How Do Social Structures Affect The Way We Live? ✓ Solved
How do social structures affect the way we live? Answer the
How do social structures affect the way we live? Answer the following questions.
Social Structure and Interaction
1. Which of these is not generally considered a component of the social structure? Options: societal institutions; rules; values and beliefs; social roles
2. A status set comprises all the statuses that a person occupies at a given time. True or False?
3. Occupation is an example of a(n) _______ status. Options: ascribed; evolving; primary; achieved
4. Teacher, student, professional athlete, rock musician, and homeless person are all examples of ________. Options: roles; labels; statuses; classes
5. Define and explain the difference between role conflict and role strain.
6. Describe a situation when you have experienced role conflict.
Class and Stratification in the United States
7. ________ is the sociological term for the hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on the control of basic resources. Options: Bureaucracy; Ethnocentrism; Social stratification; Social layering
8. Among high-income nations, the United States has the greatest amount of income inequality. True or False?
9. Poor people in the United States ________. Options: have longer life expectancies; have children that are at much lower risk of dying during their first year of life; receive more preventive medical and dental checkups because of welfare benefits; are at greater risk for heart disease and cancer than more affluent persons
10. Explain the difference between income and wealth.
11. Describe what you believe is meant by the phrase 'the American Dream.'
Global Stratification
12. Many of the poorest people in the world live in high-income countries. True or False?
13. ________ refers to countries with at least a moderate level of economic development and a moderate standard of living. Options: First World; Second World; Third World; Fourth World
14. The terms used to describe global stratification and economic inequality are the same today as they were 70 years ago. True or False?
15. Define the term: global stratification.
16. Define and explain the differences between absolute and relative poverty.
Absolute poverty:
Relative poverty:
17. A politician once said: "The top 1% of wealthiest Americans own as much wealth as 90% of the rest of Americans." What do you believe to be true and/or untrue about this statement?
Paper For Above Instructions
Introduction
Social structures — the patterned relationships, institutions, roles, and cultural frameworks that organize society — shape everyday life by guiding expectations, distributing resources, and constraining opportunities (Macionis, 2017). This paper answers the assignment questions about components of social structure, role dynamics, class and stratification in the United States, and global inequality. It combines concise responses to the specific items with brief explanations grounded in contemporary sociological literature.
Social Structure and Interaction: Answers and Explanation
1. Which is not generally considered a component of social structure? Answer: rules. While norms and rules are related to culture and interaction, standard sociology texts emphasize social institutions, statuses/roles, groups, and culture (values and beliefs) as primary components of social structure (Schaefer, 2015).
2. A status set comprises all the statuses a person occupies at a given time. Answer: True. The concept of a status set captures the multiple social positions a person occupies simultaneously (Giddens, 2006).
3. Occupation is an example of a(n) achieved status. Answer: achieved. Occupations are generally earned or chosen rather than assigned at birth (Macionis, 2017).
4. Teacher, student, professional athlete, rock musician, and homeless person are all examples of statuses. Answer: statuses. Each term names a social position; associated behaviors are roles (Schaefer, 2015).
Role Conflict and Role Strain
5. Role conflict occurs when competing expectations from two or more roles a person occupies create incompatible demands (for example, employee versus parent). Role strain refers to tension within a single role because of competing demands attached to that role (for example, a teacher expected to be both authoritative and deeply nurturing) (Macionis, 2017).
6. Example of role conflict: A registered nurse required to work a double shift during a family emergency experiences conflict between professional obligations and caregiving responsibilities. This tension reflects competing role expectations that are difficult to satisfy simultaneously (Schaefer, 2015).
Class and Stratification in the United States
7. The sociological term for hierarchical arrangement of large social groups: social stratification. Stratification structures unequal access to resources and life chances (Weberian and Marxian analyses summarized in Macionis, 2017).
8. Among high-income nations, the United States has the greatest amount of income inequality. Answer: True. The U.S. displays higher income inequality than most OECD peers, driven by wage divergence and uneven wealth accumulation (OECD, 2015; Piketty, 2014).
9. Poor people in the United States are at greater risk for heart disease and cancer than more affluent persons. Answer: they are at greater risk. Socioeconomic status strongly predicts health outcomes; poverty increases exposure to risk, reduces access to care, and raises chronic stress (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009).
Income vs Wealth and the American Dream
10. Income versus wealth: Income is a flow of earnings received over a period (wages, salaries, benefits). Wealth (net worth) is a stock of accumulated assets minus debts (property, savings, investments) and conveys longer-term economic security and power (Piketty, 2014; Federal Reserve data summarized in Chetty et al., 2014).
11. The American Dream: commonly understood as the belief that individuals can achieve upward mobility and improved living standards through hard work and opportunity. Sociologically, the concept mixes aspirational cultural values with real structural constraints; mobility is possible but highly shaped by family background, education, and inequality (Chetty et al., 2014; Pew Research Center, 2017).
Global Stratification
12. Many of the poorest people in the world live in high-income countries. Answer: False. The largest concentrations of extreme poverty are in low- and middle-income countries, though pockets of poverty exist in wealthy nations as well (World Bank, 2020).
13. Countries with at least a moderate level of economic development: Second World. Historically the "Second World" referred to industrializing or moderately developed states; contemporary classifications often use "middle-income" or "developing" (UNDP, 2020).
14. The terms used to describe global stratification are the same today as 70 years ago. Answer: False. Language and categories have shifted (First/Second/Third World gave way to high-, middle-, and low-income or developed/developing), reflecting changing geopolitical and economic realities (World Bank, 2020).
15. Global stratification defined: systematic patterns of economic inequality across nations, where countries differ in wealth, technology, education, and health, producing hierarchies of privilege and deprivation on a global scale (Macionis, 2017; UNDP, 2020).
Poverty: Absolute and Relative
16. Absolute poverty refers to lacking the basic material needs necessary for survival (food, clean water, shelter). Relative poverty indicates deprivation relative to the living standards of the society in which one lives (e.g., inability to participate in normal social activities due to income shortfalls) (World Bank, 2020; OECD, 2015).
Top 1% Wealth Claim
17. The politician's statement—"The top 1% own as much wealth as 90% of the rest"—contains a kernel of truth about extreme concentration but is sensitive to measurement. Research shows the top 1% control a disproportionate share of wealth in the U.S., but estimates vary by dataset and year (Piketty, 2014; Federal Reserve data summarized in Chetty et al., 2014). The exact parity claim may be an exaggeration depending on the benchmark year, but overall evidence supports substantial wealth inequality that gives the top 1% outsized economic power (Piketty, 2014; OECD, 2015).
Conclusion
Social structures organize roles, resources, and opportunities in ways that shape identity, behavior, and life chances. From micro-level role tensions to macro-level patterns of wealth and global stratification, sociological concepts help explain why outcomes differ across people and places (Macionis, 2017; Schaefer, 2015). Understanding these dynamics is essential for health professionals and others who work across social difference and for anyone seeking to evaluate claims about inequality and mobility.
References
- Macionis, J. J. (2017). Sociology (16th ed.). Pearson.
- Schaefer, R. T. (2015). Sociology (14th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
- Giddens, A. (2006). Sociology (6th ed.). Polity Press.
- Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Harvard University Press.
- Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K. (2009). The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. Allen Lane.
- Chetty, R., Hendren, N., Kline, P., & Saez, E. (2014). Where is the land of opportunity? The geography of intergenerational mobility in the United States. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129(4), 1–79.
- World Bank. (2020). World Development Report 2020. The World Bank.
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2020). Human Development Report 2020. UNDP.
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2015). In It Together: Why Less Inequality Benefits All. OECD Publishing.
- Pew Research Center. (2017). The American Middle Class Is Losing Ground: No longer the majority and falling behind financially. Pew Research Center.