The Interplay of Structure and Agency in Society: A Detailed Analysis

This essay delves into the core sociological concepts of structure and agency, examining their intricate relationship and impact on societal dynamics. It begins by defining structure as the organizational framework that provides stability, while agency represents the capacity of individuals to act independently within this framework. The essay explores how structures, such as cultural norms and economic inequalities, can limit agency, creating challenges for individuals and organizations. The concept of social scientific imagination is also introduced, emphasizing the importance of viewing societal issues with a critical and innovative perspective. The analysis highlights how the interplay of structure and agency shapes social constructions, regulations, and conflicts, ultimately influencing the overall sense of society. The essay concludes by summarizing the debate surrounding structure and agency within sociological theory, emphasizing how these elements influence social issues and the productivity of individuals and organizations.

SOCIETY
AND
HEALTH

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................2
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
Learning outcomes refers to the measurement of skills, capabilities and abilities,
values, norms, and knowledge. It demonstrates the value of learning either through
certification or degree. These outcomes clear the students concepts widely and makes
them able to understand the all learning approaches made in society. This assessment
is about two different terms i.e., structure and agency. Structure is a specific way to
construct such factors that help society to enhance their network area but it creates
some limitations for agency. This assessment includes the relationship between
structure and agency. It also outlines the ideas on social scientific imagination. It frames
a summary of terms like structure, agency, social scientific imagination in relation to
sense of society.
MAIN BODY
Structure- It refers to the framework construction of like factors, parts, entities,
steps. It gives stability to organisation due to which stress and strain are reduced. It is
specific arrangement in organisation in which process of achieving business objectives
are structured (Coburn, 2016). Structure has different types like hierarchical, network
and lattice connections to organise objects in appropriate way.
Agency- it is a business or another organisation which provides service
particularly based on another organisation, business, team, person and group. Agent is
a mediator between two persons or organisation who provide benefits to both. It is like a
fiduciary relationship between the two (McAlpine, 2018). It is made through effective
and efficient interaction between two persons or business communities. Agent is hired
for better productivity and to increase market share by global trading.
Relationship between structure and agency – Structure and agency are two
different terms. Structure means the ways of organising society. Agency means to
analyse the behaviour and actions of individual in culture if society. Agency has the
limitations due to structures because of cultural barriers and inequalities. People are not
powered equally in society due to which agents face problems for expanding the
network of business in efficient manner. As limited agency are available due to
complicated structure, it makes complexity for individual to win competition and
negotiation (Egmose, 2016). Place where all people have freedom to present their
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opinions and ideas also confuses manager to reach to a decision because in this more
conflicts occur. As there is also an economic barrier in society due to which high income
people hire more agency for their development which makes huge big difference in high
income and low income organisation. Structure in society also includes discrimination
factor like gender, colour, nationality, class which affects agency productivity. Agency
need to accomplish all the factors that goes in society.
Social scientific imagination – it is a practice adopted by individual to look on
“think ourselves away” from familiar ways or routines in daily respect with fresh and
critical eyes. The sociological imagination is process of seeing things socially and
analyse the interaction process and influence process towards each and every
organisation (Clark, 2017). To have sociological imagination power, person should have
ability to put down the complex situation and think to make it simple by using alternative
and innovative solution.
Overall analysis to make sense of society – structure and agency both terms
makes society valuable. The terms matter that is social constructions, regulations,
negotiations, conflict, and controlling which makes sense of society. Agency that
provides qualitative products to customers depends on interaction between people in
society. A group in society is majorly responsible for positive and negative impacts on
products. Some products depend on taste in which sensual culture of society is
responsible for making the product effective (Sweeney, 2018). Human has five sense
organs through which they sense the quality and quantity of business. It is easier is
easy to identify most three senses like anger, thirst and pain. Attention made by agency
to focus on sensual relation in society and structured them in efficient way to achieve
business objectives.
CONCLUSION
This assignment is summarised about two different terms i.e., structure and
agency. A debate arises on the structure and agency as these are parts of sociological
theory. Some theories determined that overall society structure is analysed by
existence in social issues. It can be concluded that social structure means regulations
in life socially. Some terms like integration between people in society leads to inequality
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which results in conflicts. This makes the society in negative approach and decreases
the chances of agents for making more productivity of their taken business.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Coburn, C.E., 2016. What’s policy got to do with it? How the structure-agency debate
can illuminate policy implementation. American Journal of Education. 122(3). pp.465-
475.
McAlpine, L. and Amundsen, C., 2018. Structure and Agency Chapter 4 Chapter 4
Revisited. In Identity-Trajectories of Early Career Researchers (pp. 57-70). Palgrave
Macmillan, London.
Sweeney, P., 2018. Teaching qualitative inquiry to ignite the social psychological
imagination. Qualitative Psychology. 5(2). p.275.
Egmose, J., 2016. Action research for sustainability: Social imagination between
citizens and scientists. Routledge.
Clark, J., 2017. Preface to social economics: economic theory and social problems.
Routledge.
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