Social Structure The challenge to fit in & be an individual

Sociological Imagination Teenage Drinking –Why do teens who break the law get the reward in our society for following along –Why do teens who up hold the law get made fun of for doing the ‘right thing’? Consider the ways the different social sciences examined the social problem of teenage drinking

Patterns Social Structure: Patterned interaction of people in social relationships Pattern Competition

Social Structure of School Every school system shares the same characteristics Teachers lecture, walk around the room working with students, give tests Students follow the teachers lesson plan, make notes, take tests Administrators walk the halls, enforce the rules

Patterned Relationships People’s behavior within a group setting cannot be predicted from their personal characteristics Difference between being a student, a teenager, a daughter or son…

Social Structure of the School Patterned relationships brings stability, individuality rocks the boat Student expectations Student behavior Teacher expectations Teacher behavior

Social Structure Something new is created when people come together to create a group. Conformity is the glue All groups encourage conformity

Conformity Members are taught to value the groups ways Behavior within a group cannot be predicted simply from knowledge about its individual members The group is more than the sum of its parts

Individuality? So how does an individual conform to group dynamics and still retain any individuality? How average are we?

"Most Americans shower everyday, for 10 minutes or less, and spend 35 minutes of time in the bathroom, on average. These are some of the not-so- surprising findings on people's ablutions derived from the 1999 Bathroom Habits Survey, American Standards poll of more than 800 U.S. residents."

I want to be an individual Sociological Imagination: knowing how social forces affect our lives can prevent us from being prisoners to those forces. –C. Wright Mills (2000) Helps us understand the effect of events, such as social pressures, on our daily lives With this understanding we are in a better position to make our own decisions rather than merely conform

Student who hates school? Sociological Imagination can set you free Sociological imagination questions common interpretations of human social behavior & challenges conventional social wisdom (ideas people assume are true) (hmmm kinda sounds like that common sense thing we’ve talked about)

Social Structure Assessment Fairmont according to me –Power point –Your social structure on a typical school day –Examples of conformity throughout your day –What groups affect you as an individual