Building Blocks of Social Structure

 Competency Goal 3: The learner will develop an understanding of social interaction and social structure Define and evaluate the theoretical perspectives of social interaction Explain the types of social interaction Distinguish status from role and pose solutions to role conflicts Discuss how the social structure of a culture affects social interaction.

 How do societies change over time?  How have societies changed in terms of government structure, gender roles, technology, and economic factors?  How do statuses and roles impact individuals and group behavior?  What is the importance of groups in different types of societies?

Social Structure Framework

 Network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide human interaction

 Statuses: Ways of defining where individuals fit in society and how they relate to others in society  Roles: The behavior – the rights and obligations – expected of someone occupying a particular status

 Ascribed Status: Assigned according to qualities beyond a person’s controls Inherited traits or assigned automatically when a person reaches a certain age Ex: Race, Ethnicity  Achieved Status: Acquired through your own direct efforts Ex: Occupation, Marital Status  Master Status: Status that plays greatest in shaping a person’s life and determining his or her social identity  Status Set: All the statuses or positions that an individual can occupy  Status Symbol: Items used to identify a status Ex: Wedding Ring

 Think about the social status you have achieved or wish to achieve throughout the decades of your life.  Try to think of at least 4 statuses for each age-group Childhood Teens 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s and Beyond

Age-GroupRoles Childhood Teens 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s & Up

 You occupy a status, but you play a role  Reciprocal roles: Corresponding roles that define the patterns of interaction between related states Ex: Doctor-Patient, Athlete-Coach  Role Expectation: Socially determined behaviors expected of a person performing a role Ex: Parents expected to provide security  Role Performance: Actual role behavior Ex: Some parents don’t properly care for their children

 Role Set: Different roles attached to a single status Ex: Parents have to be caretakers, security providers, nurses, discipline providers, etc.  Role Conflict: Occurs when fulfilling the role expectations of one status makes it difficult to fulfill the role expectations of another status Ex: To be a good student you must do your homework, but to be a good athlete you must practice  Role Strain: Occurs when a person has difficulty meeting the role expectations of a single status Ex: Boss who has to maintain workers’ morale while getting them to work long hours of overtime

 For each scenario determine if a role conflict or role strain is present, then decide how the scenario should be resolved: 1. Tracey is upset. Her mother wants to hang out with her at a concert but Tracey wants to go with her friends 2. Sam, a single parent, has 2 children who attend the same high school. He believes in taking an active part of his children’s education and both want him to meet with their teachers at Open House. 3. Officer Jones pulls over a driver for speeding. As she approaches the car, she realizes the driver is her best friend.

Roles and Statuses Visualized Statuses held by ‘Teresa’, a 35 yr. old wife, mother, and full-time secretary Roles Corresponding to her Various Statuses MotherSecretaryWife Firm with children in setting boundaries Deferential to Boss Compromises with husband when there are disagreements Cooks Meals Proofs her boss’s correspondences Spend time with husband Helps children with homework Takes minutes at staff meetings Shares household responsibilities with husband Buys clothes for children Serves as first point of contact for bosses’ clients Communicates with husband

The Evolution of the Mother Status in Teresa’s life Socialization : Teresa learns to be a good mom and wife by playing with baby dolls as a child Occupying Statuses, Playing Roles Teresa learns what parenting is really like when she has her first child at 26, she experience role conflict when juggling mothering with work Role Exit Teresa becomes confused about her role when they move off to college, gets a pet to have something to dote on, and eventually accepts a new identity as the mother of increasingly autonomous children

 Create a personal web of your status set. Be sure to include: A drawing of yourself in the middle 10 statuses branching off your image Labels and symbols so that your 10 statuses are recognizable  Label all 10 of your statuses either ascribed or achieved  Mark your master status with a bold asterisk  On the back of your status set, respond to the following: Of the 10 statuses you have identified, choose 5 and explain the role expectations of each