4-1: Building blocks of
Social Structure
Focus Questions
 4-1 How might factors such as the mass media and popular entertainment
influence American Norms and values?
Essential Questions
 What are the two major components of social structure?
 How do these two components of social structure affect human
interactions?
Social Structure
 The way in which society
is organized into
predictable relationships
Social Interaction & Reality
 Human beings interpret
or define each other’s
actions
 The ability to define
social reality reflects a
group’s power within
society
Defining & Reconstructing Reality
 Negotiated Order
 Negotiated Order is a social
structure that derives its
existence from the social
interactions through which
people define and redefine
character
 People reshape reality by
negotiating changes in
patterns of social interaction
 Negotiation is the attempt to
reach agreement with others
concerning the same
objective.
Major Components of Structure
Role
Status
 A socially defined position in a
group in a society, which has
attached to it one or more roles
 A person holds more than one
status simultaneously
 Examples:
 President
 Daughter
 Student
 Neighbor
 The behavior expected of
someone occupying a particular
status.
 Can have more than one role
simultaneously
Social Statuses
 Ascribed and Achieved
Status
 Ascribed = status you are
born with
 Achieved = status you earn
 Master Status
 Master = status that
dominates others and
determines a person’s
general position in society
Social Roles
 Role Conflict is the challenge of occupying two social
positions simultaneously
 Role strain describes the difficulties that result from the
differing demands and expectations associated with the
same social position
 Role exit describes the process of disengagement from a role
that is central to one’s identity, and the establishments of a
new role.
STATUS
EXAMPLES OF ROLE
EXAMPLES OF
CONFLICT/STRAIN
Firefighter
Put out fires, save lives,
wears a uniform
Voluntarily puts self in
danger, but has loved
ones who need him/her
Mother
Provide food, shelter,
nurture, discipline
Fatigue and long shifts
make household tasks
and interactions difficult
PTA President
Run Meetings, recruit
new members, plan
activities
Has trouble getting
members to attend and
follow through on
promises.
STATUS
STUDENT
EXAMPLES OF ROLE
EXAMPLES OF
CONFLICT/STRAIN
4-2: Types of Social
Interaction
Focus Question
Essential Questions
 How are culture and society related to human interaction?
 How do individuals and groups use accommodation to settle disputes?
Exchange
Most basic and common form of social
interaction
Dating, family life, friendship, and politics all
involve exchange
Reciprocity is the basis for exchange:
The idea that if you do something for someone,
that person owes you something in return
Exchange Theory
DEFINTION: a theory that holds that people are
motivated by self-interests in their interactions
with others.
 People do things primarily for rewards. Behavior that is
rewarded tends to be repeated.
Assignment: Reflect back on your answer from the FOCUS
Question. Are there any examples that could be explained
through this theory. If not, think of an example and be
prepared to share.
How is the image above an example of S.E.T.?
Competition
DEFINTION: an interaction that occurs when two or
more people/groups oppose each other to achieve a
goal that only one can attain
Common in Western Society
Basis behind capitalism and democracy
If it follows accepted rules of conduct, most sociologists
view it as a positive means of motivating people to
perform the roles society asks of them .
Negatively, competition can lead to psychological
stress, a lack of cooperation in social relationships,
inequality, and even conflict.
Cooperation
DEFINTION: interaction that occurs when two or more
persons/groups work together to achieve a goal that
will benefit many people.
No group can complete its task or achieve its goals
without cooperation from its members
Competition may be used along with cooperation to
motivate members to work harder for the group.
Assignment: Think of groups with which you have been
involved. Have they ever used competition along with
cooperation? What are some examples?
Accommodation
DEFINTION: a state of balance between
cooperation and conflict.
accommodation helps to ensure social stability
It can take a number of different forms
Compromise
Truce
Mediation
Arbitration
4-3: Types of Society
Essential Questions
 What types of societies exist in the world today?
 What roles do individuals play in these models of group systems?
Focus Questions
 In your opinion, what is the “division of labor”?
 As time goes on, societies change and advance. Using your knowledge of
history, identity and describe 3 different types of societies.
Important Definitions
 Group
 A set of people who interact on the basis of shared expectations and who
possess some degree of commons identity
 Subsistence Strategies
 Ways a society uses technology to provide for the needs of its members
** There are three types of soceities**
Pre-Industrial Society
 Food production through the use
of human and animal labor is the
main economic activity
 Subdivided according to
technology and method of
production
 Hunter-Gatherer
 Pastoral (free range grazing cattle
or sheep)
 Horticultural
 Slash-and-Burn
 Agricultural
 Barter system
Hunter Gatherer
 Constantly Moving in search of food
 Do not build permanent villages
 Limited artifacts
 Rarely exceed 100 people
 Status fairly equal
 Family is the main social unit
Pastoral
 Rely on domesticated herds
 Nomadic: moving herds from pasture to pasture
 Larger populations due to food reliability
Food surpluses result in division of labor
 Trade and inequality emerge
 Property is passed between generations
Horticultural
 Food grown in garden plots
 Slash and burn techniques develop
 Simple tools
 Move to new land when land becomes barren
 30-2,000 people
 Similar technology and social structure as Pastoral
Agricultural
 Animals are used to cultivate land
 Increased technology allows to plant more crops
 Irrigation increases crop yield
 Large crop yield support large/permanent societies
 Increased specialization leads to cities
 Wealth becomes more concentrated
 Barter system emerges
The Affects of Industrialization
Preindustrial
 Emphasis is food production
 Economic activities in the
home
 Produced entire product
 Family is the primary
socialization and education
agent
 Social status is fairly fixed
Industrial
 Emphasis is manufactured
goods
 Economic activities in the
factory
 Division of labor
 Education and socialization
takes place outside of the
family
 Increased potential to change
status
Postindustrial Society
 Emphasis is on the provision of information and services
 Standard of living increases for much of the population as wages
increase
 Strong emphasis on roles of science and education
 Technological advances are viewed as the key to future prosperity
Sociology and Society
 Preindustrial Societies
 Mechanical Solidarity: hen people share values and tasks they become
united
 Gemeinshaft: most people know each other. Activities center on the
family and community. Strong sense of solidarity
 Industrial Societies
 Organic Solidarity: with increased specialization, relationships become
less personal and people are less able to provide for their own need
 Gesellchaft: Relationships are impersonal, temporary, and based on
need rather than emotion. Values are weak and individual goals are
more important than group goals.
Assignment: Diary Entries
 Write a series of six (6) creative diary entries that Illustrates how a
teenager might spend his or her day for each of the six types of
society
 Hunting and Gathering Societies
 Pastoral Societies
 Horticultural Societies
 Agricultural Societies
 Industrial Societies
 Post-Industrial Societies
4-4: Groups within Society
Focus Question
 Define “group”
Vocabulary & Essential Question
 EQ: How are culture and society related to human interaction?
 EQ: How do sociologists define the term group?
 EQ: What are the major features of primary and secondary groups?
 EQ: What purposes do groups fulfill?
Dyad
Reference Group
Triad
In-Group
Formal Group
Out-Group
Informal Group
Electronic Community
Primary Group
Social Network
Secondary Group
What is a group?
 Definition: A set of people who interact on the basis of shared expectations
and who possess some degree of common identity
The Four Features of a Group
1. 2 or more people involved
2. interaction among group members
3. shared expectation
4. sense of common identity
Assignment: Identify 5 different examples of groups
Aggregates (NOT a group)
 Definition: When people gather in the same place at the same time,
but lack organization or lasting patterns of interaction
Examples: Passengers on an airplane or a line to buy tickets to a concert
 Social Categories: a means of classifying people based on shared trait or
characteristic
Examples: Students, women, teenagers, left-handed
Varying Features of a Group
Size
Time
Organization
Dyad
Triad
 2 members
 3 members
 Each member has direct
control over the group’s
existence
 Group takes on life of its own
 Decision making can be
difficult if they don’t agree
 Tie breaker makes decisions
easier
 Cant be disbanded by one
member
Formal Group
 Structure, goals, and activities
are clearly defined
Informal Group
 There is not an official structure
or established rules of conduct
Secondary Group
Primary Group
 Small group that interacts over
a long period
 Communication deep and
intense
 Intimate/face to face
 Entire self shared
 Interaction is temporary and
personal
 Casual and limited in personal
involvement
 Personal importance based on
function performed
 Individual easily replaced
 Partial self shared
In Group
 A group that a person belongs
to and identifies with
 Separate themselves through
use of symbols
 See themselves as (+) and out
groups (-)
 Compete with out-groups
Out Group
 A group that a person does
not belong to or identify with
Reference Group
 Definition: Any group with
whom individuals identify and
whose attitudes and values
they adopt
 groups chosen are important
because they can have positive
and negative effects
 as a person grows older,
reference groups can change
Assignment: using the different types of
groups, label each of these pictures using
as many applicable terms as possible
Electronic Communities & Social
Networks
 Electronic Communities demonstrate behaviors similar to primary groups –
argue, engage in intellectual discussions, share intimate details, gossip, play
games, and flirt
 Social Networks: a web of relationships formed by the sum total of a
person’s interaction with others
 Unlike a group, there is not a common identity
 Provide interaction and career advancement
 Can provide support during stressful periods.
Group Functions
1. Must define boundaries for belonging
2. Need to set goals, assign tasks, and make decisions
3. Need to control members’ behavior – conformity
4. Must select leaders (people who influence the attitudes and
opinions of others)
1. Instrumental leaders: task oriented
2. Expressive leaders: emotion-oriented
3. Groups need both to be successful