Social Structure and Group Behavior

Sociology, Chapter 3

Social Structure

• Social Structure- the way in which a society is organized into predictable relationships.– Status- individual’s position within a large

group or society• Ascribed- assigned to a person by society• Achieved- earned through traits, talents,

efforts, activities, etc.

Roles

• Roles- expected behavior patterns within a status– Role Strain- occurs when conflicting demands

are built into a role– Role Conflict- occurs when conflicting

demands occur between multiple status a person holds

• Roles are reciprocal, meaning that roles are part of our interaction with other people’s roles

Social Institutions

• Social Institutions- established patterns of beliefs and behaviors – We exercise our roles within these institutions

• Examples of Social Institutions– Families– Education System– Governments

What is a group?

• Group- at least two people who have one or more goals in common and share common ways of thinking and behaving

• What is not a group?– Social category- people who share a social

characteristic– Social aggregate- people in the same place at

the same time

Three Characteristics of Groups

• Structured Interaction

• Common Goals and Norms

• Common Identity

• Relationships within groups can be:– Instrumental- focus on accomplishing goals– Expressive- valued for the relationship itself

How do groups work?• Decision Making

– Decisions are made by nearly all group members participating as equals

– Laissez-faire- “hands off”; let the group decide

OR– Decisions are made by one or two leaders

• Leadership– Authoritarian-give orders– Democratic- “give and take” interactions

Types of Groups

• Primary group- people who are emotionally close, know one another well, and seek one another’s company

• Secondary Groups- people who share only part of their lives while focusing on a goal or task

Types of Groups (continued)

• In-Group- exclusive group demanding intense loyalty

• Out-Group- group targeted by an in-group for opposition, antagonism, or competition

In-Groups must have ways to distinguish themselves from the out-groups (ex: style of dress, language used, etc.)

Types of Groups (continued)

• Reference Groups- groups used for self-evaluation and the formation of norms and beliefs– Reference groups can be positive or negative

• Example- I may look at a gang and learn how not to behave

Formal Organizations

• Formal Organization- a secondary group that is large and complex– Voluntary associations- informal groups based

on voluntary membership– Bureaucracies- large, hierarchical organizations

Weber’s Model of Bureaucracy

• Chain of command

• Division of Labor

• Well-established, written rules

• Defined set of goals

• Merit-based hiring and promotion

• Job performance is judged by productivity

Pros and Cons of Bureaucracies

• Pros– Fast

– Efficient

– Organized

– Provide social stability

• Cons– Can lose sight of the

purpose– Creativity is not

encouraged– “Red Tape”–

sometimes the system impedes on the goal

Office Space

Rules of Bureaucracies

• The Peter Principle- “in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence”

• Iron Law of Oligarchy- power is concentrated in the hands of a few. Orders flow from the “top.”

• Parkinson’s Law- bureaucracies waste time doing work that doesn’t need done.

Social Interaction

• Social Interaction- the way in which people respond to one another

• Ways to Study Social Interaction– Dramaturgy- comparing life to a stage– Ethnomethodology- breaking rules in order to

understand the structure of rules

Forms of Social Interaction

• Exchange

• Competition

• Conflict

• Cooperation

• Accomodation

Social Networks

• Social Network- a series of social relationships that link a person directly to others, and as a result, indirectly to still more people