Structuralism (disambiguation) facts for kids

Structuralism is a way of thinking that became popular around 1949. It helps us understand how different parts of something work together to form a complete system. Imagine a puzzle: structuralism looks at how each piece connects to the others to make the whole picture. This idea first came from studying language, but it was soon used in many other areas, like anthropology (the study of human societies and cultures).

Structuralism helps us see the hidden rules or patterns that organize things, whether it's a story, a building, or even how people behave in a society. It suggests that these patterns are more important than the individual parts themselves.

What is Structuralism?

Structuralism is a way of looking at things by focusing on their hidden structures or patterns. It helps us understand how different parts of something fit together to make a whole. Think of it like this:

• It's about relationships: Structuralism looks at how things relate to each other, not just what they are on their own.
• It finds patterns: It tries to find the basic rules or systems that organize things, even if those rules aren't obvious at first.
• It started with language: The idea first came from studying how languages are built, but it quickly spread to other fields.

How Structuralism Works

Structuralism often breaks down a subject into its smallest parts. Then, it looks at how these parts connect and interact to create meaning or function. For example, in a story, structuralism might look at the common patterns in myths or fairy tales, like the hero's journey or the struggle between good and evil. It suggests that these patterns are universal, meaning they appear in many different cultures.

Key Ideas of Structuralism

• Systems and Structures: Everything is seen as part of a larger system with an underlying structure.
• Relationships Matter: The meaning of something comes from its relationship to other things in the system.
• Hidden Rules: Structuralists believe there are often unspoken rules or codes that organize human culture and thought.

Structuralism in Different Fields

The ideas of structuralism have been used in many different areas of study. Here are some examples:

Structuralism in Language

• Structuralism (linguistics): This is where structuralism began, around 1916. It looks at language as a complete system where every part (like words or sounds) gets its meaning from how it relates to other parts. For example, the word "cat" means what it does because it's different from "bat" or "dog."

Structuralism in Society and Culture

• Structural anthropology: Developed in 1949, this field looks for basic patterns or "deep grammar" in all human cultures. It suggests that things like myths, rituals, and family structures have common underlying components across different societies.
• Structuralism (sociology): Also known as structural functionalism, this approach studies how different parts of society (like families, schools, or governments) work together to keep the whole society stable and functioning.
• Structural Marxism: Starting in the 1960s, this approach uses structuralist ideas to understand how economic structures in society affect politics and power.

Structuralism in Arts and Sciences

• Structuralism (architecture): This was a movement in building design and city planning in the mid-20th century. It focused on creating flexible structures that could be easily changed or added to, often using repeating patterns.
• Structuralism (biology): This idea in biology looks at the basic rules that govern the shapes and forms of living things. It suggests that organisms have certain structures because of underlying biological laws.
• Structural film: This was an experimental film movement in the 1960s and 1970s. These films often focused on the basic elements of filmmaking itself, like light, sound, and the camera's movement, rather than telling a traditional story.

Structuralism in Thought and Knowledge

• Structuralism (philosophy of mathematics): This theory sees mathematics as the study of structures. It suggests that numbers and mathematical objects are defined by their relationships within a system, rather than by what they are on their own.
• Structuralism (philosophy of science): This approach helps us understand how scientific theories are built and how they relate to the real world. It looks at the logical structure of scientific ideas.
• Structuralism (psychology): Around 1879, this early theory in psychology aimed to describe the basic parts or "structure" of the human mind, often by asking people to describe their own thoughts and feelings.

See also

In Spanish: Estructuralismo para niños