1. Social Structures and Group Behaviour

2. Recap from yesterday Prejudice Discrimination – examples
What causes people to be prejudice?
Learned it
Competition

3. Review Activity Using your notes, complete the example chart
Think of 2 examples per term
10 minutes to complete this activity

4. Social Structures Most of our social interactions occur in patterns
It is patterned social arrangements in society that causes, and determines, the actions of the individuals
We develop a pattern of behaviour within society, and then even as we grow these patterns stay the same

5. Examples of Social Strucutres
They could be institutions:
School systems
Hospital systems
Political institutions
Religious institutions
Or they could be other elements in society:
Family structures
Peer relationships

6. What are Social Structures Example: School
Since the day we start school, we have to interact with teachers
This interaction has rules, that is, guidelines that lay out how such integrations are to be shaped and how the parties to the integrations are expected to behave
The individual teachers that we encounter may change, but the rules remain basically the same
The education setting may change (college, university, high school) but the fundamental patterns of interaction remain largely similar

7. Today!
Explain the ways in which social structures affect individual and group behaviour
Focus: Family roles and culture
Family members have roles within the family (ex. Mother, father, son, daughter).
These roles carry particular meanings in every society and influence peoples behaviour

8. Family roles Change from one culture to the next
Roles change over time
How has Canadian society family roles changed?

9. Family obligations Who in your family is responsible for:
Repairs in the house?
Looking after young children?
Cleaning dishes?
Earning money?
Paying for wedding?
These roles would be different if we were in another society

10. Studying Society Structures
We use meta-analysis a study combining the results of many other studies, when we study cultures
Canadian researchers, Hamamura and Heine (2007) found that East Asians and Westerners tend to view themselves differently – and those differences have an important effect on family roles
Both cultures perceive themselves positively – tend to like themselves and feel that they are good people

11. Westerner Culture
Tend to have a great deal of self-enhancement (the belief that you are more competent and better than your actions and behaviours indicate)
Remember: Defense mechanism (denial, self-rationalization)
Tend to see themselves more positively than they actually are
For example: if a student gets a bad mark on a test then it is a minor mistake, the teachers fault, or bad luck

12. Asian Cultures Concept of shame is a strong motivation
They would try not to get the bad mark in the first place
Concerned with what others think
Self-concept is closely tied to a person’s family roles and obligations