1. Social Relationships and the Human Experience
Social relationships give us a way to conceive social context
we predict meaning of others’ actions while mutually adjusting our behaviour relative to those others
Social relationships help us to explain how behaviour and thought is informed by the broader social context
LO 3

2. Social Relationships and the Human Experience
larger social relationships remain unchanged longer than smaller relationships
the larger a social relationship the less important one person’s actions are for the stability of the relationship
size of relationship shapes the human experience
LO 3

3. Social Relationships and the Human Experience
Different social relationships (formal & informal) are more likely to emerge as relationships get larger and more complex
large relationships more likely to form organizations to address challenges than smaller relationships
people are motivated to act and think by the size of the social relationship
LO 3

4. Social Relationships and the Human Experience
Subjective Meaning, Motivation, and the Human Experience
We can understand the human experience if we keep in mind that we are motivated by subjective meaning
Verstehen–“walking a mile in another’s shoes”
understanding and explaining social action requires an “interpretive grasp” of “complex meaning”
LO 3

5. Social Relationships and the Human Experience
Complex meaning – meanings shared through social relationships
An interpretive grasp of complex meaning (Verstehen) is more challenging when trying to understand novel behaviour
yet it is critical for a sociological understanding of human experience
LO 3

6. Social Relationships and the Human Experience
inability to interpretively grasp subjective meaning reduces behaviour to a personal rather than a social issue
not necessary to agree with others’ motivations and meanings
without a grasp of subjective meaning we have only a partial understanding of human experience
LO 3