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Preferred term

social system  

Definition

  • Talking of a society as a social system usually carries four important implications: that its parts are to some degree interlocking, that they interlock for a purpose, that the system has clear boundaries, and that it is in equilibrium (or homeostasis). Underlying most usage is the model either of a complex biological organism or of the complex machine and it is because many sociologists find both metaphors misleading that they avoid the term. [Source: The SAGE Dictionary of Sociology; Social System]

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URI

https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/social_system

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