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Social Theories and Examples

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Submitted By Dametrya21
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Many social theorists believe that society is made up of groups and institutions that shift, move and alter their mutual influence. The result of cooperation, competition, accommodation and conflict is characterized by a merged social system. This meaning that each social theory plays a role in how we as a society blend and effect on another. This social system acts as a control for behavior within the society and can be viewed as the balancing factor. These social theories can be used to explain some of the reasoning behind many local, state, and federal programs being offered.

There have been a number of programs designed to exemplify the social structure theory. Social structure theories suggests that those who are less fortunate or come from lower social economic standings are more likely to commit more crimes or be involved in more criminal activity than those who are in more advanced economic positions. An example of the programs the are offered that exemplify social structure theories is the social security that the government offers for unemployment. Poverty itself is a large contributing factor to the high crime rates in these low income areas. Many people believe that unemployment benefits can be used as a way to keep people in poverty, as they have no reason to escape the cycle that receiving these benefits puts them in by which they would end up worse off if they took a job, than if they were to continue taking the hand outs that the government continues to give to them. The culture of poverty that gets passed down generationally only serves to exemplify the social structure theories further, as the emotionless, pessimism, and helplessness that comes with the disadvantaged position that people on such federal programs feel can also lead to a level of desperation. Social security is a program designed to provide public assistance

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