&NR=1 Free hugs

How do we create reality in our face-to-face interactions?

Axg0 String experiment

 SOCIAL INTERACTION › Process by which people act and react in relation to others  STATUS › Social position  STATUS SET › All statuses a person holds

Ascribed Status › Received at birth › Taken on involuntarily later Achieved Status › Voluntary Ascribed statuses ->Achieved statuses

Achieved Status

Master Status Special importance for Social Identity › Negative or positive  Gender  Athlete  Nerd  Criminal

 Behavior expected of someone who Holds a particular status › Person holds a status  Who we are › Person performs a role  What we do

Role Set Roles attached to a single status

 Role Conflict › Conflict among roles connected to two or more statuses (student, job, athlete)  Role Strain › Tension among roles connected to single status (student)

Statuses  Student  Athlete  Job Conflicts  Time  Importance  Enjoyment  Expectations

Tension among roles connected to a single status

Process: People disengage from social roles › Becoming an “ex”  Graduating  Retirement  Widow  Divorce  Changing jobs

Status Set and Role Sets A status set includes all the statuses a person holds at a given time. The status set defines “who we are” in society. The many roles linked to each status define “what we do.”

Process by which people creatively shape reality through social interaction › Social interaction is: › Complex › Involves Negotiation › Builds reality › Perception of events based on interests and intentions

“Situations that are defined as real are real in their consequences.”

SHARED DEFINITION OF THE SITUATION

Study of: The way people make sense of everyday life  Behavior based on assumptions  “Breaching experiments”

 Taking items from others’ shopping carts  Standing very, very close  Tipping person who opens door for you  Eating with fingers in fancy restaurant

How we act & what we see depends on: Our interests Social class Gender Race/ethnicity Culture

 Study of:  Social interaction as a theatrical performance Erving Goffman ( )

› Efforts to create specific impressions in others’ minds THE PRESENTATION OF SELF Impression Management

ch?v=ld14ZG2mzNM Phony Phone Call

Reveal information:  Consciously & Unconsciously  Dress (costume)  Objects we carry (props)  Tone of voice and way we carry ourselves (demeanor)  Influenced by context (the set)

Communication using: Body movements Gestures Facial expressions

Learning body language

Process of learning: Values Beliefs Norms of a social group  Begins in infancy  Lasts throughout lifetime

The self is our identity Who we are Separate and different from others Self is created & modified Through social interaction Socialization process

Development of Self-Identity

1. Imagine how we present ourselves to others 2. Imagine how others evaluate us 3. Develop feeling about ourselves

Self: Two parts I and Me  I=Spontaneous, Creative, and Impulsive  Me=Socialized, Aware of others’ perceptions, Controls impulses

Preparatory Stage (0 - 3 yrs.) Imitate behavior Play Stage (3 - 5 yrs.) Play roles of individuals Game Stage (Early school years) Take several roles simultaneously Take role of generalized other

Role-taking: Imagine what others think and feel Generalized Other  Imagine roles of others  Assume several roles simultaneously  Reference for evaluating ourselves Significant Others  People with special importance for our socialization

Lifelong social process by which individuals: Develop human potential and Learn culture

› Family › Schools › Peers › Mass media

Basics of taking care of self Language and communication skills Norms Social skills Develop self

Knowledge, skills, and social roles Hidden curriculum : Punctuality Neatness Discipline Hard work Competition Obedience

 Similar: Interests Social position Age  Escape supervision of adults  Form own relationships

Delivers impersonal communications to vast audience  New ideas and images  Affect attitudes and behavior  Social norms  Repeated exposure to:  Political  Religious  Social views