S OCIAL S TRUCTURE
Building Blocks of Social Structure
Society as a Structure Status Role W HAT G UIDES OUR I NTERACTION
S TATUS A socially defined position in a group or society How do I fit in? Who am I: a definition Mr. Phillips Status: Teacher, Father, Student, City Councilman
A SCRIBED AND ACHIEVED STATUS Ascribed Status Just who you are You don’t have to do anything to have ascribed status Based on inherited traits Teenager, Girl, African American Can you name any other?
A CHIEVED S TATUS Acquired through your own efforts, skills An earned title You have CONTROL over this status Teacher, Actor, Basketball Player, Businessman Can you name more?
M ASTER S TATUS What you are known best for by others Can be Achieved or Ascribed (King) -In the US, MOST are achieved Father, Doctor, Fireman, Banker Sith Lord More?
ROLES How you perform in your status Bring your status to life
ROLES Reciprocal Roles Define the interaction between related statuses -Doctor – Patient -Father - Mother -Customer - Salesman
R OLES E XPECTATIONS AND P ERFORMANCES Role Expectations – Expected behaviors of a person performing a role -What society expects of the that role Role Performance – Actual behavior of a person performing a role -Does not always match society and others expectations
R OLE E XPECTATION
Role Performance
R OLE C ONFLICT AND R OLE S TRAIN Role Set : All the different roles that are attached to a person Role Conflict: Fulfilling one role makes it difficult to perform another role Role Strain: Difficulty meeting role expectations of a single status.
S OCIAL I NSTITUTIONS Status and roles determine the structure of groups in society. A group that forms when statuses are ORGANIZED to meet the basic needs of society. -provide physical and emotional support -sharing knowledge -producing and selling goods - maintaining social control
Types of Social Interaction
S OCIAL I NTERACTION How you interact with others while playing a role The Key: INTERACTION
S OCIAL I NTERACTION Exchange - Interaction between people in where an effort in to receive a reward or return -Most Basic type of interaction Reciprocity - If you do something for others they do something for you -Please & Thank You
S OCIAL I NTERACTION Exchange THEORY People are motivated by SELF INTEREST in interactions with others * People do things primarily in an attempt to gain some form of REWARD
C OMPETITION Two or more people or GROUPS oppose each other to reach a goal that only one can attain. Achieving the goal Very common in western society A good thing if people follow accepted rules of society
C ONFLICT Deliberate act -Control another person or group by force -Harm another person -Very few rules of conduct Sources of conflict War Disagreements within groups Legal disputes Clashes over ideology
C OOPERATION Two or more people or groups work together to achieve a goal Goal will benefit more than one person A very social process
A CCOMMODATION The state of balance between cooperation and competition -give a little - take a little Compromise: When both parties give up something Truce: Stops conflict until compromise is met Mediation: Calling in third party to reach agreement
T YPES OF S OCIETIES Group: A set of people who interact on the basis of shared expectations and have some degree of common identity How we classify groups Subsistence Strategies: The way a society uses technology to provide for the Needs of its members
P REINDUSTRIAL S OCIETIES Food production using human and animal labor Subdivided on how they use technology 1) Hunting and Gathering Societies 2) Pastoral societies 3) Horticultural Societies 4) Agricultural Societies
P REINDUSTRIAL S OCIETIES H UNTING AND G ATHERING Daily collection of food -Wild Plants -Wild Animals No Permanent Villages Family is main social focus Status : Relativity equal among members
P REINDUSTRIAL S OCIETIES P ASTORAL S OCIETIES More efficient form of subsistence Domesticated animals Nomadic (pasture to pasture) Much larger populations due to food surplus Trade of goods Inequality as some families amass more Wealth passed down through family Chieftains (heredity) typical form of government
P REINDUSTRIAL S OCIETIES H ORTICULTURAL S OCIETIES Fruits and Veggies from garden plots Slash and Burn Human labor, simple tools Land Rotation Permanent Villages 30 to 2000 people, Specialized Roles Trade Food surpluses create inequity -Hereditary Chieftains Political systems emerge
P REINDUSTRIAL S OCIETIES A GRICULTURAL S OCIETIES Animals used to plow and till fields (technology) More crops than just human labor… Irrigation - Large Population Possible Multiple cities in central location -Power concentrated to a single Leader -Armies, roads, transportation -Barter replaced by trade Status: Sharp division arises Landowner & Peasant
I NDUSTRIAL S OCIETIES Production of manufactured goods Machines and new technology boost production Much more food produced by fewer workers Workers free to move to production labor Where do they work? Away from farms to central locations Urbanization- Concentration of population to cities
I NDUSTRIAL S OCIETIES How we work: Productivity Very specific tasks Few skills needed Boredom
I NDUSTRIAL S OCIETIES Family no longer central focus Education outside the home (Mass Literacy) - Scientific Ideas challenge religion Achieved Individual Control
P OSTINDUSTRIAL S OCIETIES Providing information and services Standard of living and wages increase Strong Support of science and education Technology is the key to success Individual Rights Social Equity Democracy
T HE U NITED S TATES WORKFORCE 73% Postindustrial -information and services 25% Industrial -Production of goods 2% Preindustrial -Agriculture
C ONTRASTING S OCIETIES Emile Durkheimn(sociologist) Describing Social Relationships Preindustrial Society Mechanical Solidarity - Shared Values and Tasks -Society Unites for a common goal Industrial Society Organic Solidarity - Relationships based on Needs -Impersonal relationships arise from specialization - Can now longer provide for your own needs
N EXT Groups