What are strata and their role in the structure of society?

The social communities of people were treated differently by philosophers at various stages of human development. In the 19th century, class theory was very popular. This concept called the classes the main social groups. They, from her point of view, determined the course of history. Elements of the social structure of society, such as classes, are still an integral part of modern Western theories. They were recognized by such well-known political scientists and sociologists as Kroner, Aron, Myers, Bell, Brzezinski. In particular, they are included in the concept of an industrial and postindustrial society.

However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, a different approach to dividing society into social groups emerged. The author of this theory was Pitirim Sorokin. He, in opposition to the Marxist theory of classes, proposed the idea of other criteria and signs of social stratification. These are social strata. Sorokin's theory, in his own way, explains the stratification in the social environment. It is otherwise a social structure and system, embracing it with so-called stratification. It is divided into several types of measurability, depending on one or many criteria and attributes. So, what are strata?

First of all, these are signs of the division of social groups. For example, people differ in their professions, in the level of their income. In addition, they have different education. Psychology tells us about the types of temperaments and individual personality traits. Huge groups are people who profess different religions and adhere to numerous beliefs. All these criteria, taken together, help us answer the question of what strata are. Many researchers still believe that these characteristics of various social groups are the main and even the ultimate in determining the structure of society.

Philosophers were also interested not only in what strata are, but also in how they affect people, and whether they are static or dynamic phenomena. For example, can a person leave his social group and move to another, and under what circumstances? They called this process social mobility. The latter, in turn, also did not escape classification. Mobility in society is horizontal and vertical. At the first, the individual moves between different strata, and the second moves along the hierarchical ladder inside one of them. There can also be a typical mobility characteristic of stable trends, and an occasional emergence due to certain coincidences in a person's life.

The well-known sociologist Max Weber also contributed to the theory of what strata are. He put forward the idea that the signs of these social groups are such psychological criteria as prestige and status. According to this thinker, such social indicators give each stratum its own life style, consisting of a certain set of habits, values and stereotypes. Therefore, a person who values his / her belonging to a given social group must meet the expectations of its members and be recognized by them. Therefore, Weber, studying in his own way the question of what strata, pointed out that their members are imposed by means of social pressure and education, some roles. This discovery of a well-known sociologist was confirmed by his colleagues Pinton and Mead. They described the norms existing in each such group, which greatly affect the behavior of its members, depending on their status. To fulfill such norms makes a person and such a criterion as prestige. This is an assessment of a given person's action, which is given to him by members of the group. In our society, this can be demonstrated by the example of requiring certain layers to buy a new car every few years or to have an iPod. If a person does not satisfy these requirements, it is considered that he has lost prestige and is no longer successful. He can be ostracized by the members of the group - he will cease to be perceived as his own.