Chapter 4 
The building blocks of culture
Chapter 4 – Roles/Statuses
In This Chapter…
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Review of Norms and
Values
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I know you’re getting sick
of them…
Roles
Statuses
Group Activity in-class
Stanford Prison video
Milgram Experiment
video
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Only a quiz at the end…
not a full chapter test
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It’s a short chapter!
What is happening here?
Culture, Norms & Values
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How we interpret images like this depends
very much on who we are, where we come
from, and how we came to be there
It also depends on factors that we may not
be consciously aware of but have made us
what we are and given us our viewpoint on
the world and other people
Sociologists refer to Culture, Norms &
Values to explain these attitudes and
beliefs
The ‘building blocks’ of
culture
Values
Roles
Norms
Culture
Statuses
Customs
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Norms
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Norms are the rules that a
group uses for appropriate
and inappropriate values,
beliefs, attitudes and
behaviours.
Norms can be defined as
attitudes and behaviours
common to members of a
particular group, or what
they believe is “normal”.
These rules may be explicit
or implicit.
Norms
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Our ability to function in
society depends upon the
existence of these societal
norms
They can vary over time,
cultural context and in
their degree of
enforcement
Within a society different
groups may construct their
own norms
Norm or not?
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Driving on the left
Brushing your teeth morning & night
Opening doors for ladies
Farting in public
Wearing clothes in public
Smiling at strangers
Picking your nose while driving
Speaking the same language as others
Saying please & thank-you
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Failure to stick to the rules can
result in severe punishments, or
taboos, the most feared of which
is exclusion from the group
Norms are often transmitted by
non-verbal behaviour,
They may also be transmitted
through stories, rituals and rolemodel behaviour.
What is a value?
“Values
Values
are ideas
about what is
important or what is
‘good’ and ‘bad’ in a
society.”
Paul Taylor (1997: 27)
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Values
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Values are related to the norms of a
culture, but they are more general and
abstract than norms.
They are the general principles or beliefs
which underlie the norms which form our
social rules
Values often relate to what a society or
culture regards as good or bad and what it
regards as important
Societies can prioritise many different
values
Norm or Value?
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Being independent
Keeping quiet in the library
Respecting the sanctity of human life
Not driving while drunk
Sharing
Acquiring wealth
Conforming
Not beating children
What is a role?
Roles
“Roles provide
the means
whereby
values… are
translated into
action”
Haralambos & Holborn
(2008:859)
“norms
are associated
with particular
roles… roles are
formal and informal
social positions which
carry expectations
of certain types of
behaviour”
Haralambos & Holborn
(2008:8)
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Roles
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A pattern of behaviour, routines
or responses we carry out in
everyday life
People can adopt different roles
at different points in their life
They may also have multiple
roles
Roles tend to be associated with
particular expectations about
behaviour and influenced by both
values and norms
Roles
Roles & Social
Structures
“Roles form part of larger
structures or
institutions. For
example, teachers and
students are part of a
larger institution such as a
school or college. Within
this structure there are
many other roles…”
Paul Taylor (1997:45)
Role Conflict
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Sometimes our roles conflict with
each other
A common example is the role
conflict that many women
experience
In modern society women have to
manage conflicting role of
‘traditional mother’ who stays at
home and ‘working woman’ who
maintains a career after becoming
a mother
What is status?
Statuses
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Status recognizes difference
between people
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Status can change
2 types of status: ascribed
and achieved
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Status
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Status — a socially defined position in a
group or in a society, which has attached
to it one or more roles
– What is your status?
Role — the behavior expected of someone
occupying a particular status
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What is an ascribed status?
– Ascribed status is neither earned
nor chosen; it is assigned to us.
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What is an achieved status?
– Achieved status is possible where
people have some degree of control
and choice.
Everyone has a status!
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Social statuses do
not exist in isolation.
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All statuses are
interrelated with
other statuses.
Ascribed & Achieved Status:
What’s the difference?
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Prince William
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Troy Polamalu
Master Status
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Some
individuals hold
many statuses
The role that
plays the
largest part in
a person’s life
and identify
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Master Status
may change
throughout life
Reciprocal Roles
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To be the role
of “husband”
you must have
a role of “wife”
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Corresponding
roles that
define the
patterns of
interaction
between
related
statuses
Role Expectations
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Socially determined
behaviors expected of a
person performing a role
Teachers are
expected to
behave in an
appropriate
manner,
educate their
students, care
for their
students
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What is an ascribed status?
– Ascribed status is neither earned
nor chosen; it is assigned to us.
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What is an achieved status?
– Achieved status is possible where
people have some degree of control
and choice.
Role Performance
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In reality, it
doesn’t always
match role
expectations
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Doctors are
suppose to
treat and cure
their patients
Does this
always
happen??
Role Conflict
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When one
status makes it
difficult to fulfill
another status
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StudentAthletes
Hard to
maintain GPAs
when sports
are dominate