structural form

is structure as it is generalizations or inferences whereas social structure is structure as it is actually observed.

is the generalization of observed resemblances between structures. If social structure is about actual observations, of say one chief, structural form refers to the generalizations of 'the chief' made across individual observations.

as 'Each sea shell has its own 'structure', but the structure of one may resemble the structure of another. In this case, the two are said, in Radcliffe-Brown's terms, to share a common 'structural form'. The analogy is that social structure is about actual observations, that is, what the anthropologist actually sees and hears about individual people, whereas structural form is about generalization, that is, what an anthropologist infers about a particular society on the basis of his or her observations of individuals. Suppose Edward is a chief. Suppose George is another chief among the same people. Perhaps George has succeeded Edward after Edward's death. The anthropologist observes the two chiefs in action, and the relation between each chief and his people constitutes an example of social structure. When the anthropologist generalizes about the role of 'the chief' (rather than the role of Edward or George), he or she is now describing the structural form. (barnard history : 72)

structural form, n.All

structural form