Case Study: Social Structure

No matter what background you come from or how you were raised, family is extremely important. According to Malinowski, “Family is a necessary institution for fulfilling the task of child rearing in society”(Conley, 2013). Society has come a long way when it comes to family and it is much different than it was in the 1950’s. Not all families are nuclear families. A nuclear family is having a mother, father, and children that are all biological (Conley, 2013). This kind of family is what some would call more “traditional.” Today in the twenty first century it is getting harder and harder to find families that have actually stayed together. There are so many different kinds of families in today’s society, and more and more families are becoming blended families. A blended family is when two families come together (Conley, 2013). Many families today have single mons, single, dads, and even same sex parents. Family is not always the people that live in the same house as you, family also consists of extended family. An extended family is a network that goes beyond the main “nuclear” family (Conley,

Please sit down and relax for a moment, and ask yourself the question of all questions: What is most important to you in life? This is a question asked by many psychologists, surveyors and even employers. A common answer is “I just want to be happy and successful and follow my dreams.” But think about it– who really makes you happy? Who helps you become successful? Who inspires you to follow your dreams? To this people generally answer: Family. Now imagine what it would be like to have your family taken from you in the spur of a moment.

Family. It is a very fluid yet rigid idea. It has a wealth of definitions, all of which range in degree and magnitude, and vary from person to person; yet the concept of how a family should work and operate is very concrete in most American minds. Family is a bond that is crafted every second of everyday until it is powerful, and this can shape beliefs, outlooks, and confidence. A study found that children with father figures that are highly involved benefit because an immense range of emotions are modelled to them as children, and consequently they will be more adapt at recognizing and expressing their own emotions. In contrast children

I am constantly drawn to the emotional staple in my family, support. Family support systems are just one of the most enriching, and rewarding aspects of daily family life. Through time the family archetype has gone through a tremendous amount of metamorphosis, including the most notable, and varying present-day version. No matter what creed, color, gender, sexuality, or demographic, the support system of today's families are astoundingly positive. Some people, like Ehrenreich, might say that families in and of themselves are a "nest of pathology," but when you look at families in the malls, parks, or other public places, the bruising, or outing of emotional tension, pressure, or abuse is non-existent.

Films Media Group (2007). Lockdown: Tent City [Video file]. Retrieved from Films on Demand website: http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=7967&xtid=40796

My family, which are my three boys are my world. Every decision, including going back to school and working nights so I could be there for them during the day was made with them in mind. Family means different things for different people. I personally do not think family can just be classified as mom, dad and kids. It is whomever has made the decision to go through life together as a team. The author of our text book, Kendall describes family like this, “As relationships in which people live together with commitment, form an economic unit and care for any young, and consider their identity to be significantly attached to the group.” (Kendall, 2014) I personally think family is the foundation that makes us who we are and makes society so

A primary group is a small, relatively permanent, intimate, and unspecialized group that develops a sense of “we”; a face-to-face group that entails close emotional ties. A type of group that is less characteristic of groups in modern society where impersonality and individualism tend to dominate (Charon p. 327). The Hallway Hangers know as a group that work is highly important in order to support them. The boys have all held summer time jobs. All of them, except for one of the members have pursued fulltime work, but none have been able to obtain meaningful employment. Every time one of them thinks they have a decent job, something happens and it doesn’t work out for them. This type of firsthand experience in the job market further deflates any illusions they might have had about the openness of the opportunity structure (Macleod p. 164). In contrast, the Brothers as a group look forward to a more optimistic future where work is the central goal. For this group, work is an exclusively summer-time affair, in fact only one member is on the job market full time (Macleod p. 167). This is one of the reasons why they still have a positive attitude towards the labor market, they have not been shut out or had a job fall through on them. As a group they may even discuss their goals for school and work in the future and this can lead to even higher

In this paper I will examine the social structure theory, along with its definition and how the different types of theories make up the social structure theory. I will also attempt to discuss the strain, culture conflict, and social disorganization theory all of which make up the social conflict theory. I also wish to discuss the video “Tent City, Arizona” and answer the following questions, “How does the video you selected support a social structure theory? What is the primary subject or content of the video? What social issues are raised in the video? What major principles of sociological theory are addressed in the video? What might be some possible ramifications for social policy change?”

Family happens to be one of the greatest facilitators of happiness. Families are always there when you are in a moment of despair or sadness. Family happens to be one place where one can go and relax. Yet, people feel more motivated when their families are taken away from them, because they still know that if they can survive the situation at hand, they might have a chance to see them again. In wartime, soldiers fight their hardest for their families that are not present with them.

There are several theories created by many thinkers of our time that believes that societal, financial, and social arrangements and/or structures as the main cause of criminal behavior. In society, depending on where you are, there are usually some unwritten norms that are expected to be followed. It can be in a business corporation, out in the streets, at home. Usually there will be two sets of norms that is expected to be followed that causes an individual to feel torn. However, the feeling of being torn is the inner battle of doing the right thing, conscience or keeping yourself alive.

Social structures are constraints that affect the lives of both the affluent and the indigent members of society.  Each society has its own set of social arrangements for example; class, gender and ethnicity are all constraints that each society has to deal with in one way or another.  One of the most fundamental of the social structures would be class.  Class structure is found in all societies and is the key source of economical inequality.  Members of different class groups start their lives with unequal opportunities.  This means that when someone is born into a poor household   they will undoubtedly remain in the same economical situation they began in.  Gender is another important

The social structure theory deliberates delinquency as a gathering of the person’s dealings with numerous groups, organizations, and process in the society. Any person irrespective of their prominence in life is likely to become delinquents if they continue with negative social affiliations. Every aspect of the society, social and economic must be viewed using the social structure theories to find the cause of crime and deviance. The social structure theories consist of four types which include social disorganization theory, anomie theory, differential association theory, and labeling theory. Several theories offer different answers to this delinquent of influential the key features of a social group.

My family has always been very close. We spend a great deal of time together and express our deep feelings and emotions with one another. If one of us has an issue, every member of the family is aware of it and shares the burden. When a person in the family does not share significant information about one’s life with the rest of the members, there is hurt feelings. Also, if a member cannot attend a family event, the family feels disappointed and misses the absent member. It is evident that connectedness is held as extremely valuable.

husband and a dutiful, confidant wife. However, they aren’t much of a family at all, with little to

Primary group is the small social group and it is characterized by intimate face-to-face association and co-operation. They are primary in several senses but they are fundamental in forming the social nature and ideals of individuals. Family, close friend and neighborhood are the example of primary group. But secondary groups are large scale groups in which the relationships are relatively casual, impersonal and competitive. They are consciously formed to fulfill some common goals or objectives.