Abstract
The concepts of structure and agency are central to sociological theory. Structures are typically seen as the more fixed and enduring aspects of the social landscape. As used by Durkheim and others working within a similar tradition, structure is a metaphor that denotes qualities of society that are akin to the skeleton of a body in the field of anatomy, or to the frame of a building in architecture. Durkheim's work was heavily influenced by his desire to establish a sphere of study for sociology that was distinct from both biology and psychology. To this end he insisted that there are structured ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that are general throughout a society and that act as external constraints over its members. This was to emphasize the role of society in the process of causation, as opposed to individual or group agency. Some writers taking issue with this position went to the other extreme. Weber, for example, emphasized the role of individuals and rejected the idea that terms such as "society" or "group" could refer to any reality other than that of individuals and their actions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology |
| Editors | George Ritzer |
| Place of Publication | U.S. |
| Publisher | Blackwell |
| Pages | 1-4 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781405124331 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |