It is no secret to any of us that in any society there is a so-called social ladder. This is a certain hierarchy with the location of individual segments of the population on it. Some social group is higher on this ladder, some is lower. Some people throughout their lives do not leave the boundaries of their social stratum. They are on the same rung of the stairs. Others go up or down it. However, the movement is very slow.
The concept of social elevator
In any society, there are certain prerequisites that allow rapid movement from one segment of the population to another. Ideally, this movement is directed upwards. Although there are cases of sudden movement to a lower level. This is the social lift. The definition of this concept was given by Pitirim Sorokin. This Russian-American sociologist at the beginning of the twentieth century analyzed the movement of social groups of different status. At the same time, Sorokin calculated in which cases these movements will allow a person to grow in this life. The theory turned out to be very convincing, since it was written off from nature - an individual who comes from a family of a drunken craftsman who lived in a small village in the Russian north.
Sorokin argued that a person, in order to grow, needs to look for his own channel (elevator). This will allow you to quickly change the existing status.
Mobility Channels
According to Sorokin's theory, absolutely different for each person can be social elevators. Types of population mobility channels include the following elements in their list:
Church;
Education (school);
Business (property).
In the modern world, civil service, sports, politics, and art have been added to mobility channels. Every person who wants to change his status must find his social elevator. This will start the whole mechanism of ascent and start moving. Of course, you can use the stairs instead of the elevator. However, this will take too long and become a very tedious process.
Types of mobility
Change by a group or individual of his class or place in society can be both horizontal and vertical. The first type of mobility is a transition from one to another. These are social lifts, examples of which are the change of citizenship, the transition to a different religious community.
Vertical mobility refers to the movement of a person (up or down) through the ranks. This is also included in the concept of "social elevators". Examples of such movement:
Promotion (upward mobility);
Demotion (downward mobility).
Various factors influence the vertical and horizontal channels of status change. Among them are population density and mortality rate, birth rate, age and gender. Elevators are mostly used by young people. Aspire to change their status and many men. The low-mobility population groups are mainly the elderly and women.
The transition from one stratum of society to another can be carried out either by a group or alone. These are also various social elevators. Types of mobility in this case are divided into individual and group.
Collective social lifts exist in the case of existing caste, racial, estate or other privileges. In this case, the population of the lower groups is able to arrange a revolt in order to remove the restrictions existing for it. This will allow collectively to rise to a higher rung of the social ladder. Examples of social mobility of this species can be found throughout the history of mankind. This is the resulting superiority of the varna of priests over the varna of warriors in ancient India, as well as the rise of the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution to the status of the former royal aristocracy.
Modern social elevators include the concept vertical mobility. However, their definition is by no means given in a service context. A change in the status of an individual or group is understood as a change in position in the social hierarchy.
Main channels of mobility
The movement of people from one stratum of society to another is present in any country. Sometimes a social elevator is used for this. This allows you to shorten the gap of movement from one rung of the stairs to another.
What are the channels for such mobility? The so-called social circulation becomes possible with the participation of various institutions. In their list are channels of particular interest. These are the army and the church, the school, as well as economic, professional and social elevators. These are characteristic of any society.
Army
This institution is of particular importance in war time. These are periods when civil and interstate armed clashes occur. The fate of the whole society directly depends on the success in the war. And it doesn't matter what social status the soldiers have. Their courage and strategic talent are especially appreciated during such periods. Promotion to the command staff of the lower ranks during the war occurs, as a rule, in the presence of military leadership talent. The power given to such people is further used to further advance career ladder. In addition, it allows you to loot and rob, take revenge, humiliate your enemies, as well as receive high-profile titles, bathe in luxury and be in the center of pompous ceremonies. The army in this case is a social elevator. This allows commoners to become generals, to receive the status of princes, monarchs, dictators and rulers of the world. And at the same time, many who are aristocrats, kings and rulers by birth status lose their titles and social position.
Similar examples of social mobility are numerous. They literally abound in history. So, the leaders of the militant tribes became rulers and leaders. In addition, out of ninety-two, thirty-six achieved such a high status only due to their service in the army.
Examples of social mobility have also been observed in modern wars. Many leaders of civil and international armed conflicts have risen rapidly through the ranks. But at the same time, a huge number of military commanders who were defeated, demoted, expelled, became slaves, in other words, plummeted, made a downward movement along the army's social elevator.
As for the peaceful years, the role of this channel of vertical mobility is many times less. However, there is, of course, in this period.
Church
At all times, this channel of public mobility was the second most important. However, the church plays its maximum role only in those periods when it reaches its peak. And this is confirmed by the history of Christianity. In those periods when there was the most intensive growth in the importance of the church, it represented the easiest way to change social status. Both slaves and serfs rose along this channel of mobility. Moreover, the ascent was sometimes carried out to the most influential positions.
This social elevator often became a means for downward movement. Examples of this are heretics, pagans, criminals and enemies of the church. All of them were destroyed, ruined or put on trial. It is known that the list of such degraded people included kings and dukes, princes and lords, that is, representatives of the aristocracy.
Social elevators in modern society also include the church. However, its importance and role as a means of mobility is steadily declining. The movement that takes place inside the church staircase no longer has its former significance.
Religious organizations
The role of the social lift in society is played not only by the church. It can also be attributed to the functions of others. Their list includes confessions of Judaism and Taoism, sects, etc. During periods of increasing their influence, they allowed their members to grow not only within the institution, but also in society as a whole. This made it possible for those people who had a simple origin to rise to the highest social levels. A clear confirmation of this is the life of Muhammad, as well as his first followers.
School
The system of social lifts at all times included the institutions of upbringing and education. In those countries where the school is accessible to all segments of the population, it is an excellent channel for mobility to move up. If not everyone receives such an education, then it can be compared with an elevator that moves only along the upper floors of a public building.
Examples of social mobility, when movement occurs along the entire vertical, are especially evident in modern European countries. In these states, no one will be able to occupy any prominent position without graduating from a university or college. A graduate with an excellent diploma is able to easily move up the social ladder and hold responsible positions, regardless of their origin.
People with limited mobility are those who do not have a diploma of obtaining relevant knowledge. A number of professions are closed for such people. In addition, their work, in comparison with the work of qualified specialists, is paid lower.
Educational social elevators in today's society provide ample ease of advancement. This fact is understood by many. No wonder the number of people wishing to enter universities and colleges is steadily growing.
Examples of social mobility, which becomes possible with the acquisition of certain knowledge, are numerous. However, the most striking of these is the caste society of ancient India. It was during the period of its existence that knowledge and scholarship were valued especially highly. They were even elevated to the rank of a second birth, more significant than a physical birth.
Political organizations
All organizations - from political parties to the government - are one of the channels of individual mobility. To move up the social ladder in many countries, it is enough to enroll in public service. Over time, there is necessarily an automatic movement up the career ladder. In addition, clerks or officials, whose work is especially highly valued, have a chance to rise faster with this social elevator.
This fact is confirmed by history. Many people born in the families of artisans, peasantry or servants managed to rise and occupy the most prominent public posts. This picture can be seen today. The career path of many statesmen began with a lower-level official.
Professional organizations
It is also one of the vertical mobility channels. Literary and scientific, as well as creative institutions can be classified as professional organizations. Entrance to them is free for everyone with certain abilities. In this case, social status does not play any role. This channel of mobility has become a vehicle for the upliftment of many doctors and scientists, lawyers and artists, actors, singers, etc.
A specific type of professional institutions and an important type of social lift is the press. In today's world, we see an ever-increasing role for the press. The printed word contributes to securing a great career for an outstanding individual.
Organizations that create wealth
Regardless of the specific forms of enrichment, these institutions in any society are social elevators for lifting the individual vertically. Richer people became leaders even in primitive tribes. And this picture can be observed throughout the history of mankind. The analogy between nobility and wealth is violated only in exceptional periods, for example, during revolutions. However, this state of affairs will soon end. The impoverished nobility will certainly assign values. Ways for this can be different, up to fraud and violence. And people who become rich will buy or achieve privileges.
A vivid example of this was the rise of the bourgeois class. During the period of his appearance, those who had money began to achieve a high position. Noble classes rose from the lower strata of society, just as the brave once became knights.
A family
One of the most common channels of individual mobility is marriage to a representative of a higher social status. The consequences of this can be twofold. Sometimes marriage leads to the rise of a person, and sometimes to his degradation. In the old days, marriage with a member of the lower stratum of society led to the social fall of the one who occupied a higher position. So, in Rome it was legalized that a free woman who married a slave became a slave herself.
Conclusion
In addition to all of the above channels, there are many others. At all times, social elevators transported flows of people up and down the vertical of society. But one who did not even try to enter one of these lifts remained forever in the lower strata.
Social elevators exist in any society. They have different shapes and sizes, but humanity needs them to the same extent as blood vessels are needed by a living organism.
The social structure, like other aspects of society, is subject to change. From history courses, you know how this happened in the course of civilizational development in different eras. Painting social life modern humanity is also motley and mobile. The most stable social structure is in existing and still traditional societies. They retain social groups associated with communal land use, subsistence farming, and small-scale production. In a number of cases, the principles of a religious-communal and even tribal organization are supported.
Societies that have entered the era of industrialization and modernization are distinguished by high social dynamics. Groups associated with major industrial production growing urban population.
Significant social shifts are taking place in the developed countries of the West. One of the trends is the growth of the "new"
Middle class. It includes the majority of the intelligentsia, middle and lower managers, highly skilled workers. The incomes of these strata, in most cases wage-earners, are not lower than those of the middle and petty bourgeoisie (the "old" middle class). The growth of the middle class reduces social differentiation and makes society more politically stable.
This group of countries has a large share of the population that is employed. At the same time, structural changes in the economy lead to a reduction in the size of the industrial working class. There are also fewer independent peasants (farmers). At the same time, under the influence of the scientific and technological revolution, the importance of highly skilled mental labor is growing. acute social problem there is still unemployment.
A certain regulatory impact on social relations seeks to provide government. In a number of cases, the state supports the ideas of social equality, and in extreme cases, evenness. This applies, for example, to the former socialist countries, today's Cuba, North Korea.
In Western countries, one of the main concerns of the state is to prevent social conflicts. Much is being done to support the most vulnerable segments of the population in a competitive economy - the elderly, the disabled, large families.
■■Key concepts: social sphere, social differentiation, social inequality, social stratification, class, stratum, social mobility. AI Terms: social "elevator", life chances, lifestyle, lumpen, outcasts.
Test yourself
1) What is social differentiation? 2) How are the concepts of "social stratification" and "social inequality" related? 3) Specify three types of social stratification. 4) What sign was put by K. Marx as the basis for distinguishing classes? 5) Why does the relationship between the main classes, according to Marx, acquire an antagonistic character? 6) What grounds for social stratification were put forward by M. Weber? 7) How is a status group different from a class? 8) What is meant by social mobility in sociology? 9) What social “elevators”, according to P. Sorokin, contribute to the social movements of a person? 10) What are the development trends social relations characteristic of different groups of countries? 11) What is the difference between marginals and lumpen?
Think, Discuss, Do
1. Analyze different points of view on the problem
mu social inequality. Justify your position.
2. One German researcher does the following
distinction between classes and strata: "The stratification
provides for a certain orderliness of the members of society on
based on some criterion, such as income, education,
lifestyle, ethnicity... Classes... jav
are formed by conflict groups, which, uniting,
hover over the existing distribution of power, mainly
society and other opportunities.
Analyze this statement. Do you agree with him?
3. A modern English political scientist claims: “All
human history proves that inequality is necessary
mo to achieve some ideal human perfect
property, both individual and collective”.
What historical facts, in your opinion, could the researcher refer to, substantiating his conclusion?
4. Compare the interpretations of the concept of "class" by K. Marx and
M. Weber. Where do you see the similarities? What are the times
Differences in the positions of researchers?
5. Give examples of social and horizontal mo
strength. What other, in addition to those indicated in the textbook, social
Do real "elevators" exist in modern society?
6. The figures show that industrial development
In some countries, the share of blue-collar workers in the composition of the
villages (i.e. those who are engaged physical labor) and
an increase in the number of "white-collar workers" (including
workers employed in the fields of trade, jurisprudence
tion, medicine, education, technical employees and
compelling).
What are the causes and possible social consequences of this phenomenon?
7. It is known that marginalization, the transition to a new social
quality, is associated with socio-psychological
stress. In many countries, it is used to mitigate
various means: unemployment benefits, funds
assistance to migrants and refugees, centers for professional
retraining, etc.
What else, in your opinion, can be used for these purposes?
8. The term "class" comes from the Latin word, oz
beginner literally "discharge". The division of the Roman community
class authority is attributed to the legendary Roman ca
ryu Servius Tullius (VI century BC). He divided society
into five classes-digits in accordance with the number of
The honor of troops (hundreds) and weapons could be put up by each of them.
What was the basis of class division? Does it retain its significance today?
Work with the source
Read an excerpt about social structure from a book by contemporary Russian sociologist M. N. Rutkevich.
Weber's scheme has certain advantages. It covers, firstly, economic differences (income). Secondly, economic and political differences; the power of an individual or group over other people and groups can be exercised both through political organizations (state, party, etc.) and through economic organizations(company, corporation, etc.). Thirdly, socio-psychological differences, since in assessing the prestige of occupations, professions, etc., people's awareness of the relative height of their own (and others') position in the hierarchy finds expression.
The weak link in Weber's design is the problem of the relationship between these three criteria, and consequently between the types of social differences ... Theories of social stratification, as a rule, are adapted to the study of American and Western European society ... Their main feature is an attempt to reduce the theoretical scheme (most often Weberian) to operational concepts that allow the use quantifiable indicators.<...>
In our opinion, Marx's methodology has significant advantages over Weber's, since it makes it possible to put into practice systems approach in understanding society. It allows you to establish internal connections between all types and types of social structure, since it clarifies the relationship that exists between the criteria for dividing society into groups.
Rutkevich M. N. social structure. - M., 2004. - S. 93, 95.
Questions and assignments to the source. 1) In what does the author see the advantages of Weber's scheme (theory of stratification)? 2) Compare the Weberian stratification criteria named by the author with those given in the paragraph. Where do you see the differences? Is it possible, in your opinion, to assert that the author of the fragment replaced the concept of "political power" used by Weber with the broad concept of "power"? 3) What are the shortcomings of the Weberian approach and the theory of stratification based on it that the author notes? 4) What, in the author's opinion, are the advantages of Marxist methodology? Do you agree with this assessment? Justify your conclusion.
§ 2. Social institutions
Remember:
what are the main areas of society? What is a need? What are the basic needs of a person and society? What role do they play in society social norms?
When we pronounce the word “institute”, the first meaning that comes to mind is a higher educational institution or scientific institution: “I entered the Institute of Communications”, “mother works at a research institute”. The concept of "social institution" is much broader. It has been used for almost a century in the study of society. Today, researchers are widely developing the so-called institutional approach, which allows us to view social life through the prism of the main social institutions.
In sociology, there are various definitions of this complex concept, some authors emphasize one or another of its features. However, with all the differences, researchers are unanimous in the fact that institutions play a huge role in the life of not only the whole society, but also each individual. This is manifested with particular force in the modern era, when the number of social institutions is growing, they are becoming more specialized, and their interaction is more and more complex.
Consider the main characteristics of the concept of "social institution".
Social mobility is divided into vertical and horizontal.
Vertical mobility- moving a person up or down the corporate ladder.
- Upward mobility - social uplift, upward movement (For example: promotion).
- Downward mobility - social descent, downward movement (For example: demolition).
Horizontal mobility- the transition of an individual from one social group to another
located on the same level. Distinguish between individual mobility - the movement of one person independently of others, and group mobility - the movement occurs collectively. In addition, they distinguish geographic mobility - moving from one place to another while maintaining the same status. As a kind of geographical mobility, the concepts of migration are distinguished - moving from one place to another with a change in status.
There are the following types of migration on:
- character - labor and political reasons;
- duration - temporary (seasonal) and permanent;
- territories - internal and international;
- status - legal and illegal.
Social elevators
Social lift - a concept similar to vertical mobility, but more often used in the modern context of discussion elite theories as one of the means of rotation of the ruling elite.
Elite theory- a concept that suggests that the people as a whole cannot govern the state and this function is assumed by the elite of society.
Generational mobility
Intergenerational mobility is a comparative change in social status among different generations.
Intragenerational mobility (social career) is a change in status within one generation. Vertical and horizontal mobility are influenced by gender, age, birth rate, death rate, population density. In general, men and young people are more mobile than women and the elderly. Overpopulated countries are more likely to experience the effects of emigration than immigration. Where the birth rate is high, the population is younger and therefore more mobile, and vice versa.
Elevators of social mobility
The choice of a social mobility elevator is of great importance in choosing a profession and in recruiting personnel. Sorokin named eight elevators of vertical mobility, which people move up or down the steps of the social ladder in the course of their personal career.
- Army;
- Religious organizations;
- School and scientific organizations;
- Political lift, i.e. government groups and parties;
- Art;
- Press, television, radio;
- Economic organizations;
- Family and marriage.
Based on social science knowledge, explain the meaning of the concept of "vertical social mobility". What conditions, according to the author, influence the intensity of social mobility? (Name any three conditions.) What social mechanism does he think holds back social mobility in a democratic society?
Read the text and complete tasks 21-24.
In the process of development of society, its social structure does not remain unchanged. Relationships change at the micro level. social connections, composition of groups, statuses and roles, relations between groups. At the macrolevel, the quantitative composition of the lower and middle layers is changed by the economic situation and political decisions of the authorities, legal and moral norms.
In addition, each person is striving to improve his status. All this creates no longer a frozen, static, but a dynamic picture of society. One of the processes of social dynamics is social mobility. The intensity of social mobility depends on the level of development of society, the economic situation, democratic relations, and the standard of living of the population.
Post-industrial society is characterized by intensive vertical mobility. In a democratic society, where the position of a person does not depend on his prescribed status, nationality, religion, the channels of vertical mobility are open, and everyone who meets certain requirements has the opportunity to improve their social status.
According to P. Sorokin, in a democratic society “there are many openings and elevators for going up and down…” Excessive social mobility, for example, a large number of people from the lower strata in management structures, speaks of some kind of abnormality, a social cataclysm (revolution, war, epidemic that destroyed many representatives of the upper strata at once).
In a democratic society, where there are no social, national and other restrictions, nevertheless, a certain social mechanism operates that restrains mobility ... This is a mechanism of competition, which manifests itself not only in the economic struggle, but also in any struggle for raising social status.
B.A. Isaev
What changes in the social structure at the micro level are noted in the text? What example of excessive social mobility does the author give? What indicators, in his opinion, do not affect the position of a person in a democratic society? (Name any two indicators.)
Explanation.
A correct answer must contain the following elements:
1) Answer to the first question:
At the micro level, relationships, social ties, composition of groups, statuses and roles, relations between groups are changing.
2) Answer to the second question:
A large number of people from the lower strata in management structures speaks of some kind of abnormality, a social cataclysm (revolution, war, epidemic that destroyed many representatives of the higher strata at once).
3) Answer to the third question:
Social restrictions;
national restrictions.
Response elements can be presented both in the form of a quotation and in the form of a concise reproduction of the main ideas of the relevant text fragments.
Source: USE - 2018. Early wave
Based on social science knowledge and the facts of social life, name and illustrate with examples any three "elevators for ascent and descent." (First name the social elevator, then give an appropriate example.) (Each example should be formulated in detail.)
Explanation.
The correct answer must name any three "lifts for ascent and descent" and give examples illustrating each of them:
1) Marrying a representative of a higher social stratum. For example, middle-class citizen Ivanova married a British prince and improved her social security. status - became a princess.
2) Education. For example, Mrs. Petrova, who was born into a family of workers, received higher education and got a job as a plant manager.
3) Professional institutions (work). For example, Mr. Egorov, who got a job as a store cashier after school, was promoted to the level of the store manager.
Since vertical mobility is present to varying degrees in any society, there are certain ways or channels through which individuals are able to most effectively move up or down the social ladder. They are called channels of social mobility or social lift.
The most important channels of social mobility, according to P. Sorokin, are: the army, church, school, political, economic and professional organizations.
Let's start with the army. Service in it at all times made it possible to move up the social ladder. Losses during wars among the commanders led to the filling of vacancies by people of lower ranks.
The choice of a social mobility elevator is of great importance in choosing a profession and in recruiting personnel. P. A. Sorokin named eight elevators by which people move up or down the steps of the social ladder in the course of their personal career. The theory of personality types allows you to make recommendations for choosing these elevators. A psychologist and a technician are complete opposites to each other, a speaker and a theorist are also opposites to each other, therefore it is strictly forbidden for a technician to choose elevators recommended for a psychologist, and for a speaker - elevators for a theorist. In a pinch, the speaker may choose the lifts recommended for the psychologist and technician, but the speaker will always be somewhat inferior to these types in professional terms when using their lifts. Other types - respectively.
Thus, there are eight vertical mobility elevators:
Army. 36 Roman emperors (Caesar, Augustus, etc.) out of 92 achieved their position through military service. 12 of the 65 Byzantine emperors achieved their status for the same reason. This elevator is for speakers. Speakers are better than other types of personality who know how to control soldiers, have a penchant for adventurism, and are able to make the right decision in a short time and in the absence of complete information about the situation. All the great commanders were speakers - Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon, Alexander Nevsky, Suvorov, Kutuzov, Cromwell, Zhukov. The emergence of a large number of sophisticated equipment in the modern army has opened up employment opportunities for technicians in secondary roles.
Church. The significance of this lift reached its peak in the Middle Ages, when the bishop was also a landlord, when the Pope of Rome could dismiss kings and emperors, for example, Pope Gregory 7 in 1077 deposed, humiliated and excommunicated the German emperor Henry 7. Of 144 28 popes were of simple origin, 27 came from the middle classes. The institution of celibacy forbade Catholic priests to marry and have children, therefore, after their death, the vacant positions were occupied by new people, which prevented the formation of a hereditary oligarchy and accelerated the process of vertical mobility. The Prophet Muhammad was at first a simple merchant, and then became the ruler of Arabia. This elevator is for psychologists. In the church, only men are selected for the role of priests, so female psychologists are forced to realize their abilities in a monastery, sect, witchcraft and black magic. Psychologists, unlike other personality types, have a penchant for spirituality and a fanatical belief in supernatural forces. The leadership of the church is sometimes infiltrated by speakers who are completely devoid of fanaticism. All the founders of religion - Christ, Mohammed, Buddha - were psychologists.
School and scientific organizations. In ancient China, the school was the main elevator in society. According to the recommendations of Confucius, a system of educational selection (selection) was built. Schools were open to all classes, the best students were transferred to higher schools, and then to universities, from there the best students got into the government and to the highest state and military posts. There was no hereditary aristocracy. The Mandarin government in China was a government of intellectuals who knew how to write literary compositions, but did not understand business and did not know how to fight, so China more than once became an easy prey for nomads (Mongols and Manchus) and European colonizers. In modern society, business and politics should be the main elevators. The school elevator was also of great importance in Turkey under Suleiman the Magnificent (1522-1566), when talented children from all over the country were sent to special schools, then to the Janissary corps, and then to the guards and the state apparatus. In ancient India, the lower castes did not have the right to receive education, i.e. the school elevator moved only on the upper floors. You can't borrow in the US today public office without a university degree. Of the 829 British geniuses, 71 were the sons of unskilled workers. 4% of Russian academicians came from the peasantry, for example, Lomonosov. This elevator is designed for theorists, they are the ones who are able to learn from the heart. Students-speakers do not like to study or study only for the sake of good grades, therefore it is the speakers who are the organizers of the disruption of the lesson. Technicians are nerds. Psychologists tend to beg the teacher for good grades. In science, there is the following division of labor: the role of the creators of theories is for theoreticians, the role of the experimenter is for technicians. Speakers prone to plagiarism are left with the role of the organizer of scientific conferences, and psychologists - the role of a utopian. All the great scientists - Euclid, Archimedes, Aristotle, Newton, Lomonosov, Comte - were theorists. All inventors in the area technical sciences, for example, Faraday and Edison, were technicians. All utopians, such as Plato and Marx, were psychologists.
Political lift, i.e. government groups and parties. The first grade in politics is the speaker, the second grade is the psychologist, the third grade is the technician, the fourth grade is the theorist. It is speakers who know how to win in such types of political conflict as elections, insurrection and civil war. It is the speakers who know how to manage a political party and command an armed detachment. The psychologist has the most high level skill in organizing conspiracies, political assassinations, terrorist acts, behind-the-scenes struggle of bureaucratic cliques. The role of the tyrant is reserved for the psychologist. A technician is able to gain power only by inheritance or patronage. The role of an official is reserved for a technician. The role of the ruler's adviser is reserved for the theorist. Speakers in politics are "lions", psychologists are "foxes", technicians are conservatives, theorists are reformers. Yeltsin, Gorbachev, Khrushchev, Lenin, Peter 1, Catherine 2, Bill Clinton, Churchill, Mussolini, Zhirinovsky, Luzhkov, Nemtsov are examples of political speakers. Stalin, Hitler, Ivan the Terrible, Nero, Caligula, Brezhnev are examples of psychologists in politics. Putin, Molotov, Kosygin, Nikolai 2, Bush, Nikolai 1, Alexander 3 are examples of technicians in politics. Gaidar, Gref, Novodvorskaya, Sakharov, Sobchak are examples of political theorists.
The factors of social mobility at the micro level are directly the social environment of the individual, as well as his total life resource, and at the macro level - the state of the economy, the level scientific and technological development, the nature of the political regime, the prevailing system of stratification, the nature of natural conditions, etc.
Social mobility is measured using indicators: the volume of mobility - the number of individuals or social strata that have moved up the social ladder in a vertical direction over a certain period of time, and the distance of mobility - the number of steps that an individual or group managed to climb or descend.
How, then, within the framework of the stable social structure of society, does social mobility occur, that is, the movement of individuals along this very social structure? It is obvious that such a movement within the framework of a complexly organized system cannot occur spontaneously, disorganized, chaotically. Unorganized, spontaneous movements are possible only during periods of social instability, when the social structure is shattered, loses stability, and collapses. In a stable social structure, significant movements of individuals occur in strict accordance with a developed system of rules for such movements (stratification system). In order to change his status, an individual most often must not only have the desire to do so, but also receive approval from the social environment. Only in this case is a real change in status possible, which will mean a change by the individual of his position within the framework of the social structure of society. So, if a boy or girl decides to become students of a certain university (acquire the status of a student), then their desire will be only the first step towards the status of a student of this university. Obviously, in addition to personal aspirations, it is also important that the applicant meets the requirements that apply to everyone who has expressed a desire to study in this specialty. Only after confirmation of such compliance (for example, during entrance examinations) does the applicant achieve the assignment of the desired status to him - the applicant becomes a student.
In modern society, whose social structure is highly complex and institutionalized, most social movements are associated with certain social institutions. That is, most statuses exist and have meaning only within the framework of specific social institutions. The status of a student or teacher cannot exist in isolation from the institution of education; the status of a doctor or a patient - in isolation from the Institute of Public Health; Candidate or Doctor of Science statuses are outside the Institute of Science. This gives rise to the idea of social institutions as a kind of social spaces within which most of the changes in status occur. Such spaces are called channels of social mobility.
In the strict sense, these are social structures, mechanisms, methods that can be used to implement social mobility. As mentioned above, in modern society, social institutions most often act as such channels. The political authorities, political parties, public organizations, economic structures, professional labor organizations and unions, army, church, education system, family and clan ties. Of great importance today are the structures of organized crime, which have own system mobility, but often have a strong influence on the “official” channels of mobility (eg corruption).
In their totality, the channels of social mobility act as an integral system, complementing, limiting, and stabilizing each other's activities. As a result, we can talk about a universal system of institutional and legal procedures for moving individuals through a stratification structure, which is a complex mechanism of social selection. In the event of any attempt by an individual to improve his social position, that is, to increase his social status, he will be “tested” to one degree or another for compliance with the requirements for the bearer of this status. Such a “test” can be formal (exam, testing), semi-formal ( probation, interview) and informal (the decision is made solely due to the personal inclinations of the testers, but based on their ideas about the desirable qualities of the subject) procedures.
For example, in order to enter a university, you must pass an entrance exam. But in order to be accepted into a new family, you need to go through a long process of getting to know each other. existing rules, traditions, confirm their loyalty to them, get the approval of the dominant members of this family. It is obvious that in each case there is both a formal need to meet certain requirements (level of knowledge, special training, physical data), and a subjective assessment of the efforts of the individual by the examiners. Depending on the situation, either the first or the second component is more important.
It can be concluded that Theorists are able to make a career with the help of only one scientific elevator due to the small number of worthy competitors, since the share of theorists in the population - 3% - is negligible. The career of a theorist is reminiscent of railway- from station to station, from stage to stage strictly according to the schedule, according to long term plan. But he is incapable of making any other career than a scientific career. Making a career on your own without the support of friends and associates is a difficult task.
Technicians occupy a stable middle position on the social ladder by virtue of being second-class rather than last-class when using many important lifts. Technicians make their careers slowly and surely, they diligently crawl up the steps of the social ladder and never change from one elevator to another, they prefer to inherit power.
