Social Structure
description
Transcript of Social Structure
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Building Blocks of
Social Structure
Society as a Structure
Status
Role
WHAT GUIDES OUR INTERACTION
STATUSA socially defined position in a group or society
How do I fit in?Who am I: a definition
Mr. Phillips Status: Teacher, Father, Student, City Councilman
ASCRIBED AND ACHIEVEDSTATUSAscribed Status Just who you are
You don’t have to do anything to have ascribed status
Based on inherited traits
Teenager, Girl, African American
Can you name any other?
ACHIEVED STATUS Acquired through your own efforts, skills
An earned title
You have CONTROL over this status
Teacher, Actor, Basketball Player, Businessman
Can you name more?
MASTER STATUS What you are known best for by others
Can be Achieved or Ascribed (King) -In the US, MOST are achieved
Father, Doctor, Fireman, BankerSith Lord More?
ROLES How you perform in your status Bring your status to life
ROLESReciprocal Roles
Define the interaction between related statuses
-Doctor – Patient-Father - Mother-Customer - Salesman
ROLES EXPECTATIONS AND PERFORMANCES
Role Expectations – Expected behaviors of a person performing a role
-What society expects of the that role
Role Performance – Actual behavior of a person performing a role
-Does not always match society and others expectations
ROLE EXPECTATION
Role Performance
ROLE CONFLICT AND ROLE STRAINRole Set: All the different roles that are
attached to a person
Role Conflict: Fulfilling one role makes it difficult to perform another role
Role Strain: Difficulty meeting role expectations of a single status.
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS Status and roles determine the structure of
groups in society.
A group that forms when statuses are ORGANIZED to meet the basic needs of society.
-provide physical and emotional support -sharing knowledge -producing and selling goods -maintaining social control
Types of Social
Interaction
SOCIAL INTERACTIONHow you interact with others while playing a role
The Key: INTERACTION
SOCIAL INTERACTION Exchange -Interaction between people in where an effort in to receive a reward or return
-Most Basic type of interaction
Reciprocity-If you do something for others they do something for you-Please & Thank You
SOCIAL INTERACTION Exchange THEORY
People are motivated by SELF INTEREST in interactions with others
*People do things primarily in an attempt to gain some form of REWARD
COMPETITION Two or more people or GROUPS oppose each
other to reach a goal that only one can attain.
Achieving a the goal
Very common in western society A good thing if people follow accepted rules of society
CONFLICTDeliberate act -Control another person or group by force -Harm another person
-Very few rules of conduct
Sources of conflictWarDisagreements within groupsLegal disputesClashes over ideology
COOPERATION Two or more people or groups work together
to achieve a goal Goal will benefit more than one person
A very social process
ACCOMMODATION The state of balance between cooperation
and competition
-give a little - take a little
Compromise: When both parties give up something
Truce: Stops conflict until compromise is met
Mediation: Calling in third party to reach agreement
TYPES OF SOCIETIESGroup: A set of people who interact on the basis of shared expectations and have some degree of common identity