Paper I need to write about structure of human social groups!?

Question

I have a paper I need to write about the structure of human social groups. Any info about the topic would be helpful! Mostly I have to introduce the topic, statements about structure of animal groups and importance of this structure. My info is that the groups could be random, uniform, or distributed. But I don't know about the "stucture". Thanks!

Answer 1

You REALLY need to follow your book, class material, or instructor's notes; or else you can do a LOT of work and get no credit if you fail to answer the question. You must use the terms the way your teacher wants you to summarize the points to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts as presented by the teacher or the book.

The two ideas I would look for in your book/class material
(1) Does your material go over the hierarchy of the animal kingdom and compare it to human social order? If so, you can talk about the parallels or similar behavior, where people and animals group together in "packs" -- there is usually an "alpha male" or leader (or with elephants and other animals, they may be matriarchal and follow the strongest or oldest female leader). The males achieve or establish their authority either by fighting the other males until they all submit to one dominant male. In some species the male controls or protects all the females, sort of like a "harem" where this determines mating, so that there is "survival of the fittest or the strongest."

(2) Does your book/class material talk about classification of animals or human social groups into strata or classes, like a pyramid of power or needs. If so, you can talk about how the same way plants and animals form a food chain, from the bottom to the very top level which eats or depends on the levels below, that humans form classes and do the same thing. Economically and politically, the working class and slaves have supported the development of the upper classes. So you could talk about that if that is where your book or teacher is focusing or interested in.

(3) In general, these point to "distributed" structure (NOT "random" as there is an order and purpose to grouping, and NOT "uniform" as there are variations and groups are not perfectly the same although they are similar).

Please do not assume any of these ideas are what your teacher is looking for. Please review all the class material and see if any of this helps you organize or summarize the concepts better. Do not introduce any ideas if these are not included in your material -- if you are not sure, ask your teacher or other classmates to make sure you are answering the question and making the necessary points on topic.

(4) Personal note:
Although animals and humans have similar structure in terms of physical survival in the environment, the difference in human social structures is that there is spiritual knowledge and connection by conscience with human history and future. So this affects how humans organize and respond to other groups politically and socially. I'm sure this is NOT what your teacher wants, but this is to help you put all the levels in perspective. Humans have a spiritual, psychological and physical level; so that is why ALL structures (whether religious, social, political or philosophical) have three levels. Major examples are the trinity in Christianity, the three refuges in Buddhism, even the three branches of government in Constitutionalism. Because people respond (1) individually on the physical level (2) collectively on the divine level that includes all human history past and future (3) and psychologically in connection with others and influenced by both the other two levels of physical and spiritual factors in decision-making involving the mind and emotions. So that is just for you and is probably not related to the specific question.

There are similarities between animals and humans on the physical level because of survival and the need to organize so that there is a balance between the different groups in the ecosystem. But the fact that humans have higher social and spiritual drives and responsibilities toward other humans and life forms adds an extra factor that animals don't have.

Only if your teacher wants some profound concept or contrast would I mention this, maybe in the conclusion. But if you are supposed to work with the book/class material only, this may not be on topic.

Answer 2

Your topic would work great with the functionalist perspective. I'm sure you know that the functionalist perspective focuses on the parts of society that work together. When parts don't work correctly, society as a whole dysfunctions. Think about that within the family. From the functionalist perspective, discuss how the roles of mother, father, and child are affected in a "gay family". Critics would probably say that when one of the parental roles is removed, that the family dysfunctions. Also, compare it to single parent families where on sex of the parent is absent. Throw in some gender roles as related to the mother and father and you're good to go! Sounds like you got a great topic. If you need any further help feel free to contact me!