Social Structure and Social Interaction Chapter 4

Chapter Overview “Quiz” Overview of Social Structure and Social Interaction Macro Level: Social Structure Micro Level: Everyday Social Interaction Review

I. Introductory “Quiz”

1. Social class is alive and well in the U.S. and guides our behavior. True

2. Each of us plays a social role. True

3. The domestication of plants and animals caused social inequality. True

4. The public would not consider a woman who is a size 14 to be sex symbol. False

5. The media pressures men to hate their bodies. False

6. More people are effected by economics than any other social institution. False

7. Hunting and gathering societies are the only societies that are completely egalitarian. True

8. About 25% of the US workforce is employed in service industries. False

9. People in service-oriented societies either provide or apply information. True

10. If people define situations as real, they are real. According to Thomas Theorem, True.

II. Overview of Social Structure and Social Interaction Charts Vocabulary

Components of Social Structure Society Composed of five institutional spheres Politics Family Religion Economics Education

Components of Each Institutional Sphere Micro Macro Institutional structure Organizations (larger, more formal groups) Groups (two or more interacting people, sharing an identity) Statuses (positions within an organization or group) Roles (behavior attached to status) Institutionalized moral beliefs and behavioral rules that support structure Values (moral beliefs) Norms (rules of behavior based on moral beliefs)

Vocabulary: 1. Levels of Sociological Analysis a. Macrosociology (function & conflict theories) = focus on broad features of society (i.e., social class & how groups are related to each other) b. Microsociology (symbolic interactionists) = emphasis on social interaction (i.e., language used by a certain group & group rules)

III. Macro level: Social Structure Social structure = typical patterns of a group that guide our behavior Major Components (an overview) Culture Social Class Social Status Roles Groups Social Institutions Societies Definitions of each

C. Definitions of each: 1. Culture = a group’s language, beliefs, values, behaviors, and gestures; the broadest framework that determines what kind of people we are 2. Social Class = a large group of people who have similar amounts of income and education and who work at jobs that are roughly comparable in prestige; a combination of education, income, and prestige

Social status = the position a person occupies Status set Ascribed status Achieved Status Master Status Status symbols

Roles = the behaviors, obligations, and privileges attached to a status You occupy a status You play a role We usually want to do that which our roles indicate is appropriate for us.

5. Group = a collection of people who regularly and consciously interact with one another, who usually share similar values, norms, and expectations; a strong determiner of the members’ behavior So what groups do you belong to?

6. Social Institutions = the solution to a problem How many are there, what are they called, and what do they do?

Family Religion Economics Education Politics Law Science Medicine Military Mass Media

7. Society = a group of people who share a culture and a territory

The Four Social Revolutions Hunting and Gathering Society Domestication: Plants and Animals Pastoral Society Horticultural Agricultural: Invention of the Plough Agricultural Society Industrial: Invention of the Steam Engine Industrial Society Emerging Information: Invention of the Micro Chip? Postindustrial Society

Hunting and Gathering

Domestication: Horticultural or Pastoral

Agricultural

Industrial

Information

“Comparing Traditional See hand-out: “Comparing Traditional And Modern Societies”

Urban Makeup of the U.S. Population, 1790-2010

How Do Societies Stay Together During and After Change? Definition: Social Cohesion = the degree to which a society feels united Theories a. Durkheim Mechanical solidarity Organic solidarity b. Tonnies Gemeinschaft = traditional societies Gesellschaft = modern societies

B. Microlevel: Everyday Social Interaction Proxemics Demo Intimate distance Personal distance Social distance Public distance

Dramaturgy = the day to day presentation of self Impression management Goffman: Dramaturgy = the day to day presentation of self Impression management Front stage Back stage Role conflict Role strain

Role Strain You Son or Daughter Friend Student Worker Visit Mom in Hospital Work Emergency Overtime Go to 21st Birthday Party Study for Test Role Conflict

Role Conflict You Student Not Make Others Look Bad Do Well Role Strain

Role Expectations, Performance, Conflict and Strain

Garfinkle: the Social Construction of Reality Or What if everybody thought it was true?

V. Review