Social Structure

1. Social Structure

2. Status • Socially defined position in a group or in a society • Each person has several statuses • Status defines relationships • Status clarifies rights and obligations

3. Ascribed Status • Assigned according to standards that are beyond our control • Based on inherited traits or are assigned based on reaching a certain age • Not based on abilities, accomplishments or efforts • Examples: teenagers, black, female, Ethiopian

4. Achieved Status • Acquired through effort or competition • Based on special skills, knowledge or ability • Based on standards that YOU control • Example: college graduate, parent, spouse, doctor

5. More on Status • Status= social categories • Master status= plays the greatest role in your life • Determines your social identity • Can be either achieved or ascribed • Changes over time

6. Role • The behavior expected of someone occupying a particular status • Roles bring status to life

7. Reciprocal Roles • Corresponding roles that define the patterns of interaction between related statuses • Examples: • Husband-wife • Athlete-coach • Friend-friend

8. Role Expectations • Socially determined behavior expected of a person performing a role • “cop’s aren’t supposed to commit crimes”- Training Day • Parents are supposed to give their children love and physical security, not abuse them- A Child Called It”

9. More On Roles • Role performance- actual role behavior • A person’s actual behavior may not match what society expects their behavior to be • Sometimes behaviors that are okay in a subgroup are not okay in the larger society • Example: Americans value equality, yet some subgroups deny women this equality • Sometimes roles can be contradictory to each other

10. Even more on Roles • Role set- different roles attached to a single status • Role conflict- fulfilling the role expectations of one status make it difficult to fulfill the role expectations of another status • Example: good employee v. good parent • Role strain- difficulty meeting the role expectations of a single status • Example: A teacher trying to establish a good rapport yet having to enforce the rules of the school

11. Social Institutions • A system of statuses, roles, values and norms that is organized to satisfy one or more basic needs of society • Economics- producing goods and services • Education- transmitting knowledge • Family- providing physical and emotional support for members of the society • Law- maintaining social control • Medicine- healing the sick and injured, caring for the dying • Military- protecting us from enemies

12. More examples of Social Institutions • Politics- allocating power, determining authority, preventing chaos • Religion- dealing with ideas about life after death, the meaning of suffering and loss • Science- mastering the universe • Mass media- distributing information, molding public opinion, reporting events

13. Contrasting Societies • Mechanic solidarity • Pre industrial societies are held together by the close-knit social relationships that result when a small group of people share the same values and perform the same task • Organic solidarity • Industrial societies lead to impersonal social relationship because of increased job specialization and individuals become dependent on other for aspects of their survival • Need becomes more important that shared values

14. Contrasting Societies • Gemeinschaft (community) • Close relationships, activities centered on family and community • Strong sense of group solidarity • Gesellschaft (society) • Relationships are based on need rather than emotion • Individual goals are more important than group goals