sociology module 4 part 2

Ethnomethodology (garfinkel)

the study of the commonsense knowledge that people use to understand the situations in which they find themselves.

breaching experiment

To uncover people's background expectancies, ethnomethodologists frequently break "rules" or act as though they do not understand some basic rule of social life so that they can observe other people's responses.

Erving Goffman

suggested that day-to-day interactions are a lot like being on stage or in a dramatic production.

dramaturgical analysis

the study of social interaction that compares everyday life to a theatrical presentation.

social script

a playbook that the actors use to guide their verbal replies and overall performance to achieve the desired goals of the conversation or fulfill the role they are playing.

impression management (presentation of self)

refers to people's efforts to present themselves to others in ways that are most favorable to their own interests or image.

Face-saving behavior

refers to the strategies people use to rescue their performance when they experience a potential or actual loss of face.

social construction of reality

the process by which our perception of reality is largely shaped by the subjective meaning that we give an experience.

self-fulfilling prophecy

a false belief or prediction that produces behavior that makes the originally false belief come true