Values and Social Structure – Different Approaches to Specifying Individual's Position in Society Cover Image

Wartości i struktura społeczna – różne strategie określania pozycji jednostki w społeczeństwie
Values and Social Structure – Different Approaches to Specifying Individual's Position in Society

Author(s): Arkadiusz Kołodziej
Subject(s): Anthropology, Social Sciences, Sociology, Culture and social structure , Methodology and research technology, Social Theory
Published by: Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL & Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II
Keywords: social structure; methodology; values; social structure research tools; social position

Summary/Abstract: In the considerations on social stucture values play both diverse (multi-respect) and a very significant role. These are values which allow for the evaluation of existing social structure, for stating whether it is just. Values constitute also the basis to specify ‘proper’ behaviour of particular individuals in different social positions. Social structure (as an independent variable) is also used in explanation of diversity within declared or obeyed values. The associations between these to elementary sociological notions are thus very rich and often fundamental for sociology.In this article two issues will be discussed. The first one refers to the identification of values used in the process of social structure reproduction (in hierarchical, distributive understanding). In the second part of the text two strategies of social structure reproduction are presented. The applied criterion of these strategies division is the way of coming up with significant (important) and n this understanding – structure creating characteristics specifying the place of an individual in society. In both cases (the first and second issues) the analysis of social structure research tools used by contemporary sociologists is the basis for considerations.

  • Issue Year: 44/2016
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 207-222
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: Polish