Mr. Cameron Jeannette HS SOCIAL STRUCTURE

 Sociologists have often viewed society as a system of interrelated parts, or as a structure  Social structure – The network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide human interaction  Status – Socially defined position in a group or in a society  Role – The behavior expected of someone occupying a particular status BUILDING BLOCKS OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE

 Statuses are ways of defining where individuals fit in society and how they relate to others in society  Statuses of President Obama:  President  Father  Husband  African American  Lawyer  Basketball Fan  What are some of your statuses? STATUS

 Ascribed Status – Assigned according to qualities beyond a person’s control  Not based on ability, efforts, or accomplishments  Examples:  Teenager  Gender  Family Heritage  Race ASCRIBED STATUS

 Achieved Status – Acquired through a person’s direct efforts  Efforts include:  Special Skills  Knowledge  Ability  Examples:  All Occupations  Husband/Wife  Parent  High School Graduate  Athlete ACHIEVED STATUS

 Master Status – Plays the greatest role in shaping a person’s life and determining his or her social identity  A master status can be either achieved or ascribed  Examples:  Occupation  Wealth  Marital Status  Parenthood  What is your master status? MASTER STATUS

 Master statuses change many times over the course of your life  Teenagers:  Student  Athlete  Adulthood:  Occupation  Parenthood  Late Adulthood:  Hobbies  Being a Grandparent MASTER STATUS CONTINUED

 Role – The behavior expected of someone occupying a particular status  “You occupy a status, but you play a role”  At school you play the role associated with the status of student  At home you play the role associated with the status of son or daughter ROLES

 Reciprocal Role – Corresponding roles that define the patterns of interaction between related statuses  Husband Wife  Doctor Patient  Athlete Coach  Friend Friend  Leader Follower ROLES

 Role Expectations – The socially determined behaviors expected of a person performing a role  Doctors are expected to treat their patients with skill and care  Parents are expected to provide for their children  Police officers are expected to uphold the law  Do these people always meet society’s expectations? ROLE EXPECTATIONS

 One way that people form their role expectations is by observing role models.  People of all ages work to imitate others whom they admire.  List two people whom you consider to be role models.  What characteristics do these people possess that have made them effective role models in your life?  How have these people helped define your role expectations? APPLYING SOCIOLOGY

 Do these people always meet society’s expectations? NO!  Role Performance – A person’s actual role behavior  Some doctors do not provide the best possible care  Some parents mistreat their children  Occasionally, role behaviors considered appropriate by a certain part of society are seen as inappropriate by society as a whole ROLE PERFORMANCE

 Role Conflict – Occurs when fulfilling the role expectations of one status makes it difficult to fulfill the role expectations of another status  Good Employee = Going to Work  Good Parent = Staying Home & Take Care of Children  Role Strain – Occurs when a person has difficulty meeting the role expectations of a single status  A teacher that has to maintain the morale of students while getting them to continually work may experience role strain ROLE CONFLICT & ROLE STRAIN

 When you play a role, you have to interact with others  The five most common forms of social interaction:  Exchange  Competition  Conflict  Cooperation  Accommodation TYPES OF SOCIAL INTERACTION

 Exchange – Whenever people interact in an effort to receive a reward or a return for their actions  Many sociologists believe exchange is the most basic form of interaction  Exchanges are a part of:  Dating  Family Life  Friendship EXCHANGE

 Reciprocity – The idea that if you do something for someone, that person owes you something in return  Nonmaterial Rewards:  Thank you for doing the dishes  Material Reward:  A wage you receive for working at a restaurant  Exchange Theory – People are motivated by self- interest in their interactions with other people  People do things primarily for rewards  When the costs of an interaction outweigh the rewards, people are likely to end the relationship EXCHANGE

 Competition – Occurs when two or more people or groups oppose each other to achieve a goal that only one can attain  List three examples of competition from your own life  Many scholars think competition is a cornerstone of American society…do you agree? Why or why not?  What are the positives and negatives of competition? COMPETITION

 Most sociologists view competition as a positive means of motivating people  Competition can be negative:  Psychological Stress  A lack of cooperation  Inequality  Conflict COMPETITION

 Competition = Achieving the Goal  Conflict = Defeating the Opponent  Conflict – The deliberate attempt to control a person by force, to oppose someone, or to harm another person  Conflicts can range from bullying a classmate to killing someone  What other types of conflict can you think of? CONFLICT

 Four Sources of Conflict: 1.Wars 2.Disagreements within Groups 3.Legal Disputes 4.Clashes over Ideology  Ideology = Religion/Politics  What are the positives of conflict?  Positives:  Strengthens group loyalty  Can bring social change TYPES OF CONFLICT

 Cooperation – Two or more people or groups work together to achieve a goal that will benefit more than one person  No group can complete its tasks or achieve its goals without cooperation from its members  Examples:  Football  Band  Class Officers COOPERATION

 Accommodation – A state of balance between cooperation and conflict  Accommodation – Staying at a hotel for $80  Cooperation – Staying at a hotel for free  Conflict – Hotel owner refusing to let you stay no matter what  Accommodation can take a number of different forms:  Compromise – Two parties give up something to come to a mutual agreement  Truce – Brings a halt to conflict until a compromise is reached  Mediation – A third party acts as an advisor or counselor  Arbitration – A third party makes a binding decision ACCOMMODATION

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