Post on 01-Dec-2014
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Chapter 4:Chapter 4:
Social Interaction – the ways that people interact with one another
Macrosociology – Analysis of social life that focuses on broad features of society, such as social class and the relationships of groups to one another; usually used by functionalists and conflict theorists Large-Scale Features of Social Life
Microsociology – Analysis of social life that focuses on social interaction; typically used by symbolic integrationists Focus on Social Interaction
Sociological Significance of Social Structure Social Structure – the framework that surrounds
us, consisting of the relationships of people and groups, which gives direction to and sets limits on behavior
Guides Our Behavior Behavior Decided by Location in Social Structure Culture Social Class – according to Weber, a large group
of people who rank close to one another in wealth, prestige, and power; according to Marx, one of two groups: capitalists who own the means of production or workers who sell their labor.
Social Class Divides People by… Income Education Occupational Prestige Social Status – the position that someone
occupies in society or in a social group
Status Set – all the statuses or positions that an individual can occupy
Ascribed statuses – positions an individual either inherits at birth or receives involuntarily later in life
Sex Race-ethnicity
Achieved Statuses – positions that are earned, accomplished, or involve at least some effort or activity on the individual’s part
Status Symbols – items used to identify a status
Master Status – a status that cuts across all other statuses that an individual occupies
Status inconsistency - ranking high on some dimensions of social class and low on others, also called Status Discrepancy
Examples: a 14 year old college student…..or a 40 year old married woman who is dating a 19 year old college sophomore
Role – the behaviors, obligations, and privileges attached to a status The difference between a role and a
status.. Occupy Status Play Role
Group – people who have something in common and who believe that what they have in common is significant; also called a Social Group
Sociological Significance of Social Institutions
Social Institutions – the organized, usual, or standard ways by which society meets its basic needs Ten Social Institutions in Industrialized
Societies See page 105
Mass Media as an Emerging Social Institution Media is starting to shape public opinion
Functionalist Perspective Functional Requisites – the major tasks that a
society must fulfill if it is to survive Replacing members, Socializing new members,
producing and distributing goods and services, Preserving order, providing a sense of purpose
Conflict Perspective Powerful Groups Control Institutions Small Groups Garner Lion’s Share of
Wealth Social Institutions Affect Gender Relations Main Purpose is to Preserve Social Order
What Holds Society Together? Social Integration: the degree to which
members of a group or a society feel united by shared values and other social bonds; also known as social cohesion
Mechanical and Organic Solidarity Mechanical Solidarity: Durkheim’s term for the
unity (a shared consciousness) that people feel as a result of performing the same or similar tasks
Organic Solidarity: Durkheim’s term for the interdependence that results from the division of labor; people depending on others to fulfill their jobs
Division of labor: the splitting of a group’s or a society’s tasks into specialties
Gemeinschaft: a type of society in which life is intimate; a community in which everyone knows everyone else and people share a sense of togetherness Ex. Amish Communities (see page 109)
Gesellschaft: a type of society that is dominated by impersonal relationships, individual accomplishments, and self-interest Ex. United States
Stereotypes: assumptions of what people are like, whether true or false Classify Others By Visible Characteristics Ideas About Characteristics Guide Our
Behavior
Page 111
Personal Space Intimate Distance, Personal Distance, Social Distance, Public
Distance
Touching
Eye Contact
Applied Body Language
TSA using this to fight terrorism (reading facial expressions, looking for nervousness, ect.)
Body Language: The ways in which people use their bodies to give messages to others, much of which is done subconsciously
Dramaturgy: an approach pioneered by Erving Goffman, in which social life is analyzed in terms of drama or the stage; also called dramaturgical analysis
Impression Management: people’s efforts to control the impressions that others receive of them
Front stage: where performances are given Back stage: where people rest from their
performances, discuss their presentations, and plan future performances
Role Performance: The ways in which someone performs a role, showing a particular “style” or “personality”
Role Conflict: conflicts that someone else feels between roles because the expectations attached to one role are incompatible with the expectations of another role
Role Strain: Conflicts that someone feels within a role
Sign Vehicles: the term used by Goffman to refer to how people use social setting, appearance, and manner to communicate information about the self
Teamwork: the collaboration of two or more people to manage impressions jointly
Face saving behavior: techniques used to salvage a performance that is going sour
We become the roles we play.
Ethnomethodology: The study of how people use background assumptions to make sense out of life
Background Assumptions: deeply embedded common understandings of how the world operates and how people ought to act
Harold Garfinkle experiments page 118
Thomas Theorem: William I. and Dorothy S. Thomas’ classic formulation of the definition of the situation: “If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences”
Social Construct of Reality: the use of background assumptions and life experiences to define what is real