1 of 22

Essentials of

Sociology

9th Edition

​

​

Chapter 4: Social Structure and Social Interaction

*

Social Structure and Social Interaction

2 of 22

  • What are some examples status symbols?
  • Why do some cultures tend to use status symbols more than others?
  • Do some groups tend to use status symbols more than others? If so which ones?
  • Would American society be better off if we were less obsessed with status symbols?

*

Status Symbols T-P-S

Social Structure and Social Interaction

3 of 22

  • Social Status – Position a person occupies
      • Guidelines for how we should act and feel
      • Ascribed –a status one is born with
      • Achieved –a status one earns
    • Master Status-cuts across all other statuses one holds
    • Status Inconsistency- when statuses do not mesh
    • Status Set-all of the statuses one holds
    • Status Symbol- signs that identify status

*

Social Status

Social Structure and Social Interaction

4 of 22

  • Roles – Behaviors associated with one's status
      • You Occupy a Status
      • You Play a Role
      • One’s role will change as one's status changes

​

*

Social Roles

Social Structure and Social Interaction

5 of 22

Role Conflict – a conflict between two separate statuses

The more roles you play, the more conflict you may experience

Role Strain – a strain within the same status

​

*

Role Conflict and Role Strain

Social Structure and Social Interaction

6 of 22

*

Figure 4.6 Role Strain and Role Conflict�Source: By the author.

Social Structure and Social Interaction

7 of 22

      • Read and complete activity
      • In addition, on the back of your diagram respond to the following:
      • List 10 statuses you currently hold.
      • Label them as ascribed or achieved
      • What statuses on your list, if any, would not have made your list a year ago? Five years ago?
      • Which of the statuses on your list is most prestigious? Least prestigious?
      • Can you identify, and describe, any status inconsistencies on your list?
      • Finally, of all the statuses on your list, which one would you identify as your master status? Why?

Status-Role

Social Structure and Social Interaction

8 of 22

WWYD?

Choose one episode and respond to the following:

​

What are the statuses of the different individuals in the episode? What roles were they playing?

​

Lottery

Shopping scam

Open House

Social Structure and Social Interaction

9 of 22

      • Talk with a neighbor about some statuses that you have occupied today and what roles (actions) did you take because of them.

*

Warm-up

Social Structure and Social Interaction

10 of 22

Durkheim

  • Social cohesion
  • Early on, people were connected by Mechanical solidarity
    • collective consciousness
  • Organic solidarity is present today
    • interdependence

Tonnies

  • Gemeinschaft (close-knit, personal) societies once existed
  • Today, we live in a Gesellschaft (impersonal) society

*

What Holds Society Together?

Social Structure and Social Interaction

11 of 22

  • Groups – People Who Regularly and Consciously Interact and think of themselves as belonging together
  • Social Institutions –
    • Means Developed by Societies to Meet Basic Needs
    • The more industrialized the society the more formal the institution
    • Family, religion, law, politics,education, medicine and the military
    • Set limits and provide guidelines for behavior

*

Groups and Social institutions

Social Structure and Social Interaction

12 of 22

Goals of Social Institutions

Functionalist view

  • ways of meeting group needs
  • replacing members
  • socializing new members
  • preserving order
  • providing sense of purpose

Conflict view

  • Institutions are the means by which the elite maintain their privileged position

Social Structure and Social Interaction

13 of 22

Writing Assignment

In one page answer the following:

​

Looking at the nine social institutions on page 105, choose the two that you think are most influential to society. How so? The two least influential. How so? Can American society continue to function without any of these institutions? At this point in your life which institutions are most influential in your day-to-day life? What ones do you anticipate to be most influential in twenty years from now?

Social Structure and Social Interaction

14 of 22

      • Turn project in on classroom
      • We will present findings shortly

*

Warm-up

Social Structure and Social Interaction

15 of 22

Stereotypes – Assumptions about the characteristics of certain individuals which leads to generalizations

*

Stereotypes

Figure 4.5 How Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes Work�Source: By the author.

Social Structure and Social Interaction

16 of 22

Personal Space (Edward Hall) – a invisible bubble by which we surround ourselves

  • 4 Levels:
    • Intimate- 18 inches
    • Personal- 18 in to 4 feet
    • Social - 4- 12 feet
    • Public- beyond 12 feet
    • Touching
    • Smiling
    • Eye contact
    • body language

*

Personal Space

​

Social Structure and Social Interaction

17 of 22

Erving Goffman

    • Dramaturgy – Life is like a play
      • Impression Management
          • Face Saving Behavior
          • Studied non-observance
      • Front and Back Stages
      • Role performance

Sign-vehicles

  • social setting- scenery
  • appearance- props
  • manner

*

Dramaturgy

Social Structure and Social Interaction

18 of 22

Ethnomethodology - The study of how people use background assumptions to get through everyday life

  • Harold Garfinkel's Experiments

*

Ethnomethodology

Social Structure and Social Interaction

19 of 22

Social Structure and Social Interaction

20 of 22

Background assumptions

Think of what you do everyday that is automatic and expected. Impractical jokers

​

Choose 5 things that you do that are “normal” and think of how you can violate them.

​

This weekend for homework violate one of these norms and document other reactions in a one page journal. (you may video tape it for extra credit)

Social Structure and Social Interaction

21 of 22

Homework review

Reactions?

​

Did you view people differently while observing them this way?

​

What could be done differently?

​

.

Social Structure and Social Interaction

22 of 22

Thomas Theorem – W.I. Thomas

Our behavior depends not on the objective but on the subjective interpretation of reality.

  • We behave according to the way we perceive the world

*

The Microsociological Perspective

Social Structure and Social Interaction