Chapter Four Society and Social Interaction

Society Society is a large grouping that shares the same territory and is subject to the same political authority dominant cultural expectations

Types of Societies Pre-Industrial Hunters and Gather Pastoral Horticulture Agriculture Fiefdom

Types of Societies Industrial Post-Industrial

Theories of Society Durkheim Mechanical and Organic Solidarity Anomie Marx Alienation False Consciousness Weber Rationalization Iron Cage

Society Society is a large grouping that shares the same territory and is subject to the same political authority dominant cultural expectations

Social Structure in the Macro Level Perspective Social structure is a stable pattern of social relationships that exist within a particular group or society Structure is provided by status and roles, groups, and social institutions

Social Structure in the Macro Level Perspective social structure creates boundaries that define which persons or groups will be the insiders in which will be the outsiders social marginality is the state of being part insiders in part outsider in the social structure

Social Structure in the Macro Level Perspective social marginality results in stigmatization a stigma is any physical or social attribute or sign that shows a person's social identity that disqualifies that person from full social acceptance

Components of Social Structure: Status A status is a socially defines position in a group or society characterized by certain expectations rights and duties Ascribed status is a social position conferred at birth or received involuntarily later in life Achieved status is a social position in person assumes involuntarily as a result of personal choice merit or direct effort

Status and Mobility Ascribed statuses have a significant influence on the achieve status as we occupy Where you end up is predicted by where you start!

Status A master status is the most important status a person occupies It dominates all of the individual other statuses and is overriding ingredient in determining the persons general social position Being poor or rich is a master status Status Symbols

Components of Social Structure: Roles a role is a set of behavioral expectations associated with an any given status role expectations -- a group's or society's definition of the way a specific roll ought to be played may sharply contrast to role performance how a person actually plays a role role conflict occurs when incompatible world demands are placed on a person by two or more statuses held at the same time

Components of Social Structure: Roles Role strain occurs when incompatible demands are built into a single status that a person occupies a doctor in a public clinic is responsible for keeping expenditures down and providing high- quality patient care simultaneously sexual orientation, age, and occupation frequently are associated with role strain Role exit occurs when people disengage social roles that have been central to their self-identity

Components of Social Structure: Groups The social group consists of two more people who interact frequently and share a common identity and a feeling of interdependence A primary group is a small or specialized group in which members engage in face-to- face emotion based interactions or extended period of time family, close friends, and peer groups

Components of Social Structure: Groups a secondary group is a larger more specialized group in which the members engage in more impersonal goal-oriented relationships for a limited period of time schools, churches, the military, and corporations a social network is a series of social relationships that link in individual to others Social Solidarity is the unity that emerges from long term interaction

Components of Social Structure: Groups A formal organization is a highly structured group formed for the purpose of completing certain tasks or achieving specific goals colleges, corporations, and the government a social institution is a set of organized beliefs and norms that establish how society will attempt to meet its basic social needs examples of social institutions include the family, religion, education, the economy, the government, mass media, sports, science and medicine, and the military

Components of Social Structure: Groups Functional theorists emphasize the social institutions exist because they perform five essential tasks replacing members teaching new members producing, distributing, and consuming goods and services preserving order providing in maintaining a sense of purpose

Components of Social Structure: Groups Conflict theorists agree that social institutions are organized to meet basic social needs However, they do not believe that social institutions work for the common good of everyone in society

Social Interaction: The Microlevel Perspective social interaction within a society has a certain share meanings across situations however everyone does not interpret social interaction rituals and the same way the social construction of reality is a process by which our perceptions of reality is shaped largely by the subjective meaning they begin to experience our definition of the situation can result in a self- fulfilling prophecy a false belief or prediction that produces behavior that makes the original false belief come true

Confusion Over Definitions and Reality

Social Interaction: The Microlevel Perspective Dramaturgical analysis is the study of social interaction that compares everyday life to a theatrical presentation This perspective was initiated by Erving Goffman who suggested that day to date interactions have much in common being onstage or in a dramatic production Most of us engage in impression management or presentation of self People's efforts to present themselves to others in ways that are most favorable to their own interest or image

Dramaturgical Analysis Social interaction, like a theater, has a front stage area where a player performs a specific role before an audience There is a backstage area where a player is not required to perform a specific roles because it is out of view of a given audience

Feeling Rules The sociology of emotions Arlie Hochschild suggests that we acquire a set of feeling rules which shape the appropriate emotions for a given role or specific situation emotional labor occurs when employees are required by their employers to feel and display only certain carefully selected emotions gender, class, and race are related to the expression of emotions necessary to manage one's feelings

Non-Verbal Communication nonverbal communication is the transfer of information between persons without the use of speech facial expressions, had movements, body positions, and other gestures personal space is the immediate area surrounding a person that the person claims his private age gender kind of relationship and social class are important factors and allocation of personal space power differentials between people are reflected in personal space and privacy

Importance of Nonverbal Communications Words convey thoughts Actions convey feelings Sociology is cool!!

Nonverbal Signals Convey Degree of Liking Degree of Dominance Degree of Responsiveness

Types of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics -- body movement body orientation -- face person facial -- eyes, expressions gestural -- nodding, scratching head postural -- lean toward

Types of Nonverbal Communication (cont’d) Proxemics intimate ” personal-- 18”-4’ social ’ public ’

Types of Nonverbal Communication (cont’d) Paralanguage -- use of voice -- same word, different meanings Chronemics -- use of time late -- not responsible, not organized early -- anxious, enthusiastic, excited (15 min) Artifacts -- use of symbols -- (BMW)