Society as a socio-cultural system: approaches to defining

today in sociology there is no single definition of "society."Theorists argue about the components of this category of symptoms, about the essence of the term.Search Latest enriched the science of sociology two opposing positions regarding the main characteristics of society.T. Parsons, Durkheim and other proponents of the first approach argue that society - is, first and foremost, a collection of people.Giddens and share his view, scientists put at the heart of the system of relationships that develop between people.

totality of people without uniting their community, can not be called a society.This condition is typical for people living in the natural environment in ancient times.On the other hand, the system of relations and values ​​can not exist on their own, in the absence of carriers of these values.So, within the ambit of the representatives of both approaches, are essential characteristics of society.However, if the values ​​are killed without carriers, is not burdened with the values ​​of a set of people in the process of life together is able to develop its own system of relations.Therefore, society as a socio-cultural system - a combination of people, generating in the process of joint activity of a specific system of relations, which is characterized by certain values ​​and culture.

in accordance with the functional paradigm, society as a socio-cultural system includes several components:

  • groups - differentiated community united by certain objectives;
  • values ​​- cultural patterns, ideas and pillars that divide members of society and defend;
  • Standards - controls the behavior of ensuring order and understanding in society;
  • Raleigh - models of individual behavior, determined by the shape of their relationships with other actors.

Society as a socio-cultural system - a set of social groups and individuals that interact in a coordinated and ordered the special social institutions: the legal and social norms, traditions, institutions, interests, attitudes, etc.

Society as a socio-cultural system - is not just a theoretical category, it is a living and dynamic system that is in constant motion.The values ​​of society are not static, they change as a result of refraction of external events through the prism of consciousness of social groups.Traditions and setting change, but do not cease to exist, as a crucial link between people.

One of the most important values ​​of modern society is the material well-being.Consumer society - the result of the development of capitalism.The mass consumption of material goods and the development of an appropriate system of values ​​characterize a society.The philosophy of the members of such a society - the development of progress and improvement of technologies to increase the volumes of production of material goods.

future of society depends on the shape and quality of the institutions of socialization.Support for the institutions of family, marriage, and the provision of free public education - the most important areas that determine the prospects for each of the social system.