The structure of society, its elements and conditions of existence. The social structure of society, its main elements

Society

Consideration societies

firstly

Secondly

third

signs of society :

4. . those. capable of creating and recreating everything necessary by its own activity.

6. presence of culture

Together with society, there is social power

Society structure: social communities.

social community Social communities

social institutions

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Society- a product of the interaction of people, a certain organization of their lives, an internally contradictory organism, the essence of which lies in the diverse (economic, moral, religious, etc.) connections and relations between people, their associations and communities.

Society is a stable association of people who are connected with each other, depend on each other, have common interests and goals and realize them through jointly coordinated activities.

Society is a social organization of people living in a certain area. This is a complex self-developing system of connections between people united by economic, family, group, ethnic, estate, class relations and interests.

In society, first of all, not biological, but social laws operate.

Society- a stable and self-developing association of people connected by a common interest and interacting with each other on the basis of generally binding norms in order to meet individual needs.

Consideration societies as a system of social relations, which are based on economic (material) relations, allows,

firstly, to approach it concretely historically, to single out various socio-economic formations (slave-owning, feudal, capitalist, socialist society);

Secondly, to reveal the specifics of the main spheres of public life (economic, political, spiritual);

third, clearly define the subjects of social communication (personality, seven nation, etc.).

signs of society :

1. is an association of people interacting with each other to meet common, significant needs for them. These are needs, for example, in communication, food, security, etc. These needs can be satisfied only in coordinated activities. This does not mean that there are no social contradictions in society.

2. it is the interaction of people endowed with will and consciousness. In society, there must be meaningful, conscious, strong-willed relationships, relationships with each other.

3. characterized by exceptional stability. It exists on the basis of an objectively established interest, which does not replace private or group interests, but is formed on their basis.

4. it must be self sufficient.

those. capable of creating and recreating everything necessary by its own activity.

5. the presence of power and special norms for regulating public relations. Power as the ability and ability to subjugate and obey contributes to streamlining the social interaction of people.

6. presence of culture which gives spiritual meaning to human life, unifies human desires and aspirations.

Spheres of social life that determine the necessary types of mutual activity: 1). material 2). spiritual 3). organizational (communicative).

Together with society, there is social power- this is an organized force that ensures the interaction of various social groups with the ability to subordinate to their will.

Society structure: First of all, society can be represented as a system of interconnected and interacting social communities. Each community is characterized by the allocation of one or another leading feature: gender, age, nationality, profession, role, status, etc. This common feature is dominant and should belong to all members of the community, determining its specificity and separation from other communities. On the other hand, a common feature is that consolidating principle, thanks to which a disparate mass of people acquires the character of a holistic formation. This common feature may be natural (gender, age) or social (religious affiliation, status, etc.) character.

Speaking about the social structure, it is imperative to single out and take into account the characteristics of the subjects of the social system, i.e. those elements of the social system that act as relatively independent "actors". Such subjects of the social system are primarily individuals, communities and social institutions. The subjects of the social system enter into various kinds of social relations with each other.

social community- this is a set of people, which is characterized by the conditions of their life, common to a given group of interacting individuals. Social communities can be divided into types, the most common of which are classes, layers and groups.

Society cannot do without social institutions, i.e. sustainable social associations, communities and groups that perform the necessary functions and interact with each other on the basis of various social norms. Social ties in them are due to the organization of management. These links are institutional.

The social structure of society- this is a characteristic of the types of social institutions, such as estates, classes, ethnic, professional, socio-demographic groups at a certain stage of historical development.

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Society is a complex structure consisting of many interacting elements. The elements of society are individuals, social communities, social institutions. Social community - a set of people whose members are in direct or indirect interaction and are characterized by relative integrity, unity of goals and behavior.

Society consists of many social communities of various types:

1. demographic (men and women, children, old people, etc.);

2. ethnic (tribes, nationalities, nations);

3. territorial (residents of certain regions, townspeople, villagers);

4. socio-economic (rich, poor, professional communities).

5. large (professional, ethnic);

social structure

small (production teams).

7. organized (political parties);

8. amorphous (media audience);

9. permanent (ethnic);

10. temporary (crowd, queues).

Social communities cover all possible states and forms of being of people. The discrepancy and clash of interests of social subjects, classes leads to the development of the social whole, to its self-promotion. It is social communities as subjects of the social structure, that is, living, suffering, active, or vice versa, passive, inert, unaware of their identity groups that represent today the most important subject of sociological study.

In everyday life, the concept of "institution" we designate an institution of education, culture. In sociology, the term "social institution" refers to a special type of social organization that arises spontaneously in history to satisfy important social needs. These are value-normative complexes, through which the activities of people in all vital spheres are directed and controlled. Social institutions, as it were, divide society into a number of sectors. Traditionally, there are five main social institutions: family, economy, education, religion, politics. In modern society, a sixth is added to this list - science. Large social institutions include a number of small ones (for example, the institution of politics includes the institution of law). Different social institutions satisfy different social needs:

reproduction of members of society - the family;

socialization - family, education, religion;

production - economy;

management - politics, religion.

Each social institution includes:

1. Material resources necessary for the activities of this institution:

2. A system of social norms and values, attitudes and models that regulate the behavior of people within the institution. For example, for the economy it is “an agreement reached”, for science it is “academic impartiality”.

3. The system of social norms that regulate the relationship of the institution with society as a whole, which ensures the legitimacy of the activities of this institution. For example, relations between society and universities in the West are governed by the principle of "academic freedom", that is, the right of universities to solve their own problems.

4. A system of stable institutional roles, for example, in education: teacher - student; in the family: husband - wife - children.

5. Functions of social institutions. All institutions perform explicit, obvious and hidden, latent functions. For example, an explicit function of education is the transfer of experience, knowledge; hidden - social selection, selection of people.

The common functions of all social institutions are: a) consolidation and reproduction of social relations; b) regulatory (regulation of life); c) integrative (unification of people); d) broadcasting (transfer of experience); e) communicative (ensuring interactions).

The elements of society are united into a whole by a system of contacts, connections, interconnections, relations. Contacts are divided into spatial, visual (change of behavior under the influence of the presence of others), contacts of interest, contacts of exchange. Those contacts that become stronger, more frequent, turn into social ties, social interactions. The concept of "social interaction" was introduced into sociology by M. Weber. It emphasizes that a person or a group of people is always in the physical or mental environment of other people and their behavior is largely determined by this factor. This is a form of social communication, communication between two (or more) people, social groups, in which the impact on each other is systematically carried out, the adaptation of the actions of one to the actions of the other, and a common understanding of the situation is developed. Social interactions are connected by a cyclic causal dependence: each is caused by the previous one and becomes the cause of the next one.

Structure of social interaction

The main types of social interaction are cooperation and rivalry. Stable repetitive interactions are denoted by the concept of "social relations".

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Society is a complex social system, structurally organized integrity, which is formed by different elements, components. In turn, they also have a certain level of organization and order in their own structure. This gives grounds to assert that the social structure of society is a complex, multidimensional formation.

The social structure of society is the basis for the study of all processes and phenomena in social life, since changes in the social structure are the main indicator of changes in the social system of society.

The concept of "social structure" has several interpretations.

Most often, this term is used to divide society into different social groups, systems of stable ties between them, and also to determine the internal structure of certain social communities.

There are two main levels of structural organization: 1) microstructure, 2) macrostructure. microstructure means stable ties in small groups (work collective, student group, etc.). The elements of structural analysis are individuals, social roles, statuses, group norms and values. The microstructure significantly affects the processes of social life, such as socialization, the formation of social thought.

macrostructure- this is the composition of classes, strata, ethnic groups and social categories characteristic of a given society, the totality of stable relations between them and the peculiarity of their structural organization. The main aspects of the macrostructure of society are the social-class, socio-professional, socio-demographic, socio-territorial and socio-ethnic substructures.

social structure- an ordered set of individuals, social groups, communities, organizations, institutions, united by ties and relationships that differ from each other in the position in the economic, political, spiritual spheres of their life.

In other words, this is the internal structure of society, which consists of ordered elements that are interconnected: individuals, social groups, social strata, classes, estates, social communities (socio-ethnic, socio-professional, socio-demographic, socio-territorial).

A person is almost never included in the structure of society directly. He always belongs to a certain group whose interests and norms of behavior influence him. And already these groups form a society.

The social structure has certain features:

1) the stability of the connection between any elements of society, i.e. stable interdependencies, correlations;

2) regularity, stability and repeatability of these interactions;

3) the presence of levels or "floors" according to the significance of the elements that are part of the structure;

4) regulatory, initiated and dynamic control over the behavior of elements, including various norms and sanctions adopted in a given society.

The social structure has a "horizontal projection" and a "vertical projection" - a hierarchically organized set of statuses, groups, classes, strata, etc.

The concept of "social structure" covers the system-organizational and stratification aspects. According to the system-organizational aspect, the main content of the social structure is formed by social institutions, primarily such as: the economy, politics (the state), science, education, family, saving and maintaining the relations and ties existing in society. These institutions normatively regulate, control and direct the behavior of people in vital areas, and also determine stable, regularly reproduced role positions (statuses) in various types of social organizations.

Social status is the primary element of the social structure of society, which determines the place of a person in the social structure of society. It is determined by the profession, age, education, financial situation. Social positions (statuses) and connections between them determine the nature of social relations.

social status- this is the social position (position) of the individual in the social structure of society, associated with belonging to any social group or community, the totality of its social roles.

Social status- a generalized characteristic covering the profession, economic situation, political opportunities and demographic characteristics of a person. For example, "builder" is a profession; “employee” is an economic trait; "member of the party" - a political characteristic; “a man of 30 years old” is a demographic feature. All these characteristics describe the social status of one person, but from different angles.

It is necessary to distinguish personal and social types of status. social status has two meanings - wide and narrow. Status in a broad sense is the social position of a person in society, which gives him a generalized description. In a narrow sense, this is the position of a person, which he automatically occupies as a representative of a large social group (professional, class, national).

personal status- this is the position that a person occupies in a small social group (family, among acquaintances, in a team, sports team, student group, etc.), depending on how he is assessed by his individual qualities. In them, everyone can occupy a high, medium or low status, i.e. be a leader, an independent or an outsider.

Status can be prescribed(surname, family tree), reached or mixed.

Prescribed cannot be identified with born. Only three biologically inherited statuses are considered innate: gender, nationality, race, which a person inherits regardless of his will and consciousness.

Achieved status a person receives through his own efforts, desire, free choice. The more statuses achieved in a society, the more dynamic and democratic it is.

mixed status simultaneously has the features of both prescribed and achieved. For example, the title of professor is at first a status that is achieved, but over time becomes prescribed, because. is eternal, though not inherited.

Social role - typical behavior of a person associated with his social status, which does not cause negative reactions from others. An individual can fulfill several social roles. For example: friend, athlete, public figure, citizen, student. Each person has several social roles and statuses.

Any society can be represented as a set of status-role positions, and the more of them, the more complex the society. However, status-role positions are not a simple heap, devoid of inner harmony. They are organized, interconnected by countless threads. Organization and orderliness are ensured thanks to more complex structural formations - social institutions, communities, organizations - which link status-role positions to each other, ensure their reproduction, and create guarantees for their stability.

On the basis of similar social statuses, which establish the potential possibility of an individual's participation in the corresponding types of activity, more complex structural elements of society are formed - social groups.

social group- a relatively stable, historically established set of people united on the basis of common characteristics, interests, values, group consciousness.

The concept of "social group" is generic in relation to the concepts of "class", "social stratum", "collective", "nation", "community", as it fixes social differences between individual sets of people in the process of distribution of labor and their results. These differences are based on relations with the means of production, power, specifics of labor, specialty, education, income level, gender, age, nationality, place of residence, etc.

Class- any social stratum in modern society that differs from others in income, education, prestige, attitude to power.

Social layer- a group of individuals engaged in equivalent types of labor and receiving approximately equal remuneration.

Social community - a set of people united by relatively stable social ties, relationships, having common features that give it a unique identity.

In every society there is a certain number of social groups, the creation of which is due to:

- general activities (for example, professional groups, collectives);

- common space-time existence (environment, territory, communication);

— group settings and orientations.

It is necessary to distinguish social groups from random unstable associations such as: bus passengers, readers in the library, viewers in the cinema.

Social groups arose on the basis of objective conditions of existence, a certain level of development of society. Thus, at the dawn of mankind, a clan and a tribe arose. With the division of labor, professional groups appeared (artisans, farmers, hunters, gatherers, etc.). With the advent of private property - classes.

The formation of a social group is a long and complex process of its social maturation, which is associated with the awareness of one's position, commonality and interests, values, the formation of group consciousness and norms of behavior. A social group becomes socially mature when it realizes its interests, values, forms norms, goals and objectives of activities that are aimed at maintaining or changing its position in society.

R. Dahrendorf in this regard distinguishes hidden and open group interests. It is the awareness of interests that turns a group of people into an independent subject of social action.

Social groups of different sizes interact in the social structure. Traditionally, they are divided into small and large.

Small social group- a small group of people whose members are united by common activities and enter into direct communication, which is the basis for the emergence of emotional relationships and special group values and norms of behavior.

A generic sign of a small social group is the presence of directly long-term personal contacts (communication, interaction), which are characteristic, for example, of a family, a team of workers, a group of friends, a sports team, etc.

Large social group- a large group of people united for a common activity, but the relationship between them is mostly formal.

These include professional, demographic, national communities, social classes.

The social structure of modern Ukrainian society depends on the direction of the essence of social transformations, the essence of which is to change the functional ties in society. Its basis is:

1. Changing the social form of all major social institutions - economic, political, cultural, educational; a deep social upheaval and the reform of those social regulators that form the social structure of society (it has become less rigid, more mobile).

2. Transformation of the social nature of the main components of the social structure - classes, groups and communities; their renewal as subjects of property and power; the emergence of economic classes, strata and strata with a corresponding system of social conflicts and contradictions.

3. Weakening of stratification restrictions existing in society.

The emergence of new channels for raising statuses, strengthening the horizontal and vertical mobility of Ukrainians.

4. Activation of marginalization processes.

Marginalization- (lat. margo - edge, border) - the process of losing an individual's objective belonging to a certain social group, without subsequent subjective entry into another community, stratum.

This is the process of changing the subject of one socio-economic status to another. In Ukrainian society at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries, it is characterized by a transition mainly to the lower strata of the population (the phenomenon of the "new poor", social groups of military personnel, intelligentsia).

5. Changing the comparative role of the components of social status. If the stratification of Soviet society was dominated by the administrative-official criterion associated with the place in the system of power and control, then in modern society the criterion of property and income is decisive. Previously, the political status determined the financial situation, now the amount of capital determines the political weight.

6. Increasing the social prestige of education and qualifications, strengthening the role of the cultural factor in the formation of high-status groups.

The concept of society. The social structure of society

This is due to the formation of the labor market. However, this applies to specialties that are in demand in the market, primarily economic, legal and managerial.

Changes in the qualitative and quantitative parameters of the social structure. It is known that the more progressive the sex and age structure, the more development opportunities it is endowed with, the more stable the social (labor, intellectual, cultural) potential of the population. Due to negative demographic trends, the population of Ukraine is decreasing by 400 thousand people every year, against the background of a general depopulation of the population (every fifth Ukrainian family has no children), the birth rate is decreasing, the average life expectancy is decreasing (if in the early 90s of the twentieth century, according to indicators health Ukraine occupied the 40th place in the world, ten years later it moved into the second hundred).

8. Deepening the social polarization of society. The property indicator is the core of transformations. The economic status and way of life of the elites, the upper stratum, have risen sharply, while those of the majority of the population have sharply declined. The boundaries of poverty and poverty have expanded, the social "bottom" has stood out - homeless, declassed elements.

The structure of Ukrainian society, which has received significant changes compared to Soviet society, continues to retain its features. For its significant transformation, a systemic transformation of the institutions of property and power is necessary, which requires a long time. The stratification of society will continue to lose stability and unambiguity. The boundaries between groups and strata will become more transparent, and many marginalized groups will emerge with uncertain or conflicting status.

The social structure of Ukrainian society, based on the sociological research of N. Rimashevskaya, can be represented in general terms as follows.

one." All-Ukrainian elite groups", which unite in their hands the property in the amount equivalent to the largest Western countries, and also own the means of power influence at the national level.

2. " Regional and corporate elites”, which have a significant Ukrainian position and influence at the level of regions and entire industries or sectors of the economy.

3. The Ukrainian "upper middle class", which owns property and incomes that provide Western standards of consumption as well. Representatives of this stratum strive to improve their social status, focus on the established practice and ethical standards of economic relations.

4. The Ukrainian "dynamic middle class", which owns incomes that ensure the satisfaction of average Ukrainian and higher standards of consumption, and is also characterized by a relatively high potential adaptability, significant social aspirations and motivations, and an orientation towards legal ways of its manifestation.

5. "Outsiders", which are characterized by low adaptation and social activity, low incomes and orientation towards legal ways of obtaining it.

6. "Marginals", which are characterized by low adaptation, as well as asocial and antisocial attitudes in their socio-economic activities.

7. "Criminal society", which is characterized by high social activity and adaptability, but at the same time fully consciously and rationally opposes the legal norms of economic activity.

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Section III Social Sphere of Public Life

Topic 1. The social structure of society

The social structure of society- the internal structure of society, ordered by certain norms of interaction of parts, organizing society into a single whole.

The main elements of the social structure of society are,

firstly, individuals occupying certain positions (status) and performing certain social functions (roles),

Secondly, the association of these individuals on the basis of their status characteristics into groups or other communities.

The social structure of a society includes:

- social communities;

— social groups;

- social strata;

- social institutions.

The social structure expresses the objective division of society into communities, classes, strata, groups, and so on. She points to the different position of people in relation to each other according to numerous criteria. Depending on which criterion stands out as the main one, the structure of society can be represented as group, class, community, stratification, institutional, organizational, etc.

Some researchers call large groups "strata", others use the concepts of "layer", "layer", "class", etc. There is no consensus on this issue.

A peculiar type of social groups are castes.

An example of a social group is estates, established in medieval Europe. Class division is distinguished by significant property and social differences between individual groups. Class privileges, rights and obligations were formed primarily by political means and were fixed by legislation.

It is noteworthy that society is not just divided into groups, but also has a clearly defined hierarchical structure. In science, the term is used to refer to this phenomenon. "stratification". Social stratification is manifested in all areas of public life - political, professional, cultural.

Forms of social stratification change as society develops. Thus, in medieval Europe, the clergy and aristocracy had the highest status. An impoverished representative of a noble family was more respected in society than a wealthy merchant. At the same time, in bourgeois society, capital became the determining factor in the position of a person in society, opening the way up the social ladder.

Under the social (stratification) structure is understood the stratification and hierarchical organization of various strata of society, as well as the totality of institutions and the relationship between them. The term "stratification" originates from the Latin word stratum - layers, layer. Strata are large groups of people who differ in their position in the social structure of society.

The basis of the stratification structure of society is the natural and social inequality of people. However, on the question of what exactly is the criterion for this inequality, their opinions differ. Studying the process of stratification in society, K. Marx called the fact that a person owns property and the level of his income as such a criterion. M. Weber added to them the social prestige and belonging of the subject to political parties, to power. Pitirim Sorokin considered the cause of stratification to be the uneven distribution of rights and privileges, responsibilities and duties in society. He also argued that the social space also has many other criteria for differentiation: it can be carried out according to citizenship, occupation, nationality, religious affiliation, etc. Finally, supporters of the theory of structural functionalism suggested relying on the social functions that perform certain social strata in society.

Historically, stratification, i.e., inequality in income, power, prestige, etc., arises with the birth of human society. With the advent of the first states, it becomes tougher, and then, in the process of development of society (primarily European), it gradually softens.

In sociology, four main types of social stratification are known - slavery, castes, estates and classes. The first three characterize closed societies, and the last type - open ones.

The first system of social stratification is slavery, which arose in antiquity and in some backward regions still persists. There are two forms of slavery: patriarchal, in which the slave has all the rights of a younger member of the family, and classical, in which the slave has no rights and is considered the property of the owner (a talking tool).

The social structure of society

Slavery was based on direct violence, and social groups in the era of slavery were distinguished by the presence or absence of civil rights.

The second system of social stratification caste should be recognized build. A caste is a social group (stratum) in which membership is transferred to a person only by birth. The transition of a person from one caste to another during his lifetime is impossible - for this he needs to be born again. India is a classic example of a caste society. In India, there are four main castes, descended, according to legend, from various parts of the god Brahma:

a) brahmins - priests;

b) kshatriyas - warriors;

c) vaishyas - merchants;

d) Shudras - peasants, artisans, workers.

A special position is occupied by the so-called untouchables, who do not belong to any caste and occupy a lower position.

The next form of stratification is the estates. An estate is a group of people who have rights and obligations enshrined in law or custom, which are inherited. Usually in society there are privileged and unprivileged classes. For example, in Western Europe, the first group included the nobility and clergy (in France they were called that - the first estate and the second estate) to the second - artisans, merchants and peasants. In Russia until 1917, in addition to the privileged (the nobility, the clergy) and the unprivileged (the peasantry), there were also semi-privileged estates (for example, the Cossacks).

Finally, another stratification system is the class system.. The most complete definition of classes in the scientific literature was given by V. I. Lenin: “Classes are large groups of people that differ in their place in a historically defined system of social production, in their relationship (for the most part fixed and formalized in laws) to the means of production, according to their role in the social organization of labor, and consequently, according to the methods of obtaining and the size of the share of social wealth that they have. The class approach is often opposed to the stratification approach, although in fact class division is only a special case of social stratification.

Depending on the historical period in society, the following classes are distinguished as the main ones:

a) slaves and slave owners;

b) feudal lords and feudally dependent peasants;

c) the bourgeoisie and the proletariat;

d) the so-called middle class.

The stratification of society is inextricably linked with social mobility, that is, with the transition from one group to another. Social mobility is divided into two types: horizontal and vertical . Horizontal mobility is the transition from one social group to another at the same level (for example, the transition from one job to a similar job). Vertical mobility is understood as the movement of individuals up or down the social ladder (for example, a person who, due to his financial position, did not even belong to middle economic circles, suddenly finds himself in top politics).

The movement of people from one social group to another occurs with the help of social institutions - "social lifts". This is primarily the army, church, school.

In the process of such movements, a situation may arise when the subject - a group or an individual - is outside any group and, therefore, does not have a certain social status. This state is called marginality. Marginal groups include groups that occupy an intermediate position with m / y stable communities. One of the reasons for the channels of marginalization is the mass migration of the population from rural areas to cities. Former rural residents, having lost touch with the rural way of life, hardly get used to the urban environment. For some time they become people with severed social ties, destroyed spiritual values. Another group that seems to fall out of the stable social structure of society is the LUMPEN. These include people who have sunk to the bottom of public life - vagabonds, beggars, homeless people. They come from different strata and classes.

Such segments of the population, unrooted, with an unstable social position, strove for a firm, state-established order, for a "strong hand." This created a social basis for the anti-democratic regime. This is a negative consequence of the increase in marginalized groups. At the same time, it is impossible not to recognize that it is often these segments of the population, not bound by traditions and prejudices, who are especially active in supporting the progressive, often acting as its initiators.

As a result of social stratification, groups occupy different positions in society, have unequal access to such social benefits as money, power, prestige. Here it is clearly seen social inequality. It is most clearly manifested in property inequality. Inequality is a characteristic feature of any society. Inequality is generated even by natural differences between people, but it manifests itself most clearly as a consequence of social factors. As a result, some individuals, groups or layers have more opportunities or resources than others.

There are several theories that explain the causes of social inequality. For example, Marxism explained this primarily by unequal treatment of the means of production, of property, as a result of which other forms of inequality arise.

According to the theory of functionalism, the division occurs according to the functions that various groups perform in society. So, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato believed that in the state there are three estates: rulers, warriors and farmers, each of which should do its own thing.

There is another theory, according to which the upper class is formed by the most talented and skillful people, who are entrusted with the most important types of social activities. Social inequality is regarded as a natural feature of social development, in the process of which the most capable are promoted to the highest levels.

Theme 2 Social role

Status - it is a certain position in the social structure of a group or society, connected with other positions through a system of rights and obligations.

Sociologists distinguish two types of status: personal and acquired.
personal status the position of a person that he occupies in the so-called small, or primary, group is called, depending on how his individual qualities are evaluated in it. On the other hand, in the process of interaction with other individuals, each person performs certain social functions that determine him. social status.

The social status is the general position of an individual or social group in society, associated with a certain set of rights and obligations.

Social structure is a certain way of communication and interaction of elements of a social system, i.e. individuals and social groups, communities occupying certain social positions (statuses) and performing certain social functions (roles) in accordance with the accepted in this social. system of a set of norms and values. The social structure expresses the objective division of society on the basis of their status characteristics into groups, socio-territorial, ethnic and other communities, etc. The social structure expresses the objective division of society into communities, classes, groups, strata, etc., indicating the different position of people in relation to each other according to numerous criteria. Each element of the social structure, in turn, is a complex social system with its own subsystems and connections. In sociology, there are a large number of concepts of social. structure of society, historically one of the first is the Marxist. The main place here is given to the social class structure. According to this doctrine, the social class structure is the interaction of three basic elements: classes, social strata and social groups. The division of society into classes is due to the result of the social division of labor and the formation of private property relations. At the heart of the development of social the structure of society are: 1. social division of labor and 2. ownership of the means of production and its products. The social division of labor determines the emergence and continued existence of such social groups as classes, professional groups, as well as large groups of people in the city and countryside, as well as mental and physical labor. The relations of ownership of the means of production economically consolidated this internal dismemberment of society and the social structure that was taking shape within it. Both the social division of labor and property relations are objective socio-economic prerequisites for the development of the social structure of society.

The elements of the social structure are:

1. individuals and social. commonality

2. connections and relationships between them

3. social institutions

Social communities are structures that unite its members on the basis of belonging to the criterion that unites them.

Social institutions are highly organized social. systems characterized by a stable structure, integration of elements and functionality.

The social structure in any society is quite complex and is the subject of attention not only of sociology, but also of such a science as social management, as well as politicians and statesmen. Without understanding the social structure of society, without a clear idea of what social groups exist within it and what their interests are, that is, in what direction they will act, it is impossible to effectively manage the affairs of society. The relationship existing in society social. groups and communities is by no means static, but rather dynamic and manifests itself in their interaction regarding the satisfaction of their needs and the realization of their interests. There are two main aspects to this interaction. First, the very activity of each of the subjects of society, directed by individual motives. Secondly, those social relations into which social. subjects to meet their needs and interests.

The concept of "social structure" has several interpretations. Most often, this term is used to divide society into different social groups, systems of stable ties between them, and also to determine the internal structure of certain social communities.

The social structure has certain features:

1) the stability of the connection between any elements of society, i.e. stable interdependencies, correlations;

2) regularity, stability and repeatability of these interactions;

3) the presence of levels or "floors" according to the significance of the elements that are part of the structure;

4) regulatory, initiated and dynamic control over the behavior of elements, including various norms and sanctions adopted in a given society.

The social structure has a "horizontal projection" and a "vertical projection" - a hierarchically organized set of statuses, groups, classes, strata, etc.

Status can be prescribed(surname, family tree), reached or mixed.

Achieved status a person receives through his own efforts, desire, free choice. The more statuses achieved in a society, the more dynamic and democratic it is.

Any society can be represented as a set of status-role positions, and the more of them, the more complex the society. However, status-role positions are not a simple heap, devoid of inner harmony. They are organized, interconnected by countless threads. Organization and orderliness are ensured thanks to more complex structural formations - social institutions, communities, organizations - that link status-role positions to each other, ensure their reproduction, and create guarantees for their stability.

social group- a relatively stable, historically established set of people united on the basis of common characteristics, interests, values, group consciousness.

Class- any social stratum in modern society that differs from others in income, education, prestige, attitude to power.

Social layer- a group of individuals engaged in equivalent types of labor and receiving approximately equal remuneration.

Social community - a set of people united by relatively stable social ties, relationships, having common features that give it a unique identity.

In every society there is a certain number of social groups, the creation of which is due to:

General activities (for example, professional groups, collectives);

Common space-time existence (environment, territory, communication);

Group settings and orientations.

It is necessary to distinguish social groups from random unstable associations such as: bus passengers, readers in the library, viewers in the cinema.

Social groups of different sizes interact in the social structure. Traditionally, they are divided into small and large.

Large social group- a large group of people united for a common activity, but the relationship between them is predominantly formal.

These include professional, demographic, national communities, social classes.

The social structure of modern Ukrainian society depends on the direction of the essence of social transformations, the essence of which is to change the functional ties in society. Its basis is:

3. Weakening of stratification restrictions existing in society. The emergence of new channels for raising statuses, strengthening the horizontal and vertical mobility of Ukrainians.

4. Activation of marginalization processes.

6. Increasing the social prestige of education and qualifications, strengthening the role of the cultural factor in the formation of high-status groups. This is due to the formation of the labor market. However, this applies to specialties that are in demand in the market, primarily economic, legal and managerial.

7. Changes in the qualitative and quantitative parameters of the social structure. It is known that the more progressive the sex and age structure, the more development opportunities it is endowed with, the more stable the social (labor, intellectual, cultural) potential of the population. Due to negative demographic trends, the population of Ukraine is decreasing by 400 thousand people every year, against the background of a general depopulation of the population (every fifth Ukrainian family has no children), the birth rate is decreasing, the average life expectancy is decreasing (if in the early 90s of the twentieth century, according to indicators health Ukraine occupied the 40th place in the world, ten years later it moved into the second hundred).

The social structure of Ukrainian society, based on the sociological research of N. Rimashevskaya, can be represented in general terms as follows.

2. " Regional and corporate elites”, which have a significant Ukrainian position and influence at the level of regions and entire industries or sectors of the economy.

5. "Outsiders", which are characterized by low adaptation and social activity, low incomes and orientation towards legal ways of obtaining it.

6. "Marginals", which are characterized by low adaptation, as well as asocial and antisocial attitudes in their socio-economic activities.

7. "Criminal society", which is characterized by high social activity and adaptability, but at the same time fully consciously and rationally opposes the legal norms of economic activity.

social stratification.

The main feature of the human community is social inequality arising from social differences, social differentiation.

Social differences are called differences that are generated by social factors: the division of labor (workers of mental and physical labor), the way of life (urban and rural population), the functions performed, the level of prosperity, etc. Social differences are, first of all, status differences. They indicate the dissimilarity of the functions performed by a person in society, the different opportunities and positions of people, the discrepancy between their rights and obligations.

Social differences may or may not be compatible with natural ones. It is known that people differ in gender, age, temperament, height, hair color, intelligence level and many other characteristics. Differences between people, due to their physiological and mental characteristics, are called natural.

The leading trend in the evolution of any society is the multiplication of social differences, i.e. increasing their diversity. The process of growing social differences in society was called by G. Spencer "social differentiation".

This process is based on:

· the emergence of new institutions, organizations that help people jointly solve certain problems and at the same time dramatically complicate the system of social expectations, role interactions, and functional dependencies;

· the complication of cultures, the emergence of new value ideas, the development of subcultures, which leads to the emergence within the same society of social groups that adhere to different religious, ideological views, focusing on different forces.

Many thinkers have long tried to figure out whether a society can exist without social inequality, since too much injustice is due to social inequality: a narrow-minded person can be at the top of the social ladder, hardworking, gifted - all his life be content with a minimum of material wealth and constantly experience a dismissive attitude towards himself.

Differentiation is a property of society. Consequently, society reproduces inequality, considering it as a source of development and livelihood. Therefore, differentiation is a necessary condition for the organization of social life and performs a number of very important functions. On the contrary, universal equality deprives people of incentives to advance, the desire to apply their maximum efforts and abilities to fulfill their duties (they will consider that they receive no more for their work than they would receive if they did nothing all day).

What are the reasons that give rise to the differentiation of people in society? In sociology, there is no single explanation for this phenomenon. There are different methodological approaches to solving questions about the nature, origins and prospects of social differentiation.

functional approach (representatives T. Parsons, K. Davis, W. Moore) explain inequality based on the differentiation of social functions performed by different layers, classes, communities. The functioning and development of society is possible only thanks to the division of labor between social groups: one of them is engaged in the production of material goods, the other - in the creation of spiritual values, the third - in management, etc. For the normal functioning of society, an optimal combination of all types of human activity is necessary, but some of them, from the point of view of society, are more important, while others are less important.

On the basis of the hierarchy of significance of social functions, according to the supporters of the functional approach, a corresponding hierarchy of groups, classes, and layers performing these functions is formed. The top of the social ladder is invariably occupied by those who carry out the general leadership and management of the country, because only they can maintain and ensure the unity of the country, create the necessary conditions for the successful implementation of other social functions. Top management positions should be filled by the most capable and qualified people.

However, the functional approach cannot explain the dysfunctions when certain roles are rewarded in no way in proportion to their weight and significance for society. For example, remuneration of persons employed in the service of the elite. Critics of functionalism emphasize that the conclusion about the usefulness of hierarchical construction contradicts the historical facts of clashes, conflicts of strata, which led to difficult situations, explosions and sometimes threw society back.

The functional approach also does not allow explaining the recognition of the individual as belonging to the highest stratum in the absence of his direct participation in management. That is why T. Parsons, considering the social hierarchy as a necessary factor, links its configuration with the system of dominant values in society. In his understanding, the location of social strata on the hierarchical ladder is determined by the ideas formed in society about the significance of each of them and, therefore, can change as the value system itself changes.

The functional theory of stratification comes from:

1) the principle of equal opportunities;

2) the principle of survival of the fittest;

3) psychological determinism, according to which individual psychological qualities predetermine success in work - motivation, the need for achievement, intelligence, etc.

4) the principles of work ethics, according to which success in work is a sign of God's grace, failure is the result of only a lack of good qualities, etc.

As part of conflict approach (representatives K. Marx, M. Weber) inequality is seen as the result of class struggle for the redistribution of material and social resources. Representatives of Marxism, for example, call private property the main source of inequality, which gives rise to the social stratification of society, the emergence of antagonistic classes that have an unequal relationship to the means of production. The exaggeration of the role of private property in the social stratification of society led K. Marx and his orthodox followers to the conclusion that it is possible to eliminate social inequality by establishing public ownership of the means of production.

The theory of social stratification by M. Weber is based on the theory of K. Marx, which he modifies and develops. According to M. Weber, the class approach depends not only on control over the means of production, but also on economic differences that are not directly related to property. These resources include the skills, credentials and qualifications that determine employment opportunities.

The theory of stratification by M. Weber is based on three factors, or measurements (three components of social inequality):

1) economic status, or wealth, as the totality of all material values belonging to a person, including his income, land and other types of property;

2) political status, or power as an opportunity to subordinate other people to one's will;

3) prestige - the basis of social status - as recognition and respect for the merits of the subject, a high appreciation of his actions, which are a role model.

The discrepancies between the teachings of Marx and Weber lie in the fact that Marx considered ownership of the means of production and the exploitation of labor as the main criteria for the formation of classes, while Weber considered ownership of the means of production and the market. For Marx, classes existed always and everywhere, where and when there was exploitation and private property, i.e. when the state existed, and capitalism only in modern times. Weber associated the concept of class only with capitalist society. Class for Weber is inextricably linked with the exchange of goods and services through money. Where there are none, there are no classes. Market exchange acts as a regulator of relations only under capitalism; therefore, classes exist only under capitalism. That is why traditional society is the arena of action of status groups, and only modern society is of classes. According to Weber, classes cannot appear where there are no market relations.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the tendency to synthesize functional and conflict approaches became widespread. It found its fullest expression in the works of American scientists Gerhard and Zhdin Lenski, who formulated evolutionary approach to the analysis of social differentiation. They showed that stratification was not always necessary and useful. In the early stages of development, there was practically no hierarchy. Later it appeared as a result of natural needs, partly on the basis of the conflict that arises as a result of the distribution of the surplus product. In an industrial society, it is based mainly on the consensus of values of those in power and ordinary members of society. In this regard, rewards are both fair and unfair, and stratification can promote or hinder development, depending on specific historical conditions and situations.

Most modern sociologists emphasize that social differentiation is hierarchical and is a complex, multifaceted social stratification.

social stratification- the division of society into vertically located social groups and strata (strata), the placement of people in the status hierarchy from top to bottom according to four main criteria of inequality: prestige of the profession, unequal income, access to power, level of education.

The term "stratification" comes from the Latin stratum- layer, layer and fatio - I do. Thus, in the etymology of the word, the task is not simply to identify group diversity, but to determine the vertical sequence of the position of social strata, layers in society, their hierarchy. Some authors often replace the concept of "stratum" with other terms: class, caste, estate.

Stratification is a feature of any society. Reflects the presence of upper and lower strata of society. And its basis and essence is the uneven distribution of privileges, responsibilities and duties, the presence or absence of social laws and influence on power.

One of the authors of the theory of social stratification was P. Sorokin. He outlined it in the work "Social Stratification and Mobility". According to P. Sorokin, social stratification – it is the differentiation of the entire set of people (population) into classes in a hierarchical rank. It finds expression in the existence of higher and lower strata, Its basis and essence - in the uneven distribution of rights and privileges, responsibilities and duties, the presence or absence of social values, power and influence among members of society.

Sorokin P. pointed out the impossibility of giving a single criterion for belonging to any stratum and noted the presence in society of three stratification grounds (respectively, three types of criteria, three forms of social stratification): economic, professional and political. They are closely intertwined, but do not merge completely, so Sorokin spoke about economic, political and professional strata and classes. If an individual moved from the lower class to the middle class, increased his income, then he made the transition, moved in the economic space. If he changed his profession or occupation - in the professional, if the party affiliation - in the political. An owner with a large fortune, significant economic power, could not formally be included in the highest echelons of political power, not be engaged in professionally prestigious activities. And vice versa, a politician who made a dizzying career could not be the owner of capital, which, nevertheless, did not prevent him from moving in the upper strata of society. Professional stratification manifests itself in two main forms: a hierarchy of professional groups (interprofessional stratification) and stratification in the middle of professional groups.

The theory of social stratification was created in the early 40s. 20th century American sociologists Talcott Parsons, Robert-King Merton, K. Davis and other scientists who believed that the vertical classification of people is caused by the distribution of functions in society. In their opinion, social stratification ensures the allocation of social strata according to certain characteristics important for a particular society: the nature of property, income, power, education, prestige, national and other features. The social stratification approach is both a methodology and a theory for considering the social structure of society. It adheres to the basic principles:

Compulsory research of all strata of society;

The use of a single criterion for their comparison;

Sufficiency of criteria for a complete and in-depth analysis of each of the studied social stratum.

Subsequently, sociologists have made repeated attempts to expand the number of grounds for stratification at the expense of, for example, the level of education. The stratification picture of society is multifaceted, it consists of several layers that do not completely coincide with each other.

Critics of the Marxist concept opposed the absolutization of the criterion of relation to the means of production, property and a simplified idea of the social structure as the interaction of two classes. They referred to the diversity of strata, to the fact that history provides an example not only of the aggravation of relations between strata, but also of convergence, erasure of contradictions.

The Marxist doctrine of classes as the basis of the social structure of society in modern Western sociology is opposed by more productive theories of social stratification. Representatives of these theories argue that the concept of "class" in the modern post-industrial society "does not work", because in modern conditions, on the basis of wide corporatization, as well as the exit of the main owners of shares from the management sphere and replacing them with hired managers, property relations turned out to be blurred, as a result, they have lost their former significance.

Therefore, representatives of the theory of social stratification believe that the concept of "class" in modern society should be replaced by the concept of "stratum" or the concept of "social group", and the theory of the social class structure of society should be replaced by a more flexible theory of social stratification.

It should be noted that almost all modern theories of social stratification are based on the notion that a stratum (social group) is a real, empirically fixed social community that unites people according to some common positions, which leads to the constitution of this community in the social structure of society and opposition other social communities. Thus, the basis of the theory of social stratification is the principle of uniting people into groups and opposing them to other groups according to status signs: power, property, professional, educational.

At the same time, leading Western sociologists offer different criteria for measuring social stratification. The French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, when considering this issue, took into account not only economic capital, measured in terms of property and income, but also cultural (education, special knowledge, skills, lifestyle), social (social ties), symbolic (authority, prestige, reputation). The German-English sociologist R. Dahrendorf proposed his own model of social stratification, which was based on such a concept as "authority". Based on this, he divides the entire modern society into managers and managed. In turn, he divides managers into two subgroups: managing owners and managing non-owners, that is, bureaucratic managers. The controlled group is also divided into two subgroups: the highest - the "labor aristocracy" and the lowest - low-skilled workers. Between these two social groups lies an intermediate "new middle class".

The American sociologist B. Barber stratifies society according to six indicators: 1) the prestige of the profession, power and might; 2) income or wealth; 3) education or knowledge; 4) religious or ritual purity; 5) the situation of relatives; 6) ethnicity.

The French sociologist A. Touraine believes that in modern society social differentiation is carried out not in relation to property, prestige, power, ethnicity, but in relation to access to information. The dominant position is occupied by people who have access to the greatest amount of information.

In American society, W. Warner singled out three classes (upper, middle and lower), each of which consists of two layers.

Upper upper class. The "pass" to this layer is the inherited wealth and social fame of the family; as a rule, these are old settlers whose fortunes have increased over several generations. They are very rich, but they don't flaunt their wealth. The social position of representatives of this elite stratum is so secure that they can deviate from accepted norms without fear of losing their status.

lower upper class . These are professionals in their field, receiving extremely high income. They earned, not inherited their position. These are active people with a lot of material symbols that emphasize their status: the biggest houses in the best areas, the most expensive cars, swimming pools, etc.

upper middle class . These are people for whom the main thing is a career. High professional, scientific training or business management experience can become the basis of a career. Representatives of this class are very demanding about the education of their children, they are characterized by somewhat exposed consumption. A house in a prestigious area for them is the main sign of their success and their prosperity.

lower middle class . Typical Americans who are an example of respectability, conscientious attitude to work, fidelity to cultural norms and standards. Representatives of this class also attach great importance to the prestige of their home.

Upper lower class . People leading ordinary lives filled with events that repeat day after day. Representatives of this class live in non-prestigious areas of the city, in small houses or apartments. This class includes builders, auxiliary workers and others whose labor is devoid of creativity. They are only required to have a secondary education and some skills; they usually work by hand.

lower lower class . People who are in extreme distress, having problems with the law. These include, in particular, immigrants of non-European origin. The lower class person rejects the norms of the middle classes and tries to live for today, spending most of his income on food and shopping on credit.

social structure- a set of interrelated elements that make up the internal structure of society. The concept of "social structure" is used both in the concept of society as a social system, in which the social structure provides an internal order for connecting elements, and the environment establishes the external boundaries of the system, and in describing society through the category of social space. In the latter case, the social structure is understood as the unity of functionally interconnected social positions and social fields.

Society is a complex organization of interactions and interconnections of a person, groups, castes, layers, strata, classes.

The structure of society is a set of large and small social groups, collective and individual relations between them.

A social group is a community (association) of people distinguished on the basis of a certain feature (for example, the nature of joint activities, common interests and values).

Large social groups are distinguished by their position in society, the amount of income, ways of obtaining a livelihood, level of education, profession, etc.

Some researchers call large groups "strata", others use the concepts of "layer", "layer", "class", etc. There is no consensus on this issue.

A peculiar type of social groups are castes.

Forms of social stratification change as society develops. So, in medieval Europe, the clergy and aristocracy had the highest status. An impoverished representative of a noble family was more respected in society than a wealthy merchant. At the same time, in bourgeois society, capital became the determining factor in the position of a person in society, opening the way up the social ladder.

The following elements form the basis of the social structure of society: a) the components of society - the individual, the collective, the family, the social group (exists in various forms: classes, executions, layers, professional and age groupings, etc.), a socially defined type of society; b) social relations that exist as connections and interactions between elements of society.

Social institutions: their structure and functions. The value of social institutions in the life of society.

social institution- the social structure or the order of the social structure that determines the behavior of a certain set of individuals of a particular community. Institutions are characterized by their ability to influence people's behavior through the established rules that govern that behavior.

Structure

concept social institution suggests:

the presence of a need in society and its satisfaction by the mechanism of reproduction of social practices and relations;
these mechanisms, being supra-individual formations, act in the form of value-normative complexes that regulate social life as a whole or its separate sphere, but for the benefit of the whole;

Their structure includes:

role models of behavior and statuses (prescriptions for their execution);
their justification (theoretical, ideological, religious, mythological) in the form of a categorical grid that defines a "natural" vision of the world;
means of transmitting social experience (material, ideal and symbolic), as well as measures that stimulate one behavior and repress another, tools to maintain institutional order;
social positions - the institutions themselves represent a social position (“empty” social positions do not exist, so the question of the subjects of social institutions disappears).

In addition, they assume the existence of a certain social position of "professionals" who are able to put this mechanism into action, playing by its rules, including a whole system of their training, reproduction and maintenance.

Functions

Each social institution has a main function that determines its "face", associated with its main social role in the consolidation and reproduction of certain social practices and relations. Along with explicit, there are also implicit - latent (hidden) functions.

Sociologists of different directions tried to somehow classify them, to present them in the form of a certain ordered system. The most complete and interesting classification was presented by the so-called. "institutional school". Representatives of the institutional school in sociology identified four main functions of social institutions:

Reproduction of members of society. The main institution that performs this function is the family, but other social institutions, such as the state, are also involved in it.
Socialization is the transfer to individuals of patterns of behavior and methods of activity established in a given society - the institutions of the family, education, religion, etc.
Production and distribution. Provided by the economic and social institutions of management and control - the authorities.
Management and control functions are carried out through a system of social norms and regulations that implement the appropriate types of behavior: moral and legal norms, customs, administrative decisions, etc. Social institutions control the individual's behavior through a system of sanctions.

Role in the development of society

Having considered the examples of many countries of the world, scientists came to the conclusion that the defining and necessary condition for the development of any country is the presence of public institutions, which they called public. Examples of such countries are all developed democratic countries of the world. Conversely, countries where public institutions are closed are doomed to fall behind and decline. Public institutions in such countries, according to researchers, serve only to enrich the elites that control access to these institutions - this is the so-called. "privileged institutions". According to the authors, the economic development of society is impossible without advancing political development, that is, without the formation public political institutions.

Family as a social group and social institution. Family relationships and family roles.

The family plays an important role in the social structure of society. In sociology, the family is studied as a social institution and as a small social group.

The family is a special social institution that regulates interpersonal relations between spouses, parents, children and other relatives connected by common life, mutual moral responsibility and mutual assistance.

The specificity of this social institution lies in the fact that the family has a stable structured organization that includes two or more people related to each other by consanguinity, marriage or adoption.

The family as a social institution has the following features:

· It self-regulating system: the microculture of communication is developed by the family members themselves; this is inevitably accompanied by a clash of different positions and the emergence of contradictions, which are resolved through mutual agreement and concessions, which is ensured by the internal culture, moral and social maturity of family members.

The family exists as socially sanctioned union, the stability of which is possible when interacting with other social institutions: the state, law, public opinion, religion, education, culture. By exerting an external influence on the family, they regulate its creation and change. Within the framework of these institutions, norms and sanctions are created that support the family.

The family as a social institution performs the most important features:

o biological reproduction of society (reproductive),

o education and socialization of the younger generation,

o reproduction of the social structure through the provision of social status to family members,

o sexual control,

o caring for disabled family members,

o emotional satisfaction (hedonic).

The family is analyzed by sociologists as a social institution in those cases when it is necessary to find out how much its way of life, functioning corresponds or does not correspond to certain modern social needs.

Family Study as a social institution focused primarily on research external relations families, and family research as a social group - on internal communications.

The family, being a cell of the social structure of society, acts as a regulator of relations between people. The social norms and cultural patterns that exist in society set certain standards of ideas about what a husband or wife should be like, a father or mother in relation to children, a daughter or son in relation to elderly parents, etc. This means that from a socio-psychological point of view, a family is a social group that corresponds to the historically established norms and values of a given society, united by a set of relations formed in joint activities: spouses among themselves, parents to children and children to parents, as well as children to each other, manifested in love , affection, care, intimacy.

A family is created to satisfy not one or two, but a whole complex of vital human needs.

Families differ depending on the form of marriage.
Polygamous (group) marriage - the marriage of one man with one woman.

Polyandry is a family in which a woman has several spouses.
Polygyny (known to us as a harem) is the marriage of one man with two or more wives.

Depending on the composition, there are:
A nuclear (simple) family can be either complete or incomplete.
A complex family is characterized by the fact that it consists of representatives of several generations.
Families are different:
- by the number of children they have: childless, one-child, small children, large families

According to the length of family life: newlyweds, a young family, a family of middle marital age, an elderly couple;
- on a geographical basis: rural and urban family;
- according to the type of headship in the family: authoritarian and egalitarian.

(To the question of relationships)
By types of civilizational evolution:
patriarchal family type- an unusually stable type of family relationship.

Family relationships are built on the principles of hierarchism and inequality of family members, on the principles of forced collectivism and centralism: the individual interests of individual family members are completely subordinate to the interests of the family.
Egalitarian family is a family based democratic relations, equality of men and women, partnership relations, the abolition of any discrimination. Humane methods of education reign here, based on trust in the personality of the child, his individuality, education of self-esteem, independent thinking, manifestation of initiative, enterprise. The main function of such a family is to satisfy the need for communication, the upbringing of a creative individuality.

family roles- sustainable functions of the family system assigned to each of its members. The role structure of the family prescribes to its members what, how, when and in what sequence they should do, interacting with each other. In addition to actual behavior, the concept of "role" includes desires, goals, beliefs, feelings, social attitudes, values and actions that are expected or attributed to a particular family member.

The following family roles are distinguished:
1. Roles describing the interaction of family members at the microsystem level:

marital roles: husband, wife;

roles related to the parent-child subsystem: mother, father, son, daughter;

· roles related to the sibling subsystem: brother, sister.

2. Roles describing the interaction of family members at the macrosystem level:

roles that arise due to marital ties: father-in-law, mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, etc .;

Roles determined by blood relationship: grandmother, grandfather, grandson, cousin, etc.

In functional families, the structure of family roles is holistic, dynamic, has an alternative character and meets the following requirements:

o the consistency of the totality of roles that form an integral system, both in relation to the roles performed by one person and the family as a whole;

o the performance of the role should ensure that the needs of all family members are met, while maintaining a balance of individual needs - the needs of other family members;

o compliance of the accepted roles with the capabilities of the individual;

o the ability of family members to function flexibly in multiple roles.