1. CHAPTER 4 Social Structure
Sociology
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CHAPTER 4 Social Structure
Section 1: Building Blocks of Social Structure
Section 2: Types of Social Interaction
Section 3: Types of Societies
Section 4: Groups Within Society
Section 5: The Structure of Formal Organizations
Chapter 4

2. Objectives: Section 1: Building Blocks of Social Structure
Sociology
4/25/2017
Objectives:
Section 1: Building Blocks of Social Structure
Identify and describe the two major components of social structure.
Analyze how these two components of social structure affect human interaction.
Chapter 4

3. What is Social Structure?
Sociology
What is Social Structure?
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Social structure is the network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide human interactions within societies.
Social structure
within a family
Chapter 4

4. Major Components of Social Structure
Sociology
4/25/2017
Major Components of Social Structure
Status – a socially defined position in a group or in a society and has attached to it one or more roles
Ascribed status — Status assigned according to standards that are beyond a person's control, such as age, sex, family heritage, or race.
Not based on one’s abilities, efforts, or accomplishments, but on inherited traits or certain age groups
Chapter 4

5. Major Components of Social Structure
Sociology
4/25/2017
Major Components of Social Structure
Achieved Status – Status acquired by an individual on the basis of some special skill, knowledge, or ability.
Includes all occupations, husband/wife, parent, high school graduate, athlete.
Gained through one’s personal efforts
Include special knowledge, skills, and/or abilities
People have control over their achieved statuses, but not their ascribed statuses
Chapter 4

6. Major Components of Social Structure
Sociology
4/25/2017
Major Components of Social Structure
Master status – is the status that plays the greatest role in shaping a person's life and determining his or her social identity.
Either achieved or ascribed
Examples include occupation, wealth, marital status, parenthood
During much of adulthood master status may be defined by one’s occupation
Changes over the course of a person’s life
Teenager – student; athlete
Adulthood – occupation; marriage
Retirement – grandparenthood; hobbies; past achievements
Chapter 4

7. Examples of Master Status
Sociology
Examples of Master Status
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Adulthood:
Job
Retirement:
Leisure Time
Adolescence/Young
Adulthood:
Student
Chapter 4

8. Major Components of Social Structure
Sociology
4/25/2017
Major Components of Social Structure
Role – the behavior expected of someone occupying a particular status
You occupy a status, but you play a role
Reciprocal roles —corresponding roles that define the patterns of interaction between related statuses
Must have someone performing the role of the other spouse in order for a person to be a spouse
Ex: doctor-patient; athlete-coach; friend-friend
People’s particular roles and statuses affect how they relate to one another.
Chapter 4

9. Examples of Reciprocal Roles
Sociology
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Sales Clerk-
Customer
Doctor-Patient
Employee-
Employer
Friend-Friend
Chapter 4

10. Roles, Status, and Human Interaction
Sociology
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Roles, Status, and Human Interaction
Role expectations —socially determined behaviors expected of a person performing a role
Ex: doctors are expected to treat patients with care
Role performance —the actual behavior of a person performing a role
Do not always correspond with the given role’s expectations
Can be seen as inappropriate within in society if role expectations are not met
The difference in role expectation and then performance can be attributed to the fact that some people are asked to fulfill contradicting roles at the same time
Chapter 4

11. Roles, Status, and Human Interaction
Sociology
4/25/2017
Roles, Status, and Human Interaction
Role set —the different roles attached to a single status
Many interrelated roles to perform within in a single status
Role conflict —a situation that occurs when fulfilling and expectations of one role makes it difficult to fulfill the expectations of another role
Actually happens because of conflict between statuses
Chapter 4

12. Roles, Status, and Human Interaction
Sociology
4/25/2017
Roles, Status, and Human Interaction
Role strain —a situation that occurs when a person has difficulty meeting the expectations of a single role
An employee being forced
to work overtime by their
boss
“I’ll be late for dinner, Dear. I’m up to my neck in paperwork.”
Chapter 4

13. Roles, Status, and Human Interaction
Sociology
4/25/2017
Roles, Status, and Human Interaction
Social Institutions —a system of statuses, roles, values, and norms that is organized to satisfy one or more of the basic needs of society
Primary social institutions studied by sociologists include:
Family
Economy
Politics
Education
Religion
Chapter 4

14. Building Blocks of Social Structure
Sociology
SECTION 1
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Building Blocks of Social Structure
Status
Examples of Roles
Examples of Conflict / Strain
voluntarily puts self in danger but has loved ones who need him or her
fire fighter
putting out fires, saving lives, wearing a uniform
mother
providing food and shelter, nurturing family, disciplining children
work fatigue and long shifts make household tasks and interactions difficult
P.T.A. president
running meetings, recruiting new members, planning activities
has trouble getting members to attend and follow through on promises
Chapter 4

15. Objectives: Section 2: Types of Social Interaction
Sociology
4/25/2017
Objectives:
Section 2: Types of Social Interaction
Identify the most common types of social interaction.
Distinguish between types of interactions that stabilize social structure and those that can disrupt it.
Chapter 4

16. Common Types of Social Interaction
Sociology
4/25/2017
Common Types of Social Interaction
Exchange – interacting in an effort to receive a reward or a return for one’s actions
Competition – two or more people or groups in opposition to achieve a goal that only one can attain
Conflict – the deliberate attempt to control a person by force, to oppose someone else, or to harm another person
Chapter 4

17. Common Types of Social Interaction
Sociology
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Common Types of Social Interaction
Section 2: Types of Social Interaction
Cooperation – two or more people or groups working together to achieve a goal that will benefit more than one of them
Accommodation – a state of balance between cooperation and conflict
Chapter 4

18. Interactions That Stabilize and Disrupt
Sociology
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Interactions That Stabilize and Disrupt
Competition and Conflict – disrupt social stability
Accommodation, Exchange, and Cooperation stabilize social stability
Chapter 4

19. Objectives: Section 3: Types of Societies
Sociology
4/25/2017
Objectives:
Section 3: Types of Societies
Identify and describe the types of societies that exist in the world today.
Explain the roles individuals play in these models of group systems.
Chapter 4

20. Sociology
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Types of Societies
Preindustrial – food production is the main economic activity and can be subdivided according to the level of technology and the method of producing food
Industrial – emphasis shifts from the production of food to the production of manufactured goods made possible by changes in production methods
Postindustrial – much of the economy is involved in providing information and services
Chapter 4

21. Roles of Individuals Roles related to: Leadership Family Work
Sociology
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Roles of Individuals
Roles related to:
Leadership
Family
Work
Chapter 4

22. Objectives: Section 4: Groups Within Society
Sociology
4/25/2017
Objectives:
Section 4: Groups Within Society
Summarize the major features of primary and secondary groups.
Identify the purposes that groups fulfill.
Chapter 4

23. Features of Primary Groups
Sociology
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Features of Primary Groups
Interact over a long period of time on a direct and personal basis
Entire self of the individual is taken into account
Relationships are intimate and face-to-face
Chapter 4

24. Features of Secondary Groups
Sociology
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Features of Secondary Groups
Interaction is impersonal and temporary in nature
Involve a reaction to only a part of the individual’s self
Casual and limited to personal involvement
Chapter 4

25. Sociology
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Purposes of Groups
Select leaders – people that influence the attitudes and opinions of others
Define their boundaries – so that members can tell who belongs and who does not
Set goals, assign tasks, and make decisions
Control their members’ behavior – if members violate groups norms, the group cannot survive long
Chapter 4

26. Objectives: Section 5: The Structure of Formal Organizations
Sociology
4/25/2017
Objectives:
Section 5: The Structure of Formal Organizations
Explain how bureaucracies are structured.
Evaluate the effectiveness of bureaucracies.
Chapter 4

27. Weber’s Model Division of Labor Ranking of Authority
Sociology
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Weber’s Model
Division of Labor
Ranking of Authority
Employment based on formal qualifications
Rules and regulations
Specific lines of promotion and advancement
Chapter 4

28. Effectiveness of Bureaucracies
Sociology
4/25/2017
Effectiveness of Bureaucracies
Efficient at coordinating large numbers of people, defining tasks and rewards
Provides stability
Can lose sight of goals, create red tape, and result in oligarchies
In some instances, rewards incompetence and expands uncontrollably
Chapter 4

29. Sociology
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Chapter 4

30. Sociology
4/25/2017
Chapter 4

31. Sociology
SECTION 1
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Building Blocks of Social Structure
Question:
What are the two major components of social structure, and how do they affect human interaction?
Chapter 4

32. Types of Social Interaction
Sociology
SECTION 2
4/25/2017
Types of Social Interaction
Question:
What are some common types of social interaction, and what are examples
of each?
Chapter 4

33. Types of Social Interactions
Sociology
SECTION 2
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Types of Social Interaction
Exchange
Competition
Types of Social Interactions
Conflict
Cooperation
Accommodation
Chapter 4

34. Sociology
SECTION 3
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Types of Societies
Question:
What are the three main types of societies and characteristics or examples of each?
Chapter 4

35. Types of Societies SECTION 3 Preindustrial Industrial
Sociology
SECTION 3
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Types of Societies
Preindustrial
Industrial
Postindustrial
Types of Societies
hunting and gathering; pastoral; horticultural; mechanical solidarity
agricultural
manufacturing
urban; technology;
organic solidarity
information;
provision of services
Chapter 4

36. Question: What are the purposes and functions of groups?
Sociology
SECTION 4
4/25/2017
Groups Within Society
Question:
What are the purposes and functions of groups?
Chapter 4

37. control members’ behavior
Sociology
SECTION 4
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Groups Within Society
define boundaries
select leaders
GROUP FUNCTIONS
set goals
assign tasks
make decisions
control members’ behavior
Chapter 4

38. The Structure of Formal Organizations
Sociology
SECTION 5
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The Structure of Formal Organizations
Head of the Bureaucracy
(CEO, Superintendent, president, etc.)
Department Head/VP
(subordinates)
Department Head/VP
Chapter 4

39. Chapter Wrap-Up CHAPTER 4
Sociology
CHAPTER 4
4/25/2017
Chapter Wrap-Up
1. How can a person’s status differ from his or her role?
2. How does role conflict affect groups and individuals? How can it be resolved?
3. What are the five most common forms of interaction recognized by sociologists?
4. Identify and describe the three broad categories of societies used by sociologists.
5. How do the roles of group members differ between primary and secondary groups?
6. What, according to Max Weber’s model, are the major characteristics of a bureaucracy?
7. What weaknesses influence the effectiveness of bureaucracies?
Chapter 4