Society as a sociocultural system: approaches to the definition

Today in sociology there is no single definition of the concept of "society". Theorists argue about the attributes that make up this category, about the essence of the term. The search of the latter enriched sociological science with two opposing positions on the main characteristic of society. T. Parsons, E. Durkheim and other supporters of the first approach argue that society is, first of all, the totality of people. E. Giddens and the scientists who share his point of view put at the forefront the system of relations that develop between people.

The totality of people, in the absence of a unifying community, can not be called a society. This condition is typical for people who lived in the natural environment in ancient times. On the other hand, the system of attitudes and values can not exist independently, in the absence of carriers of these values. Hence, the signs given by representatives of both approaches are integral characteristics of society. However, if the values perish without carriers, then the set of people not burdened with values in the process of joint life activity can develop its own system of relations. Therefore, society as a sociocultural system is a set of people who, in the process of joint activity, develop a specific system of relationships that is characterized by certain values, culture.

In accordance with the functional paradigm, a society as a sociocultural system includes several components:

• Collectives are differentiated communities, united by certain goals;
• Values are cultural patterns, ideas and pillars that members of society share and advocate;
• Norms - regulators of behavior, providing order and mutual understanding in society;
• Roles are models of personality behavior determined by the forms of their relationship with other subjects.

Society as a socio-cultural system is a set of social groups and individuals whose interaction is coordinated and regulated by special social regulations: legal and social norms, traditions, institutions, interests, attitudes, etc.

Society as a sociocultural system is not only a theoretical category, it is a living dynamic system that is in constant flux. The values of society are not static, they change as a result of the refraction of external events through the prism of the consciousness of social groups. Traditions and attitudes change, but do not cease to exist, being the most important link between people.

One of the most important values of modern society is material prosperity. The consumer society is the result of the development of capitalism. Mass consumption of material goods and the formation of an appropriate system of values characterize such a society. The philosophy of the members of such a society is the development of progress and the improvement of technologies to increase the volume of production of material goods.

The future of society depends on the form and quality of the work of socialization institutions. Support for family, marriage, free and public education is the most important direction that determines the prospects of each social system.