Analysis of Social Structures: Family, Religion, and Individual Impact

This report examines the concept of social structures, focusing on family and religion as key components. It explores how these structures, along with social class, shape individuals and society. The report highlights the importance of understanding cultural patterns, social roles, and power relations to prevent societal anarchy and foster collaborative living. It discusses the influence of family values and religious beliefs on personal development and provides examples of how these structures have impacted the author's life. The report concludes by emphasizing the pivotal role social structures play in shaping norms, beliefs, and individual identities within a culture, underscoring the need to focus on how individuals shape their society.

Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURES
Social Structures
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1SOCIAL STRUCTURES
The concept of society may be examined through several social structures. Two of the
most important social structures that may be identified are family and religion.It is crucial to
categorize and identify the various social structures in order to prevent anarchy in society.
Moreover, social structure enables one to identify cultural patterns, social roles and power
relations in order to collaboratively dwell in society. The social class is a set of subjectively
defined concepts in which the people are grouped into a set of hierarchical social categories
which are created by the people in the society itself. In the late 19th century the term class
started to begin and replace the classification which it had previously.
Social structures refer to the different ways in which a society is organized at a
particular period in history (Funk, 2016). This structure may also be classified as an
arrangement of institutions where individuals interact and live together. One of the most
important social structures is family. Family is considered to be the basic unit of society.
Neglecting family values may have extremely negative implications on the various levels of
society. Additionally, religion is also considered to be a crucial social structure. Religion not
only assists to cohesively maintain social unity through shared beliefs and rituals, but it also
provides individuals meaning and purpose to answer theirexistential queries (Wach, 2019).
Thus, religion may be identified as an expression of society. The classifications mainly
included the estates, rank of the person, and other orders as the primary means of organizing
the society in to various divisions. According to the Great British Class Survey the common
three stratum models are the upper class at the top, then the middle class and lastly the lower
classes. The Upper class is composed of the rich, well born, powerful people in the society. In
few countries wealth alone allows entry to the upper class. The middle class is composed of
the group of people in contemporary society who falls between the upper and lower class.
The lower class is described with the people who are paid low wage and served with very
little economic security.

2SOCIAL STRUCTURES
The identities of individuals are developed and morphed through the interaction of the
various social structures (Wister&McPherson, 2014). My family has greatly influenced my
experiences in life. As a child, I imbibed my values and principles from observing my family
members. For instance, my family always looked down upon smoking greatly. Due to this
strong belief, I have always avoided this practice. Even in school, when all of my friends
encouraged this habit, I denied this practice due to my family’s values. Furthermore, religion
has also been an important aspect of my life. I always felt a strong connect with the ‘divine
being.’ Thus, every time I faced any obstacles in life, I relied on this power to help me gain
the strength to overcome the hurdles. Therefore, religion serves to be a ray of hope in my life.
Therefore, it can be deduced that social structures play an important role in properly
structuring society. Moreover, focus should be placed on how individuals shape their society.
This is mainly because social structure assists one to develop a sense of connection and
belonging with the other individuals in society. Hence, it may be concluded that social
structure plays a pivotal role in shaping the norms and beliefs of one’s culture.

3SOCIAL STRUCTURES
References
Funk, L. (2016). Sociological perspectives on aging. Oxford University Press.
Wach, J. (2019). Sociology of religion. Routledge.
Wister, A. V., & McPherson, B. D. (2014). Aging as a social process: Canadian
perspectives. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.