Social communities of people were considered differently by philosophers at different stages of human development. In the 19th century, class theory was very popular. This concept called 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 industrial and post-industrial society.
However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, a different approach to the division of society into social groups appeared. 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 explains the stratification in the social environment in its own way. It represents the social structure and system in a different way, covering it with the so-called stratification. It is divided into several types of measurability, depending on one ormany criteria and signs. So what are strata?
First of all, these are signs of the division of social groups. For example, people differ from each other in their professions, the level of income received. In addition, they have different education. Psychology tells us about the types of temperaments and individual personality traits. Huge groups are people professing various religions and adhering to numerous beliefs. All these criteria, taken together, help us answer the question of what strata are. Many researchers still believe that these signs of various social groups are the main and even final in determining the structure of society.
Philosophers were also interested not only in what strata are, but also in how much 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. In the first case, the individual moves between different strata, and in the second case, he moves up the hierarchical ladder within one of them. There may also be typical mobility, characteristic of stable trends, and random, which appeared as a result of certain coincidences in a person's life.
The well-known sociologist Max Weber also contributed to the theory of what strata are. Heput 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 lifestyle, consisting of a certain set of habits, values and stereotypes. Therefore, a person who values his belonging to a given social group must meet the expectations of its members and be recognizable by them.
Therefore, Weber, studying in his own way the question of what strata are, indicated that certain roles are imposed on their members with the help of social pressure and education. This discovery of the famous sociologist was confirmed by his colleagues Pinton and Mead. They described the norms that exist in each such group, which greatly influence 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 this or that action of a given person, which is given to him by the members of the group. In our society, this can be illustrated by the fact that in certain layers it is required to buy a new brand of car every few years or to have an iPod. If a person does not meet 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 no longer be perceived as one of his own.
