usually produced by poor developing countries.

• What are the relations among farmers, transporters, traders,

resellers, advertisers and consumers and even investors?
• Why a large proportion of profit from coffee industry is made by the
traders and investors rather than by the farmers?
• Who decide the price of coffee in futures market and distribution of
profit from the industry?
• How farmers fight for their interests?
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Analysis
Applying the concepts of sociological perspectives, analyze why some
youngsters are considered to be decadent youth.
利世民：廢青的三大特點
…廢青的第一大特點：「唔長進」。 對廢青來講，他們人生最大的挑戰，是中學會考和大學O-
Camp，過了這些事，他們的人生只剩下茫然的一片空白。

廢青的第二大特點：「賴得就賴」。找不到工作，是顧主沒有眼光。工作不如意，是上司有問題
。沒有女朋友，是港女有公主病。沒有男朋友…

廢青的第三大特點：「老奉」。社會除了奉旨要對他們供書教學，另外要再加公屋一間、鐵飯碗
一個，以及想點就想的自由。廢青只知道攤大手板，但從來都沒有想過，各種福利的背後，是許
多人每日辛勞的結果…。(2011年11月7日 爽報)

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Questions
• With reference to the three sociological perspectives, explain the rise of
sense of nativeness.
• Which one perspective provide the best account?
本港多所大學學生會，無論是「缺莊」須組成臨時幹事會
本報根據五區直選得票繪出今屆逾210萬投票 署理會務，抑或成功「組莊」接手的，不少成員多以本土
選民的政治光譜，其中提倡本土或自決的候 派自居，開學禮便成為公開宣揚「港獨」主張的機會。教
選人（包括當選及落選）共奪逾40萬票，總 育大學學生會臨時行政委員會會長張鑫，日前在開學禮上
得票率達19%，並憑手握6席，成為建制和泛 刻意宣揚「港獨」，被校方嚴詞譴責，而今日舉行開學禮
民以外的第三勢力。(Ming Pao 6 Sep 2016) 的浸會大學，學生會臨委會主席雷樂希則表明，不會在講
辭提及「港獨」。4 Sep 2018 Singtao Daily

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