It was first introduced by P. Sorokin. What it is? Social mobility is the movement of an individual up the hierarchical ladder. It can be either ascending or descending. Such social displacement is divided into two types. Intergenerational mobility is the process of moving along the hierarchical ladder in relation to parents. For example, a person from a poor family becomes a businessman, or the son of scientists chooses manual labor. Intragenerational mobility means a change of status during the life of an individual. For example, it can be a promotion or a change of profession.

Also classified by type. There are two main levels here. Vertical mobility means moving from one class to another. For example, a person rises, or vice versa, falls down the career ladder. Horizontal social mobility is the movement from one to another without changing status. For example, a person changes religion or moves to another country.

Social mobility and its types can refer both to group movements along the hierarchical ladder, and to individual ones. Change of status is also classified into different types. Mobility can be organized. It occurs with the filing of the state, with the consent of a person or against his will. Structural mobility is caused by changes in the structure of society. It often happens without people's consent.

Let us consider in more detail such a concept as vertical social mobility and its types. Two main indicators stand out here - distance and volume of movement along the hierarchical ladder. In the first case, the number of steps that a person had to step over is taken into account. Normal distance is a gradual movement up the social ladder. In most cases, a person's career growth is carried out in this way. However, there is an abnormal distance. It is characterized by a sharp rise or fall in the social ladder.

The volume of movement is the number of people who have ascended or descended a vertical ladder in a certain time period. In what cases can group mobility occur? These can be revolutions, civil wars, the creation of an empire, a change in political regimes, peasant uprisings, military coups and much more.

So, we examined what social mobility is and its types. Let's try to understand, due to what factors there is a movement along the hierarchical ladder. Vertical mobility directly depends on the place of residence, nationality, upbringing, educational level, physical and mental data. Young people usually climb the professional ladder, older people the political ladder, and adults the economic ladder.

Considering such a question as social mobility and its types, it is impossible not to note one more important concept. Such a phenomenon as the appearance of marginals often occurs during the transition from one social group to another. Outcasts are people who no longer belong to their previous stratum, but have not yet moved to a new level. That is, they do not have adequate. For example, a person migrates from one country to another or moves from a village to a city. An individual can also become marginalized because his claims do not correspond to the cultural group to which he belongs.

In general, social mobility is considered a positive phenomenon, as it stimulates people to improve.

social mobility It is an opportunity to change the social stratum. The concept of social mobility is close in meaning to the concept of a social lift or career.

P. Sorokin defines the concept of social mobility as any transition of an individual or a social object (value), i.e., everything that is created or modified by human activity, from one social position to another.

It should be added to the above definition that in some cases a person makes this transition without excessive efforts (changes his place of residence or work), in others the transition occurs due to natural causes arising from the life cycles of a person (this is how age groups change). But in the vast majority of life situations, a person has to make a lot of conscious efforts to change his social status, especially when it comes to the desire to improve it. However, there are a number of human qualities that are determined biologically, which makes it impossible to change the social position (race, gender).

Processes of social mobility are formed from the purposeful activity of people to achieve life goals, and are also supported by both social self-organization (traditional prohibitions and incentives, family relations, amateur forms of life, mores), and system-institutional structures - legal regulators, the educational system, various ways to stimulate labor activity on the part of the state, the church, the professional corporate environment, etc. Taken together, these factors and prerequisites that support the processes of social mobility provide many opportunities for different groups to vary their actions in order to achieve the necessary status position. At the same time, society is objectively interested that, on the one hand, there is no sharp confrontation of group interests, specific lines of behavior of people, and on the other hand, there is an active exchange of social energy and spiritual resources, especially in situations where the need for such activation increases many times over.

Types of social mobility

All social movements of an individual or a social group are included in the process of mobility. According to the definition of P. Sorokin, “social mobility is understood as any transition of an individual, or a social object, or a value created or modified through activity, from one social position to another.”

P. Sorokin distinguishes two types of social mobility: horizontal and vertical.

Horizontal mobility - this is the transition of an individual or a social object from one social position to another, lying on the same level, for example, the transition of an individual from one family to another, from one religious group to another, as well as a change of residence. In all these cases, the individual does not change the social stratum to which he belongs, or social status.

But the most important process is vertical mobility, which is a set of interactions that contribute to the transition of an individual or a social object from one social stratum to another. This includes, for example, a promotion (professional upward mobility), a significant improvement in well-being (economic upward mobility), or a move to a higher social stratum to another level of power (political upward mobility).

• Upward mobility- social uplift, upward movement (For example: promotion).
• Downward mobility- social descent, downward movement (For example: demotion).

social lift- a concept similar to vertical mobility, but more often used in the modern context of discussing the theory of elites as one of the means of rotation of the ruling elite or, in a broader context, a change in position in the social hierarchy, and not in the official one. A more rigid definition of rotation, reminiscent of the fact that social elevators work in both directions, is the concept of the wheel of fortune.

Generational mobility

Intergenerational mobility is a comparative change in social status among different generations (example: the son of a worker becomes president).

Intragenerational mobility (social career) - a change in status within one generation (example: a turner becomes an engineer, then a shop manager, then a factory director). Vertical and horizontal mobility are influenced by gender, age, birth rate, death rate, population density. In general, men and young people are more mobile than women and the elderly. Overpopulated countries are more likely to experience the consequences of emigration (relocation from one country to another for economic, political, personal reasons) than immigration (moving to a region for permanent or temporary residence of citizens from another region). Where the birth rate is high, the population is younger and therefore more mobile, and vice versa.

Social elevators

The choice of the elevator (channel) of social mobility is of great importance in the choice of profession and in the selection of personnel. Sorokin named eight elevators of vertical mobility, which people move up or down the steps of the social ladder in the course of their personal career:

• Army. 36 Roman emperors (Julius Caesar, Octavian Augustus, etc.) out of 92 achieved their position through military service. 12 Byzantine emperors out of 65 achieved their status for the same reason.
• Religious organizations. The significance of this lift reached its climax in the Middle Ages, when the bishop was also a landlord, when the Pope of Rome could dismiss kings and emperors, for example, Gregory VII (Pope of Rome) in 1077 deposed, humiliated and excommunicated Emperor Henry of the Holy Roman Empire IV. Of the 144 popes, 28 were of simple origin, 27 came from the middle classes. The institution of celibacy forbade Catholic priests to marry and have children, therefore, after their death, new people occupied the vacant positions, which prevented the formation of a hereditary oligarchy and accelerated the process of vertical mobility. The Prophet Muhammad was at first a simple merchant, and then became the ruler of Arabia.
• School and scientific organizations. In ancient China, the school was the main elevator in society. According to the recommendations of Confucius, a system of educational selection (selection) was built. Schools were open to all classes, the best students were transferred to higher schools, and then to universities, from there the best students got into the government and to the highest state and military posts. There was no hereditary aristocracy. The Mandarin government in China was a government of intellectuals who knew how to write literary compositions, but did not understand business and did not know how to fight, so China more than once became an easy prey for nomads (Mongols and Manchus) and European colonizers. In modern society, business and politics should be the main elevators. The school elevator was also of great importance in Turkey under Suleiman the Magnificent (1522-1566), when talented children from all over the country were sent to special schools, then to the Janissary corps, and then to the guards and the state apparatus. In ancient India, the lower castes did not have the right to receive an education, that is, the school elevator moved only along the upper floors. Today in the United States, one cannot hold a public office without a university degree. Of the 829 British geniuses, 71 were the sons of unskilled workers. 4% of Russian academicians came from the peasantry, for example, Lomonosov.
• Political elevator, that is, government groups and parties.
• Art. Among the most famous French writers, 13% were from the working environment.
• Press, television, radio. Newspapers and television can provide publicity and promotion.
• Economic organizations. The accumulation of wealth is the most reliable way to the top in the conditions of compliance with the law, in conditions of social cataclysms, wealth can be easily taken away. The impoverished aristocrat is not able to maintain social prestige, although he remains the owner of the title, the impoverished nouveau riche loses absolutely everything. In ancient Rome, such rich enterprising slaves as Trimalchio, Palladius, Narcissus enjoyed great influence. King Jugurtha of Numidia, by bribing officials of Rome, sought the support of Rome in his struggle for the throne at the end of the 2nd century. BC e. Exiled eventually from Rome, he called the "eternal" city a corrupt city. R. Gretton wrote about the rise of the English bourgeoisie: destroyed and ruined each other, the middle class went uphill, accumulating wealth. As a result, the nation once woke up, seeing new masters. The middle class used money to buy all the desired titles and privileges.
• Family and marriage. According to ancient Roman law, if a free woman married a slave, then her children became slaves, the son of a slave and a free man became a slave. Today there is a "pull" between rich brides and poor aristocrats, when in the event of marriage, both partners receive mutual benefit: the bride receives the title, and the groom - wealth.

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Society can elevate the status of some individuals and lower the status of others. And this is understandable: some individuals who have talent, energy, youth should force out other individuals who do not possess these qualities from the highest statuses. Depending on this, upward and downward social mobility, or social upsurge and social downfall, are distinguished. The upward currents of professional, economic, and political mobility exist in two main forms: as an individual upsurge or infiltration of individuals from a lower stratum to a higher stratum, and as the creation of new groups of individuals with the incorporation of groups into the higher stratum alongside or instead of the existing groups of this stratum. Similarly, downward mobility exists both in the form of pushing individual individuals from high social statuses to lower ones, and in the form of lowering the social statuses of an entire group. An example of the second form of downward mobility is the decline in the social status of a professional group of engineers that once held very high positions in our society, or the decline in the status of a political party that is losing real power. According to the figurative expression of P. Sorokin, "the first case of decline resembles the fall of a man from a ship; the second is a ship that sank with everyone on board."

Today, as before, the initial stage of social mobility is similar for all people: at birth, the child receives the social status of his parents, the so-called ascriptive, or prescribed, status. Parents, relatives and people close to the family pass on to the child those norms of behavior, ideas about what is due and prestigious that prevail in their environment. However, during an active period of life, a person is often not content with his position in his stratum, achieving more. In this case, researchers say that a person changes his previous status and acquires a new attainable status. Thus, he became involved in the processes of upward mobility.

Let us single out cases when representatives of social groups have a prescribed status that cannot be changed at will alone (separation of people according to gender, race, age). For representatives of such groups, social mobility is often hampered by social discrimination entrenched in a given society. In this situation, members of the group can seek to change social stereotypes in relation to themselves and, through initiative actions, demand the expansion of channels for their social mobility.

At the same time, in modern society, many people carry out upward professional mobility through the choice of a particular profession, the achievement of a high level of qualification and professional education, through a change in profession and going to a highly paid field of work or a prestigious job, through moving to a new job in another city. or in another country. There are many cases when people change their status outside the professional sphere - upward mobility can be realized through a change in their marital status, support from relatives and friends.

Along with this, sociologists distinguish downward social mobility. In this case, we are talking about the loss of many advantages of the previous status and the transition of a person to a lower social group. People face this type of mobility, as a rule, due to unfavorable or unavoidable circumstances, for example, when they reach retirement age, as well as due to illness, disability, etc. state institutions are developing many ways designed to alleviate this severity, to reduce the scale - family support, the system of social insurance and pensions, social charity and guardianship.

In addition to the distinguished two types of social mobility, which are called vertical (directed either up or down), science considers a number of other varieties of it. Let us point to horizontal mobility associated with a change in a person’s place of work, place of residence, position, but without changing the status rank. In this case, an important form of social mobility also takes place, which allows you to solve, for example, some personal problems, expands the social opportunities of people with an eye for the future, enriches their professional experience.

The types of social mobility considered above can exist both in the form of chaotic individual movements and in the form of directed collective-group transformations. In other words, under some conditions, individual mobility takes place, often acquiring a random or chaotic character, in others it is realized as similar collective movements. the period of radical transformations, entire strata and social groups change their social status, demonstrating the so-called structural mobility, which is prepared and occurs under the influence of many factors, spontaneously, through the transformation of the whole society.

Thanks to social mobility, members of society can change their status within society. This phenomenon has many features and characteristics. The nature of social mobility varies depending on the characteristics of a particular country.

The concept of social mobility

What is social mobility? This is a change by a person of his place in the structure of society. An individual can move from one social group to another. Such mobility is called vertical. At the same time, a person can change his position within the same social stratum. This is another mobility – horizontal. The movement takes many forms - the rise or fall of prestige, changes in income, career advancement. Such events have a serious impact on a person's behavior, as well as his relationships with others, attitudes and interests.

The types of mobility described above took on modern forms after the emergence of industrial society. The ability to change one's position in society is an important sign of progress. The opposite case is represented by conservative and estate societies where castes exist. As a rule, a person is assigned to such a group from his very birth until his death. The Indian caste system is best known. With reservations, such orders existed in medieval feudal Europe, where there was a great social gap between the poor and the rich.

The history of the phenomenon

The emergence of vertical mobility became possible after the start of industrialization. About three hundred years ago, the industrial development of European countries accelerated significantly, which led to the growth of the proletarian class. At the same time, states around the world (with varying degrees of success) began to introduce a system of accessible education. It has become and still is the main channel of vertical social mobility.

At the beginning of the 20th century, most of the population of any country were unskilled workers (or with the beginnings of a general education). At the same time, mechanization and automation of production took place. The new type of economy demanded more and more highly qualified personnel. It is this need that explains the increase in the number of educational institutions, and hence the opportunities for social growth.

Mobility and economy

One of the features of an industrial society is that mobility in it is determined by the structure of the economy. In other words, the possibilities for climbing the social ladder depend not only on the personal qualities of a person (his professionalism, energy, etc.), but also on how the different sectors of the country's economy are interconnected.

Mobility is not possible everywhere. It is an attribute of a society that has given its citizens equal opportunities. And although there are no absolutely equal conditions in any country, many modern states continue to move towards this ideal.

Individual and group mobility

In each country, the types and types of mobility are presented differently. Society can selectively raise some individuals up the social ladder and lower others. This is a natural process. For example, talented and professional people should definitely replace the mediocre ones and get their high status. Rise can be individual and group. These types of mobility differ in the number of individuals changing their status.

In an individual case, a person can increase his prestige in society due to his talents and hard work (for example, become a famous musician or receive a prestigious education). Group mobility is associated with much more complex processes, covering a significant part of society. A striking example of such a phenomenon can be changes in the prestige of the profession of engineers or a fall in the popularity of the party, which will necessarily affect the position of the members of this organization.

Infiltration

In order to achieve a change in his position in society, the individual must make certain efforts. Vertical mobility becomes possible only if a person is able to overcome all the barriers that lie between different social strata. As a rule, climbing the social ladder occurs due to the ambitions and the individual's need for his own success. Any kind of mobility is necessarily associated with the vigor of a person and his desire to change his status.

The infiltration that exists in every society weeds out people who have made insufficient efforts to change the social stratum. The German scientist Kurt Lewin even came up with his own formula, with which you can determine the likelihood of a particular person ascending in the social hierarchy. In the theory of this psychologist and sociologist, the most important variable is the energy of the individual. Vertical mobility also depends on the social conditions in which a person lives. If he meets all the requirements of society, then he will be able to undergo infiltration.

The inevitability of mobility

There are at least two reasons for the existence of the phenomenon of social mobility. First, any society invariably changes in the course of its historical development. New features may appear gradually, or they may appear instantly, as happens in the case of revolutions. One way or another, but in any society, new statuses undermine and replace the old ones. This process is accompanied by changes in the distribution of labor, benefits and responsibilities.

Secondly, even in the most inert and stagnant societies, no power can control the natural distribution of abilities and talents. This principle continues to operate even if the elite or the authorities have monopolized and limited the accessibility of education. Therefore, there is always a possibility that the top layer will be at least periodically replenished with worthy people “from below”.

Mobility across generations

Researchers identify another feature by which social mobility is determined. Generation can serve as this measure. What explains this pattern? The history of the development of very different societies shows that the position of people of different generations (for example, children and parents) can not only differ, but, as a rule, is different. Data from Russia supports this theory. On average, with each new generation, the inhabitants of the former USSR and the Russian Federation have gradually risen and are climbing up the social ladder. This pattern also takes place in many other modern countries.

Thus, when listing the types of mobility, one should not forget about intergenerational mobility, an example of which is described above. In order to determine progress on this scale, it is enough to compare the situation of two people at a certain point in their career development at approximately the same age. The measure in this case is the rank in the profession. If, for example, a father at the age of 40 was a shop manager, and a son at that age became a factory director, then this is intergenerational growth.

Factors

Slow and gradual mobility can have many factors. An important example in this series is the migration of people from rural areas to cities. International migration has played a serious role in the history of all mankind, especially since the 19th century, when it swept the whole world.

It was in this century that huge masses of the peasant population of Europe moved to the United States. You can also give an example of the colonial expansion of some empires of the Old World. The capture of new territories and the subjugation of entire nations were fertile ground for the rise of some people and the slide down the social ladder of others.

Consequences

If lateral mobility mostly affects only a particular individual or group of people, then vertical mobility entails much larger consequences that are difficult to measure. There are two opposing points of view on this.

The first says that any examples of mobility in the vertical direction destroy the class structure of society and make it more homogeneous. This theory has both supporters and opponents. On the other hand, there is a point of view according to which a high level of social mobility only strengthens the system of social strata. This happens for the simple reason that people who find themselves on a higher rung of their position become interested in maintaining class differences and contradictions.

Speed

According to sociological science, the main types of social mobility have an indicator of their own speed. With its help, experts give a quantitative assessment of this phenomenon in each case. Speed ​​is the distance that an individual travels in a certain period of time. It is measured in professional, political or economic strata.

For example, one university graduate managed to become the head of a department at his enterprise in four years of his career. At the same time, his classmate, who graduated with him, became an engineer by the end of the same term. In this case, the speed of social mobility of the first graduate is higher than that of his friend. This indicator can be influenced by a variety of factors - personal aspiration, the qualities of a person, as well as his environment and circumstances associated with working in a company. The high rate of social mobility can also be inherent in processes opposite to those described above, if we are talking about a person who has lost his job.

Intensity

Considering 2 types of mobility (horizontal and vertical), one can determine the number of individuals who change their position in society. In different countries, this figure gives different figures. The larger the number of these people, the higher the intensity of social mobility. Like speed, this indicator demonstrates the nature of internal transformations in society.

If we are talking about the actual number of individuals, then the absolute intensity is determined. In addition, it can also be relative. This is the name of the intensity, determined by the proportion of individuals who have changed their position, from the total number of members of society. Modern science gives different estimates of the importance of this indicator. The combination of the intensity and speed of social mobility determines the overall mobility index. With it, scientists can easily compare the state of different societies.

The future of mobility

Today, in Western and economically developed societies, horizontal mobility is gaining significant proportions. This is due to the fact that in such countries (for example, in Western Europe and the USA), society is becoming more and more classless. The differences between layers are blurred. This is facilitated by a developed system of accessible education. In rich countries, anyone can learn, regardless of their background. The only important criterion is his interest, talent and ability to acquire new knowledge.

There is another reason why the former social mobility is no longer relevant in the modern post-industrial society. Moving up becomes more and more conditional if income and financial well-being are taken as the determining factor. Today, a stable and wealthy society can introduce social benefits (as is done in the Scandinavian countries). They smooth out contradictions between people on different rungs of the social ladder. So the boundaries between the usual classes are erased.

7.4. Social mobility and its types

Certain social movements and changes are constantly taking place in society. These social movements lead to changes in the social structure of society, as well as changes in the social stratification of society. Such social movements in sociology are called social mobility.

social mobility(lat. Mobile - movement, mobility) is the transition of people from one social group and stratum to another.

P. Sorokin is considered to be the founder of the theory of social mobility. By social mobility, the scientist understands any transition of an individual or a social object from one social position in social space to another. Social space according to Sorokin (the concept of "social space" refers primarily to the social structure of society), has two main classes of coordinates - horizontal (for example, social groups of Catholics, democrats, industrialists) and vertical (for example, a bishop is a parishioner, a party leader is an ordinary party member, manager - worker), which are the parameters of social space. Therefore, there are two main types of social mobility: horizontal and vertical. The promotion of a social subject can be carried out both within the limits of one and the second parameter, and therefore there are two main forms of social mobility - horizontal and vertical. Horizontal social mobility means the transition of an individual (social object) from one social group to another located at the same level (for example, from one citizenship to another, from one family to another, from one organization to another, etc.). Vertical social mobility refers to the relations that arise when an individual (social subject) moves from one social stratum to another. Depending on the direction of movement, according to P. Sorokin, there are two types of vertical mobility: upward and downward, in modern terminology, in accordance with social ascent and social degradation. Ascending and descending currents exist in two forms: the penetration of an individual from a lower stratum into a higher one, or the creation by individuals of a new group and the penetration of the entire group into a higher social stratum (for example, the Bolsheviks in Russia), and vice versa. P. Sorokin generalizes the situation as a whole as shown in fig. 3 .

Thus, vertical mobility is the starting point for the social stratification of society, because we recall that Sorokin identified three of its types - economic, political and professional, and therefore any of these forms of stratification has its own form of vertical mobility.

Rice. 3. Types of social mobility

Since vertical mobility is observed in any society, and between the layers there must be some ways along which individuals move up or down from one layer to another, according to P. Sorokin, there are channels of social circulation, the most important of which the scientist considers the following: army, church, school, political, economic and professional organizations.

Recently, mobility has also been distinguished between generations, the essence of which is a change in the social position of children in relation to their parents, as well as mobility within one generation, which is associated with the personal success of an individual or his fall in social “steps”. The study of the parameters of intergenerational mobility is very important for establishing the factor of openness - closed society. In closed societies, intergenerational mobility is almost unacceptable, because there are rigid barriers between layers that are very difficult to overcome. Such societies, based on the theory of Giddens, include slave, caste and estate societies. As for a class society, intergenerational mobility is very common in it, since movements from one social group to another are open and desirable. However, as P. Sorokin points out, revealing the basic principles of vertical mobility, there are no absolutely closed societies that would not allow vertical mobility at all, and there are no absolutely open societies.

Questions for self-examination and control

1. Define the social structure of society.

2. Describe the main elements of the social structure of society.

3. What is the essence of social class theory?

4. What factors influence the formation of classes?

5. What is social stratification and social stratum? What are the main reasons for the emergence of the theory of social stratification?

6. Name the main executions of Ukrainian society.

7. What are the general and distinctive features of the social class theory and the theory of social stratification.

8. What is social mobility? What types of social mobility do you know?

9. Name examples of social mobility that have taken place in your life.

1. Andrushchenko V. P., Mikhalchenko M. I. Modern social philosophy: in 2 volumes - M., 1993.

2. Volovich V. I. Problems of social development of the Ukrainian society // Bulletin of the Kiev University. Series: Philosophy, political science. Psychology. - M., 1993, p. 3-16.

3. Giddens E. Stratification and class structure // Sociological research. - 1992. No. 9, p. 112 - 124.

4. Dobrenkov V., Kravchenko A. Sociology. - M.: INFRA-M, T.2.-2000.

5. Zakharchenko M. V. Pogorely A. I. History of sociology. - M.: Enlightenment, 1993.-

6. Lukashevich M. P., Tulenkov M. V. Sociology: general course. - M.: "Karavel", 2004.

7. Merton R. Social theory and social structure. - M.: "Abris", in 1996.

8. Modern Western sociology: a dictionary. - M.: Politizdat, 1990.

9. Sorokin P. A. Man. Civilization. Society: Translation from English. General edition of Sogomonov A. Yu. M., 1992.

10. Sociology: terms, concepts, Personalities / Comp. V. Picha and others - Lviv: "New World - 2000", 2002.

11. Sociology: Textbook for students of higher educational institutions / Ed. V. Gorodyanenko. - M.: "Academy", 2006.

12. Sociology: a short encyclopedic dictionary. / Under the total. ed. V. Volovich. - M.: Rus. Spiritual center. culture, 1998.

13. Tikhomirova E. B. Fundamentals of sociology. - M.: +1996.

14. Philosophy. Tutorial. Ed. Nadolny I. "Vikar", 1997.

15. Shchekin G. V. Social theory and personnel policy K 2000.

16. Yakuba E. A. Sociology. - Kharkov, "Constant", 1996.

People are in constant motion, and society is in development. Therefore, about One of the important mechanisms of social stratification is social mobility. For the first time, the theory of social mobility was developed and introduced into scientific circulation by P.A. Sorokin.

social mobility is defined as a change by an individual, family, social group of a place in the social structure of society. In essence, these are all movements of the individual, family, social group in the system of social ties.

Exist two main types of social mobility - intergenerational and intragenerational, And two main types - vertical and horizontal. They, in turn, fall into subspecies and subtypes.

Intergenerational mobility assumes that children achieve a higher social position or fall to a lower level than their parents. For example, the son of a worker becomes an engineer.

Intragenerational mobility takes place where the same individual changes social positions several times throughout his life. Otherwise, it is called a social career. For example, a turner becomes an engineer, then a shop manager, a factory director, and so on.

Vertical mobility- this is the movement of individuals, social groups from one stratum (estate, class, caste) to another, in which their social position changes significantly. If at the same time there is an ascent along the social ladder, upward mobility takes place, but if there is a social descent, sliding down - downward mobility. Promotion is an example of upward mobility, and demotion is downward mobility.

Horizontal mobility- the transition of an individual or social group from one social position to another, located at the same level. An example would be the transition from one profession to another, in which there is no significant change in social status.

Geographical mobility is a variation of horizontal mobility. It implies a simple movement from one place to another while maintaining the same status. but if a change of status is added to a change of place, then geographic mobility turns into migration.

Besides, distinguish between individual and group mobility. Group mobility occurs where and when the social significance of an entire class, estate, caste, rank, or category rises or falls. According to P.A. Sorokin, the following factors served as the causes of group mobility: social revolutions; foreign interventions, invasions; interstate and civil wars; military coups and change of political regimes; replacing the old constitution with a new one; peasant uprisings; internecine struggle of aristocratic families; creation of an empire.

Individual mobility occurs when movement down, up or horizontally occurs in an individual independently of others..

Channels of social mobility. The accessibility of pathways for social mobility depends both on the individual and on the structure of the society in which he lives. In order to completely change social status, individuals often have problems entering a new subculture of a group with a higher status, as well as the associated problem of interactions with representatives of a new social environment. To overcome the cultural barrier and the barrier of communication, there are several ways that individuals in one way or another resort to in the process of social mobility.

1. Lifestyle change. To assimilate a new status level, he needs to accept a new material standard corresponding to this level. Setting up an apartment, buying books, TV, cars, etc. everything must correspond to the new, higher status.

2. Development of typical status behavior. A person oriented towards vertical mobility will not be accepted into a higher social class stratum until he has assimilated the patterns of behavior of this stratum to such an extent that he can follow them without any effort. Clothing patterns, verbal expressions, leisure activities, manner of communication - all this is being revised and should become the usual and only possible type of behavior.

3. Change in the social environment. This method is based on establishing contacts with individuals and associations of the status stratum into which the mobile individual is socialized. The ideal condition for entering a new layer is the situation when the individual is completely surrounded by representatives of the layer where he seeks to get.

4. Marriage with a representative of a higher status stratum. At all times, such a marriage has served as the best means of overcoming the barriers that stand in the way of social mobility. First, it can greatly contribute to the manifestation of talents if it gives material well-being. Secondly, it provides the individual with the opportunity to quickly rise, often bypassing several status levels. Thirdly, marriage to a representative or representative of a higher status largely resolves the problems of the social environment and the rapid assimilation of culture samples of a higher status layer.

Such social institutions as the army, church, school, family, property are used as channels of vertical mobility.

Army functions in this capacity not in peacetime, but in wartime. Large losses among the command staff lead to the filling of vacancies from lower ranks. Having risen in rank, they use the received power as a channel for further advancement and accumulation of wealth. They have the opportunity to rob, loot, seize trophies, take indemnities, take away slaves, surround themselves with pompous ceremonies, titles, and transfer their power by inheritance.

Church as a channel of social circulation moved a large number of people from the bottom to the top of society. Gebbon, Archbishop of Reims, was a former slave. Pope Gregory VII - the son of a carpenter. The church was a channel not only for an upward, but also for a downward movement. Thousands of heretics, pagans, enemies of the church were brought to justice, ruined and destroyed. Among them were many kings, dukes, princes, lords, aristocrats and nobles of high ranks.

School. The institutions of upbringing and education, no matter what concrete form they take, have served in all ages as a powerful channel of social circulation. Large competitions for colleges and universities in many countries are explained by the fact that education is the fastest and most accessible channel of vertical mobility.

Ownership is most clearly manifested in the form of accumulated wealth and money. They are one of the simplest and most effective ways of social promotion. In the XV-XVIII centuries. European society began to rule money. Achieved a high position only those who had money, and not a noble origin.

Family and marriage become channels of vertical circulation if representatives of different social strata join the union.