Study guides › P/S › Sociology
Social Structure & Institutions
This chapter covers how sociologists study society at the macro and micro level, what the major social institutions do, how statuses and roles organize behavior, and how solidarity, social capital, and bureaucracy hold groups together. You will match terms and theorists to scenarios.
Study this chapter in PrepMed (free)
What this chapter covers
- Levels of Analysis & Social Structure. The MCAT often describes a study and asks whether it is macro-level or micro-level, or whether an effect was manifest or latent.
- Major Social Institutions. Each institution has standard functions and standard theorist claims, so expect scenarios you must classify.
- Status, Roles & Role Problems. Status and role terms are easy to confuse, and the MCAT tests them with short everyday vignettes.
- Solidarity, Social Capital & Bureaucracy. Durkheim, Tönnies, and Weber each described types of social ties, and the MCAT asks you to match each theorist to a scenario.
Key points to know
- Macro = large-scale patterns; micro = individual interaction
- Social structure = stable pattern of institutions, statuses, and roles
- Durkheim: religion creates cohesion through the sacred and profane
- Weber's authority: traditional, charismatic, rational-legal
- Ascribed = assigned; achieved = earned
- Master status overrides all other statuses
- Mechanical = similarity; organic = interdependence (Durkheim)
- Anomie = normlessness
Try a practice question
Which study is best described as micro-level?
- Tracking a nation's divorce rate across decades
- Comparing school funding across states
- Observing how two strangers negotiate a shared armrest on a flight
- Measuring trade between countries
Show the answer
C. Micro-level work studies face-to-face interaction. The other options describe large populations or institutions, which are macro-level.
Common questions
What does this chapter cover?
Social Structure & Institutions covers Levels of Analysis & Social Structure, Major Social Institutions, Status, Roles & Role Problems, Solidarity, Social Capital & Bureaucracy.
What should I know first?
Macro = large-scale patterns; micro = individual interaction Social structure = stable pattern of institutions, statuses, and roles Durkheim: religion creates cohesion through the sacred and profane
21 original practice questions accompany this chapter in the app. Spaced review brings missed ideas back at the right time; it helps memory but cannot promise you will not miss an idea again.