ABSTRACT
Structuralism is the view that people are created, shaped and ruled by the environments and societies in which they live; they are structured by them. This chapter provides examples of this form of thinking and the theorists who led this line of sociology are described. Structuralist views emerged from the age of scientific thought in the 18th and 19th centuries. Durkheim was one of the key proponents of structuralism. He stated that people are controlled and created by society – they merely occupy roles. Structuralists believe that structures act on people shaping what they do. The structures can either act on people in a positive way – enabling them to do what they want, or they can act on them in a negative way, constraining them. The chapter tabulates some common discourses about young people that can directly contrast with one another. Power is highlighted as the core feature of all structures. The chapter explores its key features.
