Social communities of people were considered differently by philosophers at various stages of human development. In the 19th century, class theory was very popular. This concept called classes the main social groups. They, from her point of view, determined the course of history. Elements of the social structure of society, such as classes, are still an integral part of modern Western theories. They were recognized by such well-known political scientists and sociologists as Kroner, Aron, Myers, Bell, Brzezinski. In particular, they are included in the concept of industrial and post-industrial society.
However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, a different approach to the division of society into social groups appeared. The author of this theory was Pitirim Sorokin. He, in contrast to the Marxist theory of classes, proposed the idea of other criteria and signs of social stratification. These are social strata. Sorokin's theory, in its own way, explains stratification in the public environment. It otherwise represents the social structure and system, embracing it with the so-called stratification. It is divided into several types of measurability, depending on one or many criteria and features. So what are strata?
First of all, these are signs of the separation of social groups. For example, people differ from each other in their professions, the level of income received. In addition, they have a different education. Psychology tells us about the types of temperaments and individual personality traits. Huge groups are people who profess different religions and adhere to numerous beliefs. All these criteria, taken together, help us answer the question of what strata are. Many researchers still believe that these signs of various social groups are the main and even final in determining the structure of society.
Philosophers were also interested not only in what strata were, but also how they affect people and whether they are static or dynamic phenomena. For example, can a person leave his social group and move to another, and under what circumstances? They called this process social mobility. The latter, in turn, also did not escape the classification. Mobility in society is horizontal and vertical. In the first case, an individual moves between different strata, and in the second one, along a hierarchical ladder inside one of them. There may also be typical mobility, characteristic of stable trends, and random, which appeared as a result of certain coincidences in human life.
The contribution to the theory of what strata is, was also made by the famous sociologist Max Weber. He put forward the idea that psychological criteria such as prestige and status are signs of these social groups. According to this thinker, such social indicators give each stratum its own lifestyle, consisting of a certain set of habits, values and stereotypes. Therefore, a person who appreciates his belonging to a given social group must meet the expectations of its members and be recognizable to them.
Therefore, Weber, studying in his own way the question of what strata are, indicated that certain roles were imposed on their members by means of public pressure and education. This discovery of a famous sociologist was confirmed by his colleagues Pinton and Mead. They described the norms existing in each such group, which very strongly influence the behavior of its members depending on their status. To comply with such norms makes a person and such a criterion as prestige. This is an assessment of this or that action of a given person, which is given to him by members of the group. In our society, this can be demonstrated by the example of the fact that in certain layers it is required to buy a car of a new brand every few years or to have an iPod. If a person does not satisfy these requirements, it is considered that he has lost his prestige and is no longer successful. He can be ostracized by members of the group - he will no longer be perceived as his own.