Specificity of social systems. Society as a system. Levels of systemic analysis of society.

Specificity of social systems.

A social system is a structural element of social reality, a certain integral formation, the main elements of which are people, their connections and interactions.

There are two possible approaches to the definition of a social system.

In one of them, the social system is seen as the orderliness and integrity of a multitude of individuals and groups of individuals. With this approach, interaction turns into an adjective, which clearly does not take into account the specifics of social systems and the role of social relations in them.

But another approach is also possible, in which the consideration of the social as one of the main forms of the movement of matter is taken as a starting point. In this case, the social form of the movement of matter appears before us as a global social system. What then are the characteristic features of the social system?

First, it follows from this definition that there is a significant variety of social systems, because the individual is included in various social groups, large and small (the planetary community of people, society within a given country, class, nation, family, etc.). If this is so, then society as a whole as a system acquires a super-complex and hierarchical character.

Secondly, it follows from this definition that since we have integrity in the face of social systems, the main thing in systems is their integrative quality, which is not characteristic of their parts and components, but inherent in the system as a whole. Thanks to this quality, a relatively independent, separate existence and functioning of the system is ensured.

Thirdly, from this definition it follows that a person is a universal component of social systems, he is necessarily included in each of them, starting with society as a whole and ending with the family.

Fourth, it follows from this definition that social systems are self-governing. This feature characterizes only highly organized integral systems, both natural and natural-historical (biological and social) and artificial (automated machines). The role of this subsystem is extremely important - it is it that ensures the integration of all components of the system, their coordinated action.

Society as a system.

Society is heterogeneous and has its own internal structure and composition, including a large number of social phenomena and processes of different orders and different characteristics.

The constituent elements of society are people, social ties and actions, social interactions and relationships, social institutions and organizations, social groups, communities, social norms and values, and others. Each of them is in more or less close relationship with others, occupies a specific place and plays a unique role in society. The task of sociology in this regard is, first of all, to determine the structure of society, to give a scientific classification of its most important elements, to clarify their interconnection and interaction, their place and role in society as a social system.

Some of the systemic characteristics of society that are most essential for sociological analysis are: integrity (this internal quality coincides with social production); sustainability (relatively constant reproduction of the rhythm and mode of social interactions); dynamism (change of generations, change in the social substratum, continuity, slowdown, acceleration); openness (the social system preserves itself due to the exchange of substances with nature, which is also possible only if it is in balance with the environment and receives a sufficient amount of matter and energy from the external environment); self-development (its source is within society, it is production, distribution, consumption based on the interests and incentives of social communities); spatio-temporal forms and methods of social existence (masses of people are spatially connected by joint activities, goals, needs, norms of life; but the passage of time is inexorable, generations change, and each new one finds already established forms of life, reproduces and changes them).

Thus, society as a social system is understood as a large ordered set of social phenomena and processes that are more or less closely interconnected and interact with each other and form a single social whole.

Levels of systemic analysis of society.

The system analysis of society is differentiated into a number of relatively autonomous levels that complement, but do not replace each other.

The most abstract level of its consideration is a philosophical analysis of the universal, invariant properties of a social organization, expressing its generic, historically constant essence (the presence of which allows us to call both a tribe of savages and modern technocratic countries with the same word - "society"). It must be borne in mind that we are talking here about the most important level of cognition of the social. It would be a serious mistake if science, recognizing the real existence of specific human societies, would conclude that "society in general", devoid of tangible bodily existence, is a fiction, an empty game of the human mind.

The analysis of society as an integral system is not limited to the extremely abstract level of consideration of the universal properties of "society in general". Along with and in connection with it, much more specific objects are the subject of a systematic consideration of society. First of all, we are talking about those specific social organisms - countries and peoples that represent the real embodiment of society in human history, connect the generic features of sociality with the mechanisms of its constant reproduction in time and space.

For science, both a systematic view of “society in general”, which gives the correct methodological orientation to scientists, and a systematic analysis of specific social organisms, which makes it possible to understand the specifics of their functioning and development, are equally necessary.

It is important to understand, however, that these two levels of analysis do not exhaust the tasks of a comprehensive study of society in the real historical dynamics of its existence. In reality, between the level of extreme socio-philosophical abstractions and the analysis of specific social organisms, theories of the middle rank of generalization are necessarily built, which are called upon to study not “society in general” and not specific countries and peoples, but special types of social organization found in real human history. We are talking about logical models that fix not universal and not individual, but special properties of the social structure inherent in groups of socioculturally related societies.

A social system is an orderliness of interacting individuals, things and processes that form integrative qualities that are not characteristic of these components considered autonomously.

Levels of social systems.

A) All specifically historical society, i.e. it is a set of members of a given society, as well as the whole complex of social relations: economic, political, social and spiritual.

B) communities and associations of people of a smaller order (nations, estates, ethnic groups, settlements, etc.)

C) organizations operating in the real sectors of the economy (credit and financial institutions, scientific and educational institutions, firms, public associations, etc.)

D) the primary 3 level of social systems (departments, divisions, work areas, project groups within firms and enterprises)

Synergetic effect of the formation of social systems.

The synergistic effect of the formation of social systems allows us to solve the following tasks:

1) ensuring survival

2) Increase in people, population

3) Expansion and development of the territory

4) Consolidation, conservation and use of resources

5) Division, specialization and distribution of labor

6) Formation of the necessary diversity for existence

7) Implementation of harmonious and integrated development.

The main components of social systems.

1. Human, i.e. a social being, conscious, goal-setting, connected with other people by many relationships and forms of interaction. The presence of a human component is an essential and most important feature of a social system that distinguishes it from other systems.

2. Processes. Economic, social, political, spiritual. This is a change in the states of the system as a whole or its individual subsystems. Processes can be progressive and regressive, but they are all caused by the activities of people, social and professional groups.

3. Things. Objects involved in the orbit of economic and social life.

4. Components of a Spiritual Nature. These are social ideas, values, rituals, customs, rituals, traditions, which are determined by the actions and deeds of various social groups and individuals.

2) Essence and signs of the organization.

Organization is a type of social system . This is an association of 2 or more people who jointly realize some goal based on certain principles and rules. Organization is the primary element of any social system. This is the most common form of human community. Depending on the goal, organizations can be commercial and non-commercial (educational, political, medical, legal, etc.).

The main features of the organization:

- purpose. It gives meaning to the entire existence of the organization, and also gives a specific direction to the actions of the participants in the organization and units.

- presence of a certain number of participants. Effective achievement of the goal of the organization is possible if there is a certain critical number of participants of the appropriate qualification.

- division of labor. Allows you to specialize the activities of participants, as well as increase the productivity and quality of their work.

1) horizontal. By stages of the production process

2) vertical. by levels of control.

- Hierarchical structure of the organization. fixes the division of labor of participants in structural divisions and forms links between them.

- The organization is a self-governing system. The presence of an internal coordinating center ensures the unity of action of all participants in the organization

- principle of self-regulation or self-organization. the coordinating center independently makes a decision regarding the internal life of the organization, its employees, and also ensures the rational behavior of the organization in the external environment.

- isolation of the organization. It is expressed in the isolation of internal processes, in the presence of a boundary that separates the organization from the external environment.

- the presence of an individual organizational culture. This is a set of traditions, values, beliefs and symbols shared by the majority of members of the organization and predetermining the nature of relationships in the organization.

3) The main types of organizations (classification)

Organizations that form the basis of any civilization can be represented as a set of legal forms and organizational structures. Their classification is important for 3 reasons:

1. Grouping the organization according to organizational parameters. Allows you to create a minimum of methods for their analysis and improvement.

2. Use of a unified classification. Contributes to the creation of the necessary infrastructure, which includes

a) personnel training system

b) planning the work of control services

c) preparation of a system of legislation

3. Belonging of the organization to a particular group. Allows you to determine its relationship to tax and social benefits

Organization classification:

1) Commercial - their main goal is to make a profit

Non-commercial - their main goal is any other than commercial.

2) Public - build their activities on the basis of meeting the needs of their members.

Economic - their activities are aimed at meeting the needs of society in goods and services.

3) Government - organizations that have the appropriate status, such as ministries and departments.

Non-Governmental - organizations that do not have this status.

4) Formal - officially registered organizations.

Informal - not included in the registers and do not have relevant documents.

4) factors that determine the nature of the organization.

There are a number of dynamically changing factors that directly or indirectly affect the nature and state of the organization. These include:

1. External environment (direct and indirect impact). This is a set of variables that are outside the enterprise and are not directly affected by the management of the organization.

A) direct impact. A set of organizations and subsystems with which a given organization has connections in the course of its functioning (consumers, suppliers, media, financial institutions, competitors)

B) indirect impact. These are factors that affect all organizations without exception and create opportunities or threats for the functioning of the organization (economic, political, technological, climatic, socio-demographic, cultural).

2. Goals and strategies. Variables that are partly set by the organization itself, and partly regulated by the external environment.

A) goals. Reflection of the objective essence of the organization and its functions in society. These are the motives and incentives for the employees of the organization. These are the criteria for evaluating the performance of the organization and its units.

B) strategies. On the one hand, this is the definition of the main long-term objectives of the organization, on the other hand, it is the course of action (structures, technologies) necessary to achieve the main goals of the organization.

3. Technologies of work. This factor predetermines the production structure, as well as the methods of organizing production, and through them the organizational structure and management connections. Achievement of goals depends on the general level of development of productive forces and scientific and technical progress.

4. Staff. This is the staff of the organization. These are socio-cultural and professional qualification characteristics of employees, their individual goals and strategies, as well as values ​​and motivation.

A social system is defined as a set of elements (individuals, groups, communities) that are in interactions and relationships and form a single whole.

Such an integrity (system), when interacting with the external environment, is able to change the relations of elements, i.e., its structure, which is a network of ordered and interdependent relationships between the elements of the system. So, the essential characteristics of any system are the integrity and integration of structural elements. The specificity of a social system lies in the fact that its elements (components) are individuals, groups, social communities, whose behavior is determined by certain social positions (roles).

The process of the historical formation of society shows that individuals carried out their activities together with other people to satisfy their vital interests and needs. In the process of this interaction, certain norms of relations, standards of behavior were developed, which, to one degree or another, were shared by everyone. This turned group relations into a social system, an integrity with qualities that may not be observed in the social sets that make up the system separately. For example, the education system can be represented in the form of elements: primary, secondary and higher education. In order to get a secondary education, a person must master the elementary level, and in order to get a higher education - the secondary level, that is, how to observe a certain hierarchy of mastering the components of the system. So, when we talk about social structure, we mean some order within the system. The problem of order and thus the nature of the integration of stable social systems (i.e., social structure) focuses attention on the motives and standards of human behavior.

Such standards are forms of basic values ​​and constitute the most significant part of the cultural environment of a social system. It follows that the integrity of the structure is supported by people's commitment to common values, a common system of motivations for actions, and, to some extent, common feelings. The desire to maintain a system and a certain structure is thus associated with the interests and expectations of people, the ability of a person to predict the satisfaction of his various needs in an organized way.

The most profound problem of social systems was developed by the American sociologist-theorist T. Parsons (1902-1979) in his work "The Social System". It was the first to comprehensively analyze the differences between social and personal systems, as well as cultural patterns.

The theory of social systems created by Parsons involves the development of a certain conceptual apparatus, which primarily reflects the systemic characteristics of society (at various levels of organization), and also indicates the points of intersection of social and personal systems and functioning culture patterns.

In order to reflect the systemic characteristics of the individual, society, and culture in the conceptual apparatus, Parsons gives a number of explanations about the functional provision of each of these components of the action.

Like Durkheim, he believed that integration within a system and between systems and cultural patterns was a major factor in their survival. Parsons considers three kinds of problems: the integration of social and personal systems, the integration of the elements of the system, and the integration of the social system with cultural patterns. The possibilities of such integration are related to the following functional requirements.

First, the social system must have a sufficient number of "actors" that compose it, i.e., actors who are adequately compelled to act in accordance with the requirements of system roles.

Secondly, the social system should not adhere to such patterns of culture that cannot create at least a minimum order or make absolutely impossible demands on people and thereby give rise to conflicts and anomie.

In his further works, T. Parsons develops the concept of a social system, the central concept of which is institutionalization, capable of creating relatively stable forms of interaction - social institutions. These models are regulated normatively and integrated with cultural patterns of behavior. We can say that the institutionalization of patterns of value orientations (and, consequently, people's behavior) constitutes a general mechanism for the integration (balance) of social systems.

Despite the fact that the works of T. Parsons mainly consider society as a whole, from the point of view of a social system, interactions of social sets at the micro level can be analyzed. As a social system, university students, an informal group, etc. can be analyzed.

For the purposes of sociological analysis, it is necessary to know that any social system is limited by the framework of cultural patterns and determines the system of the individual, the nature of her behavior.

T. Parsons sees the mechanism of a social system striving to maintain balance, that is, to self-preservation, in the sphere of integration of the individual value orientations of the acting "actors". This balance is not only instrumental, but also meaningful for people, since as a result of it, the goals of optimizing the satisfaction of needs should be achieved. The balance of the social system is ensured when individual value orientations correspond to the expectations of the surrounding people. It follows from this that social deviations in the orientations and behavior of individuals from generally recognized norms and patterns lead to dysfunction and sometimes to the disintegration of the system.

Since every social system is interested in self-preservation, the problem of social control arises, which can be defined as a process that counteracts social deviations in the social system. Social control in various ways (from persuasion to coercion) eliminates deviations and restores the normal functioning of the social system. However, the social behavior of people is not mononormative. It presupposes a certain freedom of action for individuals within the framework of permitted social norms, thereby contributing to the existence of relatively diverse social types of personality and patterns of behavior.

Social control, along with the processes of socialization, ensures the integration of individuals into society. This happens through the individual's internalization of social norms, roles and patterns of behavior. The mechanisms of social control, according to T. Parsons, include:

• - institutionalization;
• - interpersonal sanctions and influences;
• - ritual actions;
• - structures that ensure the preservation of values;
• - institutionalization of a system capable of exercising violence and coercion.

The decisive role in the process of socialization and forms of social control is played by culture, which reflects the nature of the interactions of individuals and groups, as well as "ideas" that mediate cultural patterns of behavior. This means that the social structure is a product and a special type of interaction between people, their feelings, emotions, moods.

The social system is one of the most complex systems of living nature, which is a collection of people, relationships between them, their knowledge, skills, and abilities. The main generic feature of the social system is their human nature and essence, since it is formed by people, is the sphere of their activity, the object of their influence. This is both the strength and vulnerability of social management, its creative nature and the possibility of manifestations of subjectivism and voluntarism.

The concept of "social system" is based on a systematic approach to the study of ourselves and the world around us, and therefore this definition can be considered both in the "broad" and in the "narrow" sense. In accordance with this, a social system can be understood as either human society as a whole, or its individual constituent components - groups of people (societies) united according to some sign (territorial, temporal, professional, etc.). At the same time, it should be taken into account that the essential features of any systems are: the plurality of elements (at least two); the existence of connections; the holistic nature of this education.

Social systems, unlike others that have received a program of their behavior from outside, are self-regulating, which is inherent in society at any stage of its development. As an integral set, the social system has specific stable qualities that make it possible to distinguish social systems from each other. These characteristics are called systemic features.

The concept of ″system features″ should be distinguished from the concept of ″system features″. The first characterizes the main features of the system, i.e. those features of a society, social group, collective, which give us reason to call a given social formation a system. The second is the qualitative characteristics inherent in a particular system and distinguishing it from another.

Signs of a social system or, in other words, society, can be divided into two groups, the first of which characterizes the external conditions of the life of a social organism, the second reveals the internal, most important moments of its existence.

External signs .

First commonly referred to as a hallmark of society territory where the development of various social relations takes place. In this case, the territory can be called a social space.

Second sign of society chronological framework his existence. Any society exists as long as it is expedient to continue the social ties that make it up, or as long as there are no external causes that can liquidate this society.

Third the hallmark of society is relative isolation, which allows us to consider it as a system. Consistency makes it possible to divide all individuals into members and non-members of a given society. This leads to the identification of a person with a certain society and the consideration of other people as ″outsiders″. Unlike the animal herd, where identification with society occurs on the basis of instinct, in a human collective, the correlation of oneself with a given society is built primarily on the basis of reason.

internal signs.

The first The hallmark of a society is its relative stability achieved through the constant development and modification of social ties that exist in it. Society, as a social system, can exist only through the constant development and modification of the social ties that exist in it. The stability of a social system is thus closely related to its ability to develop.

Second sign - presence internal public structures. In this case, the structure is understood as stable social formations (institutions), connections, relations that exist on the basis of any principles and norms defined for this society.

Third The hallmark of a society is its ability to be self-sufficient self-regulating mechanism. Any society creates its own specialization and infrastructure, which allow it to have everything necessary for a normal existence. Any society is multifunctional. Various social institutions and relations ensure the satisfaction of the needs of members of society and the development of society as a whole.

Finally, ability to integrate, is seventh sign of society. This sign lies in the ability of a society (social system) to include new generations (systems, subsystems), modify the forms and principles of some of its institutions and connections on the basic principles that determine one or another character of social consciousness.

I would like to especially note that the main distinguishing feature of social systems, arising from their nature, is the presence of goal setting. Social systems always strive to achieve certain goals. Here nothing is done without a conscious intention, without a desired goal. People unite in various kinds of organizations, communities, classes, social groups and other kinds of systems, which necessarily have certain interests and common goals. Between the concepts of "goal" and "interest" there is a close relationship. Where there is no commonality of interests, there can be no unity of goals, since the unity of goals based on common interests creates the necessary prerequisites for the development and improvement of such a supersystem as society as a whole.

One and the same object (including the social system), depending on the objectives of the study, can be considered both in statics and in dynamics. At the same time, in the first case we are talking about the structure of the object of study, and in the second - about its functions.

All the variety of social relations are grouped into certain areas, allowing in the social system to single out separate subsystems, each of which performs its own functional purpose. Relationships within each subsystem are functionally dependent, i.e. collectively acquire properties that they do not possess individually.

A social system can effectively implement its tasks when performing the following functions:

1) it must have the ability to adapt, adapt to changing conditions, be able to rationally organize and distribute internal resources;

2) it must be goal-oriented, capable of setting the main goals, objectives and supporting the process of achieving them;

3) it must remain stable on the basis of common norms and values ​​that are assimilated by individuals and relieve tension in the system;

4) it must have the ability to integrate, to be included in the system of new generations. As you can see, the above is not only a set of functions, but also distinguishing features of social systems from others (biological, technical, etc.).

In the structure of society, the following main subsystems (spheres) are usually distinguished:

- economic- includes social relations of ownership, production, exchange, distribution and consumption of material and spiritual goods;

- political- the totality of social relations regarding the functioning of political power in society;

- social- a set of social relations (in the narrow sense of the term) between groups of people and individuals who occupy a certain position in society, have an appropriate status and social roles;

- spiritual and cultural- includes relations between individuals, groups of individuals about spiritual and cultural benefits.

When studying any phenomenon, it is important to highlight not only its characteristic features that distinguish it from other social formations, but also to show the diversity of its manifestation and development in real life. Even a superficial glance allows one to capture the multicolored picture of the social systems that exist in the modern world. Chronological, territorial, economic, etc. are used as criteria for differentiating the types of social systems. factors, depending on the goals and objectives of the study.

The most common and generalized is the differentiation of social systems in accordance with the structure of social activity and social relations, for example, in such spheres of social life as material production, social (in the narrow sense), political, spiritual, family and household. The listed main spheres of public life are subdivided into private areas and their corresponding systems. All of them form a multi-level hierarchy, the diversity of which is due to the complexity of society itself. Society itself is a social system of the highest complexity, which is in constant development.

Without dwelling in detail on the types of social systems and their characteristics (since this is not part of the objectives of this course), we only note that the system of internal affairs bodies is also one of the varieties of social systems. We will dwell on its features and structure below.

Question 14. The concept of a social system.

social system there is an ordered, self-governing integrity of a variety of social relations, the bearer of which is the individual and the social groups in which he is included. What then are the characteristic features of the social system?

Firstly, it follows from this definition that there is a significant variety of social systems , because the individual is included in various social groups, large and small (the planetary community of people, society within a given country, class, nation, family, etc.). If this is so, then society as a whole as a system acquires hypercomplex and hierarchical character : it is possible to distinguish different levels in it - in the form of subsystems, sub-subsystems, etc. - which are interconnected by subordination lines, not to mention the subordination of each of them to impulses and commands emanating from the system as a whole. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the intrasystemic hierarchy is not absolute, but relative. Each subsystem, each level of the social system is simultaneously non-hierarchical, i.e. it has a certain degree of autonomy, which by no means weakens the system as a whole, but, on the contrary, strengthens it: it makes it possible to more flexibly and promptly respond to signals coming from outside, not to overload the upper levels of the system with such functions and reactions that the lower levels of integrity can easily cope with.

Secondly since we have integrity in the face of social systems, the main thing in systems is their integrative quality , which is not characteristic of the parts and components that form them, but inherent in the system as a whole. Thanks to this quality, a relatively independent, separate existence and functioning of the system is ensured. There is a dialectical relationship between the integrity of the system and its integrative quality that unites the entire system: the integrative quality is generated in the process of becoming a system integrity and at the same time acts as a guarantor of this integrity, including by transforming the components of the system according to the nature of the system as a whole. Such integration becomes possible due to the presence in the system backbone component , which “attracts” all other components to itself and creates that very unified field of gravity, which allows the set to become an integrity.

Thirdly, it follows from this definition that man is a universal component of social systems , he is certainly included in each of them, starting with society as a whole and ending with the family. Having been born, a person immediately finds himself included in the system of relations that has developed in a given society, and before he becomes their carrier and even manages to have a transformative effect on it, he himself must; fit into it. The socialization of the individual is essentially his adaptation to the existing system, it precedes his attempts to adapt the system itself to his needs and interests.

Fourth, it follows from this definition that social systems are self-governing . This feature characterizes only highly organized integral systems, both natural and natural-historical (biological and social) and artificial (automated machines). The very ability for self-regulation and self-development implies the presence in each of these systems special control subsystems in the form of certain mechanisms, bodies and institutions. The role of this subsystem is extremely important - it is it that ensures the integration of all components of the system, their coordinated action. And if we remember that an individual, a social group, society as a whole always act purposefully, then the significance of the management subsystem will become even more visible. We often hear the expression: “The system is working overtime,” that is, it is self-destructing. When does this become possible? Obviously, when the control subsystem begins to falter, or even fails, as a result of which a mismatch occurs in the actions of the system components. In particular, the tremendous costs that society endures during its revolutionary transformation are largely due to the fact that a temporary gap is formed between the destruction of the old system of government and the creation of a new one.