Section 6
Social relations
6.1. Social interaction and public relations
Society as a system is distinguished by the close interconnection and interdependence of all its elements and subsystems. Just like in nature, everything is part of a single complex. By affecting or destroying one of its components, the very existence of the natural world can be threatened.
A complex system of social connections and interactions permeates all spheres of society from top to bottom. When making any political decision, we will be able to trace its consequences in all areas. Let's give an example from our recent past. Carrying out privatization and denationalization in the economy, the introduction of market relations led to the destruction of the old one-party political system, changing the entire legislative system. Significant changes have also occurred in the sphere of spiritual culture.
Let us consider in more detail the basic concepts and definitions associated with the characteristics of social connections and relationships.
The main types of social connections are functional and cause-and-effect. Cause-and-effect relationships
stand out in the case when one of the phenomena brings to life another, is its basis. Functional connections
can be traced in the interdependence of goals and objectives carried out by society and its individual elements. For example, the task of producing vital goods is inseparable from the distribution of labor results, human reproduction and socialization, management, etc.
Both cause-and-effect and functional connections are always realized in unity. The first can be represented as a vertical, since one phenomenon precedes another in time. The latter are formed at the same point in time.
To achieve its goals and objectives, society constructs a system of social relations - communications and the corresponding structures - social institutions. Social relations are understood as relationships that arise between groups of people and within them in the process of life of society. In accordance with the division of society into subsystems, scientists distinguish economic, social, political and spiritual spheres. For example, relations in the sphere of distribution of material goods are economic, relations in the sphere of managing society, making decisions to coordinate public interests can be called political.
By their nature, these relationships can be solidary (partnership), based on the coordination of the interests of the parties, or conflicting (competitive), when the interests of the participants are opposite. In addition, relationships differ in the level of interaction: interpersonal, intergroup and interethnic. But a number of their elements always remain unchanged.
Types of social groups
Grounds
group classifications
|
Group type
|
Examples
|
By number of participants |
small average
big
|
family, group of friends, sports team, company board of directors workforce, residents of the microdistrict, university graduates
ethnic groups, confessions, programmers
|
By the nature of relationships and connections |
formal informal
|
political party, labor collective cafe visitors
|
By place of residence |
settler |
townspeople, villagers, residents of the metropolitan metropolis, provincials |
Depending on gender and age |
demographic |
men, women, children, old people, youth |
By ethnicity |
ethnic (ethnosocial) |
Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Vepsians, Maris |
By income level |
socio-economic |
rich (people with high level income), the poor (people with low level income), middle strata (people with average income) |
By nature and occupation |
professional |
programmers, operators, teachers, entrepreneurs, lawyers, turners |
This list can go on and on. It all depends on the basis of the classification. For example, a certain social group can be considered all users of personal computers, mobile phone subscribers, the totality of metro passengers, and so on. Citizenship is also a unifying, group-forming factor - a person’s belonging to the state, expressed in the totality of their mutual rights and obligations. Citizens of one state are subject to the same laws and have common state symbols. Belonging to one or another political party or organization establishes ideological affinity. Communists, liberals, social democrats, nationalists have different ideas about the future and the correct structure of society. In this respect, they are very similar to political communities and religious associations (confessions), only they pay more attention not to external changes, but inner world people, their faith, kind and evil deeds, interpersonal relationships.
Special groups are formed by people with common interests. Sports fans from different cities and countries share a passion for their favorite sport; fishermen, hunters and mushroom pickers - searching for prey; collectors - the desire to increase their collection; poetry lovers - worries about what they read; music lovers - impressions of music and so on. We can easily spot all of them in a crowd of passers-by - fans wear the colors of their favorite team, music lovers walk around with players and are completely engrossed in music, etc. Finally, students all over the world are united by the desire for knowledge and education.
We have listed fairly large communities that unite thousands and even millions of people. But there are also countless smaller groups - people in line, passengers in one compartment on a train, vacationers in a sanatorium, museum visitors, neighbors in the entrance, street comrades, party participants. Unfortunately, there are also social dangerous groups- gangs of teenagers, mafia organizations, extortion racketeers, drug addicts and substance abusers, alcoholics, beggars, people without a fixed place of residence (homeless people), street hooligans, gamblers. All of them either directly relate to the criminal world or are under its close attention. And the boundaries of transition from one group to another are very invisible. A regular visitor to a casino can instantly lose his entire fortune, get into debt, become a beggar, sell his apartment or join a criminal gang. The same thing threatens drug addicts and alcoholics, many of whom at first believe that they will give up this hobby at any moment if they wish. It is much easier to get into the listed groups than to then get out of them, and the consequences are the same - prison, death or incurable illness.
In our country now there are almost all of the above social groups. Biggest problem Russian society- a huge gap between a small group of super-rich people and the bulk of the population living on the edge of poverty. Developed modern societies are characterized by the presence of a so-called middle class. It is made up of people who have private property, an average level of income and a certain independence from the state. Such people are free to express their views, it is difficult to put pressure on them, and they do not allow their rights to be violated. The more representatives of this group, the more prosperous the society as a whole. It is believed that in a stable society, representatives of the middle class should make up 85–90%. Unfortunately, this group is just being formed in our country, and ensuring its rapid growth is one of the main tasks of state policy. 6.3. Social status
In any society, regardless of its historical and geographical framework, a hierarchy develops, an order in which groups of people are located. Somewhere this order is determined by birth, somewhere by education, somewhere by wealth. The position of each individual person in such a hierarchy can be called social status.
Social status
- the position of a person in society, occupied by him in accordance with age, gender, origin, profession, marital status, and a certain set of rights and responsibilities associated with this. All statuses are divided into two large groups - original(prescribed, innate) and achievable. Among the first are usually gender, race and age. Sometimes nationality and religious affiliation are also included here (this is typical for traditional societies). Little girls play with dolls and help their mother with housework, while boys spend more time outdoors, prefer outdoor games and are afraid of being branded “mama’s boys.” With age, these differences move to another level. The achieved status is secured only taking into account the individual qualities of a person, thanks to his choice, talent, activity, abilities, diligence or luck. Previously, they played a huge role in society innate (given) statuses. A person's life largely depended on the position of his parents in society, and his own talents, education and skills did not play a decisive role. For example, a representative of the clergy or a nobleman in medieval France belonged to the privileged classes, and they were granted all basic rights. And, on the contrary, the third estate - the absolute majority of the country's inhabitants - was deprived of civil rights.
IN modern society Everyone can achieve high status, much depends on the individual himself. To some extent, statuses and roles are similar to each other, but the main difference between them is that status involves the assessment of others, and the role is performed by the person himself.
Social scientists also distinguish other types of statuses. Among the most important of them: main(the most characteristic status for a given person, by which others distinguish him or with which they identify him); social(a person’s position as a representative of a large social group); private(individual) (the position that a person occupies in a small group, depending on how he is assessed by his individual qualities (leader, outsider, etc.)).
6.4. Social role
One of the most significant concepts in modern sociology is the concept of social role. It took root in Russian science not so long ago, but in foreign, especially American, sociological thought, a similar concept was introduced more than half a century ago.
You probably have favorite actors. Why are they loved? Of course, not only for appearance. They make us worry, believe in what is happening on the screen or stage.
The ancient Greeks said that life is a theater, and a person in it is an actor. Let's look at ourselves from the point of view of the roles that are played on the stage called " daily life" You wake up early in the morning, and your parents feed you breakfast, give you instructions and advice, and help you choose clothes. Here you play the role of a son or daughter. On the way, as a comrade, you can chat with a friend from a neighboring school. Then you turn into a high school student and study certain subjects, and during the break you become just a student at school, because there is no division into classes. After staying in educational institution sometimes you have to become a buyer or a passenger, and on the street - a football player, a fan, a music lover, a passer-by, and so on ad infinitum. Each person is simultaneously capable of fulfilling a whole set of social roles: he can be a member of a family (son, grandson, father, grandfather), an employee of a large enterprise, a member political party, a fan of the football team, a member of the board of trustees of the school where his children study, a friend, and so on. A number of roles are typical for young people and less typical for adults. For example, guys more often become regulars at discos, members of fan clubs of popular artists, and clubs for computer game enthusiasts. Only adults can be conscripts or voters elected to public office.
At the same time, there are a number of roles that teenagers and adults can perform equally. Here are some examples: an Internet user, a football fan, a shopper in a store, a visitor to a library or museum.
How is the social role in science interpreted? Under social role
is understood as a way of behavior that corresponds to the norms accepted in a given society, expressed in the expectations of surrounding people. Also, a role can be considered as a set of requirements that are put forward in relation to a person occupying a certain position.
Each of these roles presupposes a certain behavior - what is allowed to do as a football player is not suitable for a passenger (playing a ball even on an empty bus is indecent), and the behavior of a buyer cannot be transferred to school. For example, in the role of a car driver, the director of an enterprise cannot order other drivers, even if among them are his subordinates. Each role has its own rules, requirements, rights, and expected behavior. Students also have them.
Of course, over time, the same social roles change. Historical and national characteristics significantly influence social structure society, because the role of, for example, a husband today and the role of a husband in Ancient China are completely different, as are the roles of children, old people, military men, writers, etc.
An important problem is the correlation between the social role and the personal “I”. Sometimes a person is forced to go against his own aspirations in the name of following the generally accepted cliches and expectations that are presented to him by society.
A person’s position is further complicated by the fact that some of his roles may conflict. Thus, a criminal may well feel like a caring parent, but sooner or later he will have to make a choice: solving a crime entails punishment and excommunication from his own children, which means that one of the roles must supplant the other in the event of a conflict.
The social roles of the modern Russian teenager are numerous. He simultaneously acts as a family member (grandson or granddaughter, son or daughter, brother or sister), a member of a school team, a member of a friendly company in the yard or in the country, a member of a fan association of a football club, a regular at an Internet cafe, etc. There is roles that can only be performed by adults or only children. For example, the role of a conscript soldier can only be played by a young man who has already reached the age of 18. Only from the age of 15 can a teenager apply for a temporary job under a contract, acquire social role worker, worker. Only an adult can drive a car. The role of a secondary school student is typical for a child, but extremely rare in high school(evening) adults study.
And, on the contrary, there are roles that are equally performed by both children and adults. Football fans, visitors to an Internet cafe, a concert of a popular rock band, or fans of a fashion writer can be people of different genders and ages.
6.5. Inequality and social stratification
Some of the examples we have given are a reflection of the inequalities that exist in society. Social inequality
characterizes the position in relation to each other different people and their associations. Inequality existed in society at different stages of its development, but for each period there were certain features and characteristics inherent in that particular era. People in society, as we know from history, were not equal in their status; there was always a division into rich and poor, respected and despised, successful and unsuccessful.
The class structure was more typical for ancient and medieval societies, which are commonly called traditional. Estate
- a group of people who have certain rights and responsibilities that are inherited. Some of the classes had privileges - special rights that elevated these people and allowed them to live at the expense of others. So, in Russian Empire the privileged class was the nobility. And, on the contrary, the vast majority of people in the country were deprived of even basic human rights. Serfs were the property of the landowners; they could be bought and sold, even by parents separately from their children.
With the beginning of the industrial revolution, the structure of society changed, classes appeared instead of estates. Class division is carried out primarily according to the place of people in economic system, in relation to property, according to the amount of income they receive. Belonging to a class is not inherited, the transition from one class to another is not regulated in any way, much depends on the person himself. In the 19th century, the main classes in the leading countries of the world became the bourgeoisie and the proletariat (wage workers). It was then that the theory of K. Marx and F. Engels about the class division of society appeared. They believed that classes always oppose each other, are in a state of struggle, and this struggle between them is driving force history. At first, the opposing classes were slaves and slave owners, then feudal lords and dependent peasants, and finally workers and the bourgeoisie.
Modern social science interprets the concept of class somewhat differently. An important sign class membership is considered a certain way of life, determined by profession and income level. In the structure of society today it is customary to distinguish three main classes:
higher, which includes bankers, employers who own and control production, top managers performing leading management functions;
average- employees and skilled workers, businessmen with a certain level of income;
lower- workers without special education, service personnel.
IN special group also include people working on the land - farmers, peasants. Of course, such a division is extremely arbitrary, and the real distribution of people into social groups is much more complicated.
In every society, at different historical periods, there were people who did not belong to established groups and strata. They occupied a kind of borderline, intermediate position. Such a state in science is called marginal, and these people themselves are called marginal.
Marginalized people are people who, for various reasons, have fallen out of the usual social environment and unable to join new groups. For example, with the beginning of the industrial revolution in European countries and Russia, some peasants were forced to move to cities, look for work there, and adapt to a new life. But not every peasant likes urban conditions and the rhythm of city life. The migrants feel like strangers in this new environment. In soul and mind they still remain peasants living in a small village with their own way of life.
Another example can be given. Some representatives of the Russian intelligentsia, radically minded and negatively related to the autocracy, state and social order of the Russian Empire, renounced their belonging to the ruling strata in society and declared a transition to the position of the oppressed people. They proclaimed themselves to be spokesmen for the interests of peasants and workers. The position of such people can also be called marginal.
IN modern Russia There is also a problem of marginalized people. For example, a person who was previously an engineer, teacher, or university lecturer, who does not fit into modern market relations, may become unemployed, do odd jobs, or engage in the shuttle business. This person becomes marginalized. His lack of self-confidence in his future can result in destructive actions and dissatisfaction with the existing order.
Over time, the marginalized can form into a new stable group of people. IN modern world, where the boundaries of social groups are very fluid and people can move from one to another, the emergence of marginal groups is an important source of change and development of the social structure.
The lumpen should be distinguished from the marginalized. Lumpens are a group of people who have sunk to the social bottom, people without a fixed place of residence. Lumpenization is usually associated with periods of social upheaval and a deepening crisis in social structures. Society, as it were, throws out lumpen people from social life, from the normal circle of human relationships. |
Society as a system
Task #1
Which term does the following definition correspond to?
A part of the material world isolated from nature, but closely connected with it, which includes a set of individuals, social communities and forms of interaction between them.
Write down your answer:
Task #2
Write the word missing in the diagram.
Image:
Write down your answer:
__________________________________________
Task #3
Society, as a complex, self-regulating system, is the object of study of this science.
Make a word from the letters:
EIKSNRTGAEI -> __________________________________________
Task #4
Read the text in which a number of words are missing. Select from the list provided the words that need to be inserted in place of the gaps.
“Society as _____(A) is distinguished by the close interconnection and interdependence of all elements and subsystems. Just as in _____(B), they are all part of a single complex - such that, by affecting or destroying one of the components, the very existence of the social world can be jeopardized.
A complex system of social connections and _____ (B) permeates all spheres of society from top to bottom. By adopting any political ____(G), we will be able to trace its consequences in all areas. Let us give an example from the recent past of our country. The implementation of privatization and denationalization in the economy, the introduction of market relations led to the destruction of the old one-party political system and a change in the entire legislative system. Significant changes have also occurred in the sphere of _____(D) culture.
The main types of social connections are _____(E) and cause-and-effect. The first can be traced in the interdependence of goals and objectives carried out by society as a whole and its individual elements. Cause-and-effect relationships are identified in the case when one of the phenomena causes another to come to life and is its basis.”
Each word (phrase) can be used only once.
Please note that there are more words in the list than are required to fill in the gaps.
Please select a match for all 6 answer options:
1) interaction
2) spiritual
3) sociology
4) public
5) solution
6) system
7) nature
9) functional
Task #5
Find in the list below examples of the direct influence of the economy on the social sphere of public life.
1) construction of housing for workers by the plant
2) delay in wages due to bankruptcy of the enterprise
3) creation of new jobs
4) state guarantee of bank deposits
5) adoption of state educational standards
6) introduction of censorship on state television
Task #6
Establish a correspondence between the components and spheres of society.
Please select a match for all 7 answer options:
1) economic sphere
2) political sphere
3) spiritual sphere
4) social sphere
Relations in the process of material production
Activities of government bodies, political parties
Development and adoption of laws
Morality, religion, philosophy
Improving production factors
Development of public opinion
Interaction of classes, social strata and groups
Task #7
The influence of geopolitical factors on the development of society is an example of its...
Choose one of 4 answer options:
1) openness
2) difficulties
3) non-linear development
4) dynamism
Task #8
What provisions can serve as definitions of the concept “society”?
Select several of 6 answer options:
1) a certain stage historical development humanity
2) the entire material world as a whole
3) the results of people’s material-transforming activities
4) stable stereotypes of human behavior
5) the totality of all peoples inhabiting our planet
6) a group of people united for joint activities and communication
Task #9
What features characterize society as a dynamic system?
Select several of 6 answer options:
1) constant changes
2) lack of relationship between subsystems and public institutions
3) ability for self-organization and self-development
4) the possibility of degradation of individual elements
5) separation from the material world
6) isolation from nature
Task #10
Are the following statements true?
Indicate true or false answer options:
A system has only those properties that are inherent in its constituent elements.
One of the elements of society as a system is social relations.
Social development is always progressive.
All subsystems of society influence each other.
The nonlinearity of society is manifested in the fact that the processes that occur in it are determined by different reasons, described by different laws and are not synchronized in time.
Throughout their lives, based on direct contacts in a variety of areas of activity, people form social connections.
A social connection is a set of various kinds of dependencies between individuals, realized through social action; relationships that unite people into social communities. Social connection arises where and when there are subjects of communication (two or more people), a subject of communication (what relationships, contacts arise about) and a mechanism for regulating relationships (depending on the situation, this may be a tradition, a legal norm, etc.). p.).
Under social community is understood as a set of people united by common conditions of existence, regularly and steadily interacting with each other. A social community is characterized by relative integrity and can act as an independent subject of historical and social action.
In modern society, social communities are extremely diverse. They can be determined by the following indicators:
- quantitative composition - from several people to millions;
- time of existence - from minutes and hours (bus passengers) to centuries (ethnic groups, nations);
- the quality and degree of relationships - from relatively stable social groups (family, stratum) to random formations (crowd).
And there are several types of communities.
A social community is distinguished by the following characteristics:
- similarity of living conditions;
- community of needs;
- joint activities;
- general culture; social identification.
Society as a system is distinguished by the close interconnection and interdependence of all its elements and subsystems. A complex system of social connections and relationships permeates all spheres of society, which is determined by the nature of man as a social being. The main types of social connections are functional and cause-and-effect. Cause-and-effect relationships are distinguished in the case when one of the phenomena causes another to come to life and is its basis. Functional - can be traced in the interdependence of goals and objectives carried out by society and its individual elements. Cause-and-effect and functional relationships are always realized in unity. The first can be represented as a vertical, since one phenomenon precedes another in time. The latter are formed at the same point in time.
To achieve its goals and objectives, society constructs a system of social relations - communications and forms appropriate structures - social institutions.
Under public relations understands the connections that arise between groups of people and within them in the process of life of society. In accordance with the division of society into subsystems, there are economic, social, political and spiritual social relations. For example, relations in the sphere of distribution of material goods are economic; relations in the sphere of managing society and making decisions to coordinate public interests can be called political.
By their nature, these relationships can be solidary (partnership), based on the coordination of the interests of the parties, or conflicting (competitive), when the interests of the participants are opposite. In addition, relationships differ in the level of interaction: they can be interpersonal, intergroup, interethnic. The nature of social connections and public relations changes in the process of development of society. At the same time, a number of their elements always remain unchanged.
In the structure of any relationship we can distinguish:
- participants (subjects);
- an object that is significant to them;
- needs (subject-object relationships);
- interests (subject-subject relations);
- values (relations between the ideals of interacting subjects).
Society as a system is distinguished by the close interconnection and interdependence of all its elements and subsystems. Just like in nature, everything is part of a single complex. Such that, by affecting or destroying one of its components, the very existence of the natural world can be threatened.
A complex system of social connections and interactions permeates all spheres of society from top to bottom. When making any political decision, we will be able to trace its consequences in all areas. Let's give an example from our recent past. The implementation of privatization and denationalization in the economy, the introduction of market relations led to the destruction of the old one-party political system and a change in the entire legislative system. Significant changes have also occurred in the sphere of spiritual culture.
Let us consider in more detail the basic concepts and definitions associated with the characteristics of social connections and relationships.
The main types of social connections are functional and cause-and-effect. Cause-and-effect relationships are distinguished in the case when one of the phenomena causes another to come to life and is its basis. The easiest way to illustrate such connections is through examples of interaction between the main spheres of society.
Functional connections can be traced in the interdependence of goals and objectives carried out by society and its individual elements. For example, the task of producing vital goods is inseparable from the distribution of labor results, human reproduction and socialization, management, etc.
Both cause-and-effect and functional connections are always realized in unity. The first can be represented as a vertical, since one phenomenon precedes another in time. The latter are formed at the same point in time.
To achieve its goals and objectives, society constructs a system of social relations - communications and corresponding structures - social institutions. Under public relations understands the relationships that arise between groups of people and within them in the process of life of society. In accordance with the division of society into subsystems - spheres, scientists distinguish economic, social, political, spiritual. For example, relations in the sphere of distribution of material goods are economic, relations in the sphere of managing society, making decisions to coordinate public interests can be called political.
By their nature, these relationships can be solidary (partnership), based on the coordination of the interests of the parties, or conflicting (competitive), when the interests of the participants are opposite. In addition, relationships differ in the level of interaction: interpersonal, intergroup and interethnic. But a number of their elements always remain unchanged.
In the structure of any relationship A number of elements can be distinguished:
participants (subjects) of relations;
an object of activity that is significant for the participants;
needs (subject-object relationships);
interests (subject-subject relations);
values (relations between the ideals of interacting subjects).
The nature of social connections and relationships changes in the process of social evolution, as society changes.
Social relations
Society as a system is distinguished by the close interconnection and interdependence of all its elements and subsystems. Just like in nature, everything is part of a single complex. Such that, by affecting or destroying one of its components, the very existence of the natural world can be threatened.
A complex system of social connections and interactions permeates all spheres of society from top to bottom. When making any political decision, we will be able to trace its consequences in all areas. Let's give an example from our recent past. The implementation of privatization and denationalization in the economy, the introduction of market relations led to the destruction of the old one-party political system and a change in the entire legislative system. Significant changes have also occurred in the sphere of spiritual culture.
Let us consider in more detail the basic concepts and definitions associated with the characteristics of social connections and relationships.
The main types of social connections are functional and cause-and-effect. Cause-and-effect relationships are distinguished in the case when one of the phenomena causes another to come to life and is its basis. The easiest way to illustrate such connections is through examples of interaction between the main spheres of society.
Give examples of cause-and-effect relationships in the development of society.
Functional connections can be traced in the interdependence of goals and objectives carried out by society and its individual elements. For example, the task of producing vital goods is inseparable from the distribution of labor results, human reproduction and socialization, management, etc.
Both cause-and-effect and functional connections are always realized in unity. The first can be represented as a vertical, since one phenomenon precedes another in time. The latter are formed at the same point in time.
To achieve its goals and objectives, society constructs a system of social relations - communications and corresponding structures - social institutions. Social relations are understood as relationships that arise between groups of people and within them in the process of life of society. In accordance with the division of society into subsystems - spheres, scientists distinguish economic, social, political, and spiritual. For example, relations in the sphere of distribution of material goods are economic, relations in the sphere of managing society, making decisions to coordinate public interests can be called political.
By their nature, these relationships can be solidary (partnership), based on the coordination of the interests of the parties, or conflicting (competitive), when the interests of the participants are opposite. In addition, relationships differ in the level of interaction: interpersonal, intergroup and interethnic. But a number of their elements always remain unchanged.
In the structure of any relationship we can distinguish:
Participants (subjects);
An object that is significant to them;
Needs (subject-object relationship);
Interests (subject-subject relations);
Values (relations between the ideals of interacting subjects).
The nature of social connections and relationships changes in the process of social evolution, as society changes.
