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Within the real domain, social structures exist that enable or constrain people’s actions within a social setting. Though the word ‘structure’ gives the impression of something physical, like the structure of a house, social structures are, in fact, intangible.[1] Structures may include the policies and procedures staff follow during their workday or the education levels within a labour pool from which a company hires employees.[2][3]
Social settings are complex, open systems. This complexity is reflected in the web of structures governing these settings. Different structures may contradict each other–for example, structures influencing professional conduct within a work environment may moderate structures of racism.[4][5]
The time between when a structure influences a person’s behaviour and when that person chooses to act may make it difficult to establish cause-and-effect relations between the structure and action.[6] At times, there may exist forces that hide the role another structure had in generating an event,[7] or there may exist structures that exist but lie dormant until certain circumstances activate them.[8]
An earlier section asked why, since teacher-student relations are the product of human imagination, are you unable to change the nature of this relation when you dislike a class. The philosophy of critical realism would argue the answer lies in the structures governing our education system.
Structures enable and constrain action. These structures constrain you from unilaterally changing the roles, responsibilities, and authorities inherent in our education system’s teacher-student dynamic.
The following section describing the actual domain will introduce an exploration of how these structures, though intangible, have the force to prevent you from changing the education system on a whim. Later chapters of this textbook discussing power will then elaborate on how societies imbue intangible structures with the force to control behaviour.
Exercises
There are countless structures active in society. Consider a social setting with which you are familiar. This setting could include, for example, your workplace, a sports team you play with, one of your classes, a religious organization you belong to, and so on. Reflect on the activities of that group. Who does what? How do they do it? What is your role in the group?
- Reflect on the definition of structures. What are some of the structures that enable people to take the actions they do in the social setting you have chosen? What structures constrain the actions people might want to take?
- Think broadly about what enables and constrains action in the social setting you have chosen. Are there policies and procedures that determine who can do what? Traditions? Culture? Does gender, ethnicity, age, education, wealth, or other factors influence who can take what actions?
- Consider how these structures enable and constrain action. To do this, start by considering an action someon