What is meant by social order and how is it maintained?

Social order is a link among various institutions, traditions, values, and morals that work together to keep the society moving forward.

In society, the beliefs of people are based upon the morals and values of the society. Social order is the standards of belief and behaviours which is required to keep the things stable.

In social science, social order means a systematic arrangement of social structures. Social order is maintained by the people having greatest political, economical, and social resources.

According to Karl Marx, the power is not equally distributed in the society and so there are few elite people who direct social order and the majority follows it.

The social order can be maintained in following two ways –

• By spontaneous consent – It happens when people wish to abide by a set of rules and norms and are ready to give their consent immediately, then social order can be achieved.

• By Compulsion – It happens when people are compelled to follow a set of rules and regulations to maintain social order. It applies stick and carrot rules.