Social Relationships and Social Status Positions The notion of social action reminds us that we almost always interact with others in a social relationship and our behaviour and thinking is influenced, shaped or informed by this social relationships are our social context Verstehen – provides direction for understanding how social relationships shape behaviour LO 1

Social Relationships and Social Status Positions We are part of a number of different social relationships in the form of groups Ie. family, education social relationships differ based on social status positions positions that a person occupies in a social relationships which are recognized by others LO 1

Social Relationships and Social Status Positions the collection of all the status positions that a person might occupy by virtue of belonging to different social relationships is a status set Achieved and Ascribed Social Status Positions Achieved – positions we occupy on the basis of accomplishment or effort (graduate) Ascribed – positions by virtue of birth (woman or man) LO 1

Social Relationships and Social Status Positions these can be unclear or blurred (nationality, sex change) status’ are more or less fixed fixed status’ are difficult to change due to the resistance others have to such a change social status positions are not purely personal matters Social status positions are granted and recognized by others LO 1

Social Relationships and Social Status Positions social status positions mean particular things to people at particular times some positions influence how one behaves and thinks Master status – social status position that has an impact on all or almost all positions one might have as part of their status set (gender and race) play a key role in our identity LO 1