Chapter 5
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Chapter 5 Social Interaction and Social Structure
Chapter Outline • What Is Society? • Theories About Analyzing Social Interaction • Interaction in Cyberspace • Forms of Nonverbal Communication
Chapter Outline • Interpersonal Attraction and Formation of Pairs • Social Institutions and Social Structure • What Holds Society Together? • Types of Societies: A Global View
What Is Society? • A system of social interaction that includes culture and social organization. • Members of a society have a common culture though there may be great diversity within it.
Characteristics of Groups • A collection of individuals who • interact and communicate with each other • share goals and norms • are aware of themselves as a distinct social unit
Statuses • A status is a rank in society. • Vice president of the United States • Statuses occur within institutions. • “High school teacher” is a status within the education institution. • Typically, an individual occupies many statuses simultaneously.
Roles • A role is the expected behavior associated with a particular status. • Statuses are occupied; roles are acted or “played.” • A person’s role set includes all the roles occupied by the person at a given time.
Social Construction of Reality • Perception of what is real is determined by the subjective meaning we attribute to an experience. • There is no objective reality.
Ethnomethodology • Disrupting social norms and observing how individuals attempt to restore normalcy. • Human interaction takes place within a consensus and interaction is not possible without this consensus.
Impression Management • People control how others will perceive them. • People present different faces on different stages with different others.
Social Exchange • Interactions are determined by rewards or punishments. • If the reward for an interaction exceeds the punishment, a potential for social profit exists and the interaction is likely to occur.
Characteristics of Cyberspace Interaction • Nonverbal communication is eliminated. • One is free to become a different self. • Anonymity allows a new kind of relationship in society.
Polling Question • How likely would you be to take an Internet course for college credit? • Very likely • Somewhat likely • Unsure • Somewhat unlikely • Very unlikely
Nonverbal Communication • Touch • Pitch, loudness and rhythm of the voice. • Gestures, facial expressions • Use of personal space.
Paralinguistic Communication • The component of communication that is conveyed by the pitch and loudness of the speaker’s voice, its rhythm, emphasis, and frequency, and the frequency and length of hesitations. • It is not what you say, but how you say it.
Factors in Attraction • Close proximity • Exposure • Physical attractiveness • Similarity in status, race, ethnicity, religion, personality, attitudes and opinions.
Family Education Work Economy Political Institutions Religion Health care Mass Media Sports Military Social Institutions
Purpose of Social Institutions • Socialization of new members. • Production and distribution of goods and services. • Maintain stability and existence. • Provide members with a sense of purpose.
Social Structure • The organized pattern of social relationships and social institutions that together compose society. • The social structure of society is observable in the established patterns of social interaction and social institutions.
Durkheim: Social Solidarity • Mechanical solidarity arises when individuals feel bonded by their similarity. • Organic solidarity arises when individuals are bonded through their division of labor.
Types of Societies • Foraging • Pastoral • Horticultural • Agricultural • Industrial • Postindustrial
Polling Question • If you could live anywhere in the United States that you wanted to, would you prefer a city, suburban area, small town, or farm? • City • Suburban area • Small town • Farm
1. Human society is best defined as: a. A system of social interaction that includes norms and values. b. A system of social organization that is characterized by a distinct social structure. c. A system of social organization that includes ordered social interaction. d. A system of social interaction that includes culture and social organization.
Answer: d • Human society is best defined as a system of social interaction that includes culture and social organization.
2. Which of the following is not an ascribed status? a. pharmacist b. female c. Japanese d. biracial
Answer: a • A pharmacist is not an ascribed status.
3. When a single role brings conflicting expectations, sociologists call this condition: a. status conflict b. role conflict c. role strain d. status inconsistency
Answer: c • When a single role brings conflicting expectations, sociologists call this condition role strain.
4. According to social exchange theory, we are more likely to repeat an interaction when: a. we are punished b. we profit from it c. we experience a social loss d. we receive disapproval
Answer: b • According to social exchange theory, we are more likely to repeat an interaction when we profit from it.
