Introduction to sociology, types of social mobility and its division significance

According to the direction, reference point and reason of social mobility, social mobility can be divided into the following three types accordingly.

Vertical flow and horizontal flow

Vertical mobility refers to the movement of a person from a lower position and occupation to a higher position and occupation, or from a higher position and occupation to a lower position and occupation. Longitudinal flow can be accompanied by inter-regional flow, but also can rise and fall in situ. Lateral mobility refers to the lateral mobility of a person in the same social and professional class. Most of them are flows between regions, including flows between different working groups or organizations in the same region.

Vertical mobility is extremely important to individuals and society. It affects social class, stratum and industrial structure. If the frequency of upward mobility exceeds downward mobility in a period of time, it means that society is progressing, on the contrary, it means that society is regressing. Everyone wants to flow upward, not downward. However, the distribution of opportunities for upward mobility in each society is uneven, and only those with certain conditions are likely to rise. This condition is knowledge, talent and opportunity. For the society, the key is to have all kinds of reasonable flow channels and a set of preferred standards and implementation methods. These channels, standards and methods are formed in the practice of social mobility, which is a social choice rather than the subjective design of decision makers.

Horizontal mobility can make natural resources, material wealth and human resources reasonably distributed and utilized, thus affecting the regional distribution of population and the internal structure of the same industry. It brings people's communication, is conducive to cultural exchanges between regions and groups, can break the closed state of regions and groups, and is conducive to social development.

Lifelong mobility and intergenerational mobility

The mobility of life refers to the horizontal or vertical mobility of occupation and status. In modern industrial society, especially in cities, this mobility is also a common phenomenon. Sociological research on this kind of mobility mainly focuses on people's life, at which age stage, people with what professional status flow the most and in which direction. The purpose of the study is to explore a flow curve in life.

Intergenerational mobility is the mobility of occupation and social status between two generations, and the specific operation is expressed by measuring the similarities and differences between son's occupation and father's occupation. Sociology pays special attention to the investigation and study of intergenerational mobility, because intergenerational mobility can better reflect the direction of social change and change the professional structure of society and even families. In a closed traditional society, a person is destined to spend his life in the class and stratum to which his parents belong when he is born, and there is almost no intergenerational mobility. In an open modern society, the door of every class and stratum is open, and intergenerational mobility is inevitable. However, the opportunity of intergenerational upward mobility is not equal for everyone, and it is influenced by many personal conditions and environmental factors. The mode of American sociologists' research on personal career choice is that the father's occupation and the father's education level affect his son's education and his first occupation at the same time, especially the father's occupation has the most significant influence on his son's education. My son's first job and his education both affect his present job, especially his first job. The influence of father's occupation and education on his son's present occupation is obviously weakened (see figure). From this model, the intergenerational mobility of families is limited by the occupation and education level of the previous generation, that is, the internal conditions of families play a restrictive role in intergenerational mobility, which is independent of individual will. If we consider the changing factors of social environment, especially in the case of accelerated changes in modern society, there are many external forces to promote intergenerational social mobility.

In any society, intergenerational mobility is two-way, that is, it increases and decreases. Investigating intergenerational mobility within a family is only of case significance, and many accidental factors cannot be ruled out. Sociology focuses on the proportion of overall rise and fall, and finds the law of social change.

Free flow and structural flow

Free mobility refers to personal mobility, which is caused by personal reasons, such as the change of identity, occupation or geographical movement. Free movement will not have a significant impact on social structure and population distribution. Structural flow is relative to free flow. All movements of a considerable number of people, including organized and unorganized movements, are structural movements caused by sudden changes in the natural and social environment or by a social invention. Structural mobility will affect the changes of social structure and population distribution in the short term. Free flow and structured flow are not easy to distinguish in some cases. For example, immigrants, some are free-flowing and some are structural. Free flow often happens anytime and anywhere, and structural flow only happens when the natural environment or society changes greatly. Free flow has no definite direction, and the essence and trend of social change can not be found from individual free flow; Structural flow is directional, and the nature and direction of social change can be found in every structural flow.