According to social science, social structure can be described as the way in which the social arrangements within a society are patterned and organized. These social arrangements are highly determined and programmed through the actions and behaviors of individuals within that same society (Charles, 2013). This, therefore, means that there are different social structures across the world depending on the social setup and behavioral patterns of the people within a particular society. For example, a society that is alcoholic is likely to have a violent related social structure due to the disorder that alcohol is likely to cause. A prayerful culture or behavior, on the other hand, is likely to promote a more calm and peaceful social structure. From the above definition, Korea can be described as a conservative and respectful society because of the respectful and conservative nature and behavior of its people. The upper-class people are known for their calmness, this describes their social structure. The culture of Korea has established a strong pattern of humility and respect especially to elderly people and people with high titles. One has to embrace certain characteristics for them to identify with a particular social structure. A violent and rowdy person cannot easily survive in the upper class of Korea since the social structure there does not condone such behaviors.
I highly belong to the Korean social structure due to several positions or characteristics. I am peaceful by nature and quite often calm. I have been brought up in an upper-class family where my language and social behavior has been closely monitored. The culture of respect has been cultivated on me since childhood. My mother monitored my daily routines and therefore was very keen on my behavior. We spent most of our times together as a family and rarely got engaged in social affairs, this formed the basis of my conservativeness. These attributes, therefore, settle me to the Korean like social structure where humility, respect, and orderliness form a special part of the social order.
Social institutions can be described as a group of people brought together for a common purpose or goal that share similar attributes (Michael, Karl, Reinhard). These institutions form part of the social order and they, therefore, govern the behavior and also the expectations of individuals within a society. There are different types of social institutions depending on the commonness and the relationship that exist between its members. We can have a black community because its members are black and that forms a social institution. Some of the very best examples of social institutions would be educational institutions, ethnic and cultural groups, families, government and legal institutions, healthcare institutions etc. In this paper, we discuss family as the first social institution and educational institutions as the next one, with a special focus to college as the social institution. A person's social location like the one described above highly influences their experience within these social institutions.
As I described earlier, I am respectful, humble and conservative, this has enabled me to co-exist peacefully with my college mates. I am able to tolerate others, talk to my mates with the utmost respect and engage in legal activities. Unlike my other classmates who often engage in drugs, fights and spend most of their time in nightclubs and social places, my behavior, language, norms, and other social practices would not allow me to indulge in such activities. I locate to a social structure that is peaceful and embracing and this has had a high bearing to my life at school. I have never been involved in any violent or criminal activity which happens to be the order of the day to some of my colleagues. At school, students live different lives depending on their financial background. I come from an upper-class background and therefore can afford current textbooks, good meals, and nice habitation. Those from the lower class are unable to enjoy the same, some of them, therefore, result in crime for them to afford such flashy lifestyles. This, therefore, means that there is an interaction between education and the economy and this has a bearing to the social structure.
Having a family is everyone's dream, but having a successful family is a determinant of several factors. A good family will highly depend on the organization of personal daily life, the use of language and choice of words and other aspects such as social connection and networks. My social location has greatly influenced my day to day life patterns in the sense that I don't spend most of my time at the club, party halls and other public and social places (Sharon, Jaylin, 2011). My social location has natured my language and choice of words and even networked me with like-minded people. These attributes have highly enabled me to exist in a positive family set up and to live a peaceful and calm life. This social structure has also influenced my relationship with colleagues in the college and enabled me to peacefully interact and socialize through good language and choice of words.
The above-described intersection between social structure and the two social institutions will definitely influence my future in terms of social economic mobility and plans such as marriage and family. Marriage being a small social institution is widely affected by human behavior and its existence highly depends on the behavioral patterns of a man and a woman. This behavior is cultivated through a societal structural setup that defines the behavior of a person. I have learned to be respectful and this will, therefore, enable me to respect my wife and cultivate the same culture of respect to my children. My conservative nature would enable me to develop the same character in my marriage through modest and calm relationship even when not fashionable to do so. I will be able to co-exist in different social places and move freely around the world and engage in different economic activities since I have lived to respect and remain humble and calm right from my childhood and would therefore not find it difficult to exist with others.
Work cited
Charles, C. (2013). Social Structures. Routledge 2013
Michael, H. Karl, D. Reinhard,W. Social institutions, their emergence, maintenance and effects. Transaction publishers
Sharon, P. Jaylan, T. (2011).Classic and contemporary perspective in Social Psychology: A reader. Oxford University Press
