Quick Fire
• Is a person’s status/position in society
important? Explain.
• How might one’s status help or hurt them in
life? Give at least one example of each.
THE PROCESS BY WHICH PEOPLE ACT AND REACT IN RELATION TO OTHERS
• HUMANS RELY ON SOCIAL STRUCTURE TO MAKE
SENSE OUT OF SOCIAL SITUATIONS
– SOCIAL STRUCTURE TAKES INTO ACCOUNT ELEMENTS OF
SOCIETY AND CULTURE, INCLUDING SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS,
FORMAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND ALL TYPES OF GROUPS IN
WHICH ARE FOUND
• RELATIVE STABLE PATTERNS OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
– THESE PATTERNS
•
•
•
•
MAKE THE SOCIAL WORLD UNDERSTANDABLE
HELP GUIDE SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
MAKES LIFE APPEAR AS SAFE AND PREDICTABLE
ALLOWS FOR SOCIAL STABLITY AND ORDER
A RECOGNIZED SOCIAL POSITION THAT AN INDIVIDUAL OCCUPIES
• STATUS SET
– ALL THE STATUSES HELD AT
ONE TIME
•
•
•
•
•
•
DANCE PARTNER
BOSS
FRIEND
HARLEY CLUB MEMBER
SPORTS PARTICIPANT
BUSINESSMAN
HOW STATUSES ARE OBTAINED
• TYPE OF STATUS
– ASCRIBED: INVOLUNTARY
POSITIONS
– ACHIEVED: VOLUNTARY
POSITIONS
• OFTEN THE TWO TYPES
WORK TOGETHER, WHAT
WE ARE ASCRIBED OFTEN
HELPS US ACHIEVE OTHER
STATUSES
HEY! I WORKED
HARD TO ACHIEVE
THIS STATUS IN LIFE!
THE STATUS THAT SEEMS TO DEFINE A PERSON
ALSO, A PERSON’S “MASTER STATUS” CAN EITHER WORK IN FAVOR, OR AGAINST A
PERSON.
EXAMPLE: PERSONS WHO ARE INTELLECTUALLY CHALLENGED
...THE BEHAVIOR EXPECTED OF SOMEONE WHO FILLS A PARTICULAR STATUS
• ROLE SET
– A NUMBER OF ROLES
ATTACHED TO A SINGLE
STATUS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
DISCIPLINARIAN
SPORTS AUTHORITY
DIETITIAN
BUSINESSWOMAN
CAREGIVER
DR. MOM
KITCHEN QUEEN
Rights and Obligations of Status’s
• Role – a status in action
• Rights – the behaviors you expect from others
• Obligations – the behaviors others expect
from you
ROLES DEMAND A PERSON’S TIME
AND ENERGY
• ROLE CONFLICT
– INVOLVES TWO OR MORE STATUSES
• EXAMPLE: CONFLICT BETWEEN ROLE
EXPECTATIONS OF A POLICE OFFICER WHO CATCHES
HER OWN SON USING DRUGS AT HOME – MOTHER
AND POLICE OFFICER
• ROLE STRAIN
– INVOLVES A SINGLE STATUS
• EXAMPLE: A MOM WHO HAS TOO MANY
RESPONSIBILITIES AND “BUCKLES” UNDER THE
PRESSURE
Quick Fire
• Describe two everyday social interactions
you’ve had in the last 24 hours.
• What motivated the interaction?
• What was the outcome of the interaction?
How do you interact
with other people?
Illustrating Interaction
• Each group is assigned one of the five types of
social interaction.
• Create and illustration/cartoon that illustrates the
key ideas of the assigned interaction – you may
include words if necessary
– How does it happen?
– Why does this type of interaction happen? (cause)
– Effect on society and social structure
• Be able to explain each
Exchange
• Exchange occurs when people interact in an effort to receive a
reward or a return for their actions.
• Reward might be tangible or intangible
• Reciprocity is the idea that if you do something for someone, that
person owes you something in return.
• Basis of exchange interactions
• Exchange theory is the idea that people are motivated by selfinterest in their interactions with other people.
• Rewarded behavior is repeated
Competition and Conflict
Competition
• Competition occurs when two or more people or groups oppose each other
to achieve a goal that only one can attain.
– Common in Western societies
– Sometimes considered basis of capitalism and democracy
– Can lead to psychological stress, a lack of cooperation, and conflict
Conflict
• Conflict is the deliberate attempt to control a person by force, to oppose
someone, or to harm another person.
– Has few rules of accepted conduct
– Can reinforce group boundaries and loyalty
Cooperation
• Cooperation occurs when two or more people or groups work
together to achieve a goal that will benefit more than one
person.
– A social process that gets things done
– May be used along with competition to motivate members to
work harder for the group
Accommodation
Accomodation is a state of balance between cooperation and conflict.
Compromise
Each party gives up something
they want in order to come to
an agreement
Mediation
Calling in a third party who
guides the two parties toward
an agreement
Truce
Temporarily brings a halt to the
competition or conflict until a
compromise can be reached
Arbitration
A third party makes a decision
that is binding on both parties
Groups in Society
Groups Within Society
• Groups are the foundation of social life. They differ in terms of
size, life, organization, and purpose.
• Groups perform important functions, such as setting
membership boundaries, choosing leaders, fulfilling goals, and
controlling members’ behavior.
• Should parents be responsible both criminally
and civilly for acts committed with their guns
by their children?
•Size
• A dyad is two people.
• A triad is three people.
• Fifteen is the largest number that works well as a group.
•Time
• A group can be a one-time meeting or a lifetime.
• Interaction is not continuous; there are breaks.
•Organization
• A formal group has clearly defined structure, goals, and activities.
• An informal group has no official structure or rules of conduct.
Types of Groups
There are many kinds of groups. Most people belong to several.
Primary Groups
Secondary Groups
• The most intimate type
• Fundamental in forming the social
nature and ideals of the individual
• Small group that interacts over a
long period of time on a personal
basis
• Involves entire self of a member
• Interaction is impersonal and
temporary
• Involve only part of a member’s
self
• Casual and limited
• Importance of person linked to his
or her function
• Members can be replaced
Types of Groups (cont.)
Reference Groups
In-Groups and Out-Groups
• A group with whom an individual
identifies and whose attitudes and
values are adopted
• Can have both positive and negative
effect on behavior
• In-group: any group that a person
belongs to and identifies with
• Out-group: any group that the person
does not belong to or identify with
Electronic Communities
Social Networks
• Have arisen with arrival of internet
• Some reflect primary-group dynamics
• The web of relationships across groups
that occurs because of the many groups
people belong to
• No clear boundaries
In with the “In” Crowd
In which group do you
belong?
• Identify 10 groups at City High
• Identify whether it is:
• Formal or informal
• Primary or secondary