According to the notion of duality of structure, the structural properties of social systems are both medium and outcome. For structuration theory, the moment of the production of action is also that of its reproduction. Structure is not external to the individual but rather almost internal, as memory traces. Sociology is the study of human social life, groups, and societies, giving special emphasis to modern industrialised systems. It is a discipline involving the ability to think imaginatively and one in which personal views of the world are set aside so we may look more carefully at the influences that shape our lives and those of others.
Social structure is an important concept in sociology.
The permanent construction and reconstruction of social life is based upon the meanings people attach to their actions. In sociological research it is important to distinguish between the intended and unintended results of human action. Sociology studies the resulting balance between social reproduction and social transformation. Social reproduction occurs because there is continuity in what people do. Comte and Marx established some of the basic issues of sociology, such as the nature of sociology and the impact of the development of modern societies on the social world, issues later elaborated on by Durkheim and Weber.