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Structural Consensus

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Social life and the way in which society acts and behaves is thought to be learned behaviour, otherwise known as the structural- consensus theory. For Pip et al (2011) structural consensus was the way humans learn their behaviour and act in ways that is expected of them within society. However different cultures and societies think and behave differently as they have been brought up with different views on what is appropriate behaviour; therefore humans learn to interact with others who have been socialised similarly to themselves. Consensus sociologists believe that the rules within cultures structure the behaviour of its members. Once you are born into a society you are confronted with their 'social world' and you begin to learn how to appropriately …show more content…

Sociologists also described positions, or jobs in society as roles. Members of society occupy different roles, and each role has its own set of norms and expectations of how to act/ behave whilst carrying out these roles. Pip et al (2011) gave the example that whilst children are at school they are constrained by rules, and are expected to behave in an orderly fashion, the same goes for Police officers, teachers, and anyone who has a job. However once out of school, or once the adult no longer occupies this position, the rules that constrained them, no longer do. The socialisation of society and norms and values gives us agreement about what behaviour is expected of us, and ensuring order in society. Though the order in society is often challenged. For example, where some people believe that mothers should stay at home, others believe that this role is a demand that society expects of them, and so would rather go out to work. Theorists believe that certain attitudes, like the above example, could be the influence of other …show more content…

Agency refers to the way in which the freedom of the individual shapes society, for example; Children are measured by their growth and their developmental speed, as children get older they are measured through exams and their reading and writing levels. The average age is found in children and children are now expected to be completing these tasks by the average ages found, and if they do not meet the standards set, they do not fit in with society's

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