Social Structure
Unit 4
Sociology
Mr. Nicholas
Unit 4: Social Structure
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Social Structure
Status
Roles
Ascribed status
Achieved status
Types of Social Interaction
– Exchange, Competition, Conflict, Cooperation, Accommodation
• Types of Societies
– Preindustrial, Industrial, Postindustrial
• Groups
– Types and Functions
• Structure of formal organizations
Truth or Fiction?
• An individual’s statuses and roles are limited and unchanging.
• False. Although you cannot affect the statuses and roles into
which you were born, you will take on many new statuses and
roles throughout the course of your life.
• Sociologists have little interest in groups and group activities.
• False. Sociologists study group dynamics and their functions in
society.
• Informal interaction has little effect on the functioning of
formal organizations.
• False. Although formal organizations are dominated by formal
interactions, informal interactions have a strong influence on
them as well.
Building Blocks of Social Structure
• Social Structure
– The network of interrelated statuses and roles
that guide human interaction.
• Status
• Role
Status
• In your own words, define “status.”
– A socially determined position in a group or a
society
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Doctor
Wife
Student
Point Guard
Commander in Chief
Status
• Ascribed Status
– Assigned and out of ones control. Ex. Age, sex,
ethnicity, race.
• Achieved Status
– Acquired through effort. Doctor, husband, college
graduate.
• Master Status
– The status that plays the greatest role in shaping one’s
life and determining social identity.
Roles
• Role
– Behavior—the rights and
obligations—expected of
someone occupying a
status.
– All of us fill several roles,
each of which have
different expectations.
– Role conflict occurs when
we have difficulty fulfilling
multiple roles at once.
– Role strain occurs when
one has trouble meeting
the expectations of one
role.
Status and Role
Status
Ascribed or Achieved?
Roles
Conflict/Strain
Doctor
Achieved
Caring for the sick
with skill and care
Working long hours
and can’t spend
time with children
Wife
Student
Point Guard
Commander in
Chief
Categorizing Activity
Use the organizer to identify your master status and other statuses.
Master
Status