Chapter 4 Social Interaction in Everyday Life

Status Social position a person holds at one time –Dance partner –Boss –Friend –Harley club member –Sports participant –Business manager © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Type of Status Ascribed: Involuntary positions Achieved: Voluntary positions Master status: Has special importance for social identity, shaping a person’s life © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Role Role set: Roles attached to a single status –Example: status of mother Disciplinarian Sports authority Dietitian Dr. Mom Pretty mom © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Role Conflict and Role Strain Role conflict –Involves two or more statuses Example: A police officer who catches her own son using drugs at home–mother and police officer © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Role Conflict and Role Strain Role strain –Involves a single status Example: Manager who tries to balance concern for workers with task requirements–office manager © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Role Exit Role exit: Becoming an “ex” –Disengaging from social roles can be very traumatic without proper preparation The process of becoming an “ex” –Doubts form about ability to continue with a certain role © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Status Set and Role Sets A status set includes all the statuses a person holds at a given time. The status set defines who we are in society. The many roles linked to each status define what we do.

Role Exit –Examination of new roles leads to a turning point; one decides to pursue a new direction –Learning new expectations associated with new role –Past role might influence new self © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Social Construction of Reality The process by which people creatively shape reality through social interaction “Street smarts” The Thomas theorem –Situations that are defined as real are real in their consequences © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Housework in Global Perspective Source: United Nations (2010).

The Social Construction of Reality Ethnomethodology –The study of the way people make sense of their everyday surroundings –Explores the process of making sense of social encounters © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reality Building: Class and Culture How we act or what we see in our surroundings depends on our interests Social background also affects what we see People build reality from the surrounding culture © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goffman’s Dramaturgical Analysis Presentation of self or impression management –Efforts to create specific impressions in the minds of others © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goffman’s Dramaturgical Analysis Role performance includes –Stage setting –Use of props: costume, tone of voice, gesture –Example: Going to the doctor and playing the expected patient role © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nonverbal Communication Words Voice Body language Facial expressions Demeanor Personal space © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Performances Gender is a central element in personal performances Demeanor –The way we act and carry ourselves Use of space © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Performances –Power plays a key role Staring, smiling, touching –Eye contact encourages interaction –Smiling: Trying to please or submission? –Touching: Intimacy and caring © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Idealization We construct performances to idealize our intentions Professionals typically idealize their motives for entering their chosen careers We all use idealization to some degree © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Embarrassment and Tact Embarrassment: Discomfort following a spoiled performance Goffman: Embarrassment is "losing face" Tact is helping someone "save face” © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Embarrassment and Tact An audience often overlooks flaws in a performance; actor avoids embarrassment Goffman: Behavior is often spontaneous, but it is more patterned than we think © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Emotions: The Social Construction of Feeling The biological side of emotions –Some emotion response “wired” into humans The cultural side of emotions –Ekman: Culture defines what triggers emotion Emotions on the job –Hochschild: Typical company tries to regulate not only employees’ behavior, but emotions © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Language Power and Value –Female pronouns and ownership –Women often adopt the husband’s surname. –Feminine terms are more likely to change to negative meanings than masculine terms © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Humor Humor is unconventional – It’s a violation of cultural norms Humor is tied to a common culture and doesn’t translate easily –“Not getting it”- a person doesn’t understand a joke’s conventional/unconventional realities © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Humor Humor acts as a safety valve by expressing opinions on a sensitive topic. Humor and conflict –“Put down” with jokes about race, sex, gender, and the disabled © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.