Social system

About: Social system is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2974 publications have been published within this topic receiving 92395 citations.

Towards developing a framework for analysing tourism phenomena: a discussion.

Abstract: The social and cultural phenomena related to tourism have been studied for more than three decades, but evaluations of their role and importance are inevitably subjective. In addition, despite contributions from scholars in numerous disciplines, there is no single paradigm in tourism studies. In this paper, explicitly written from a sociological perspective, three basic and complementary levels of analysis are indicated, focusing on globalisation and wider systems, social and economic structures and institutions, and interactional processes. Prominent contributions to the tourism literature from these different methodological foundations are discussed, and it is concluded that wider recognition of such levels would facilitate a more coherent, comprehensive and comparative understanding of tourism's role and importance in a wide range of societies, and would also help clarify the questions being addressed in empirical research and theoretical analyses.

Educational Climate in Elective Adult education: Shared Decision Making and Communication Patterns

Abstract: Educational climate represents the social and contextual qualities of an organization as perceived by the participants. The theoretical construct of educational climate encompasses a range of variables which have been categorized as ecology, milieu, social system, and culture (Tigiuri, 1968). These categories are similar to the elements of the andragogical process described by Knowles (1984). In this research, the theoretical climate category of social system emerged as influential in an ethnographic study of an elective university program. Findings revealed that shared decision making and communication patterns were instrumental in the quality of the adult learning experience.

Emergence and enforcement of social behavior

Abstract: Complex social systems require an understanding of individuals, networks, institutions and cultures. Where regulations assure efficient coordination between individuals and groups and their needs and requirements, cultural and personality differences result in different behaviors and interpretations of global aims. Due to the dynamic mechanisms of social interaction, this results in a cyclic pattern with norms enforcing behavior and behavior generating norms. Current modeling tools often only consider one or the other direction of this cycle. I.e. one can either design systems where individual behavior is 'forced' to adhere to institutional norms, or analyze the emergence of global behavior resulting from 'free' individual behaviors. In this paper, we propose a framework for the design and analysis of social systems that integrates a top- down (prescription of behavior) view with a bottom-up (description of behavior) view. Such models enable the understanding of patterns of influence between individual behavior and social norms and vice-versa. For the social organization, the framework is based on the OperA model that enables the representation of groups and organizations in a way that guarantees independence from individual architectures but enables individual interpretations and the emergence of regulation patterns. For the individual level, the framework uses the BRIDGE agent architecture, a modular cognitive agent architecture that extends BDI models with modules for the specification of personality types, urge hierarchies and different normative and cultural attitudes. One of the most important premises of the framework is that both emerging norms as well as imposed norms do influence individual behavior but individuals can always violate norms (for personal reasons or in a particular situation). The consequences of violating norms might be an explicit sanction, but can also have only very implicit consequences. E.g. violating a speed limit may lead to a fine from the police, but violating the norm that one should always drive as fast as the speed limit might have as consequence that other drivers don't keep their distance or try to overtake in a dangerous places. The way these possible consequences play a role in the decision forming process of an individual depends on the personality type of the individual, but also on the culture and even on the urges. An individual that forms part of a culture where conformity to majorities is very important will avoid deviating from any norm. However, in case an individual really needs to find a toilet very quickly he might disobey a speed limit. Finally, some individuals have personalities that put objective ideal situations over subjective judgments of other individuals. They might obey the speed limit if they agree with the motive behind it and will not hesitate to violate it (even if most people disagree) if they don't agree with the norm. In our framework we want to study the relative importance of these different factors on the effectiveness of norms and regulations on societies under certain conditions. Which type of behavioral patterns will emerge given a certain distribution of individual traits and how will this affect the functioning of the society as a whole?

Relative Strangers: Studies of Stepfamily Processes.

Abstract: Relative Strangers studies the stepfamily as a social system in its own right, and examines the processes at work in this system. A sociological study of the stepfamily, this book will appeal to social workers, counsellors, family therapists, sociologists, teachers and educated readers interested in the American family.