Sociology Part 2

Social self

• George Herbert Mead

• Symbolic interactionism

• the self is not a thing, but a process of interaction

• personality, preferences, ideas, etc. are constructed and shaped by communication with both others and your self

Self

One’s own identity and social position, as made and reformulated through interaction

Charles Horton Cooley

• Coined term “looking-glass self” in 1902

• We know ourselves through the “looking glass” of others that mirrors back to us impressions we create

Negative effects of lack of interaction

• Spitz orphanage study (1945)

• Haney prison study (2003)

• CDC COVID-19 study (2020)

Constant need for approval

• A motivation, fundamental human instinct

• We want to belong and connect with others

Significant others

Individuals close enough to us to have a strong capacity to motivate our behavior, not only intimate relationships

Reference groups

Others whose special positions and preferences make them especially relevant to our sense of worth

• Often share commonalities of age, tastes, status, interests

Role Models

A specific individual who exhibits specific influence over others and acts as a reference for how to act

Generalized other

Unspoken knowledge of what is appropriate

Presentation/Performance of self

• Always on stage - need for approval

• We manage the multiple faces we show others

Digital performance of self

• Manipulated through texting, social media, and other technology to gain approval of others

• Evering Goffman

Erving Goffman

• Impression management

• Front Stage

• Back Stage

Impression management

The steps or strategies used by individuals to control the way others view them

Front Stage

Where an interaction actually takes place

Back Stage

Where one prepares for an interaction

Possible communication

To avoid miscommunication people often include small signs or explanations to clarify their meaning

Connecting through media

• Ways to bring about a co-presence and have conversations with others

• Ways to arrange actual face-to-face meetings

Socialization SP definition

The process by which individuals come to understand the expectations and norms of their groups as well as the various roles they transition into over the life course and how to behave in society or in particular social settings.

Korgen & Atkinson Socialization definition

Learning through social interaction how to follow the social norms and expectations of your society

Agents of socialization

People, groups, institutions and social contexts that contribute to our socialization

Examples of agents of socialization

• Family

• School

• Peers

• Work

• Media

Resocialization

Learning to adapt to new social norms and values

Korgen & Atkinson Social Structure definition

The framework of a society shaped by its major social institutions and people’s positions (statuses and roles) within those institutions.

SP Social structure definition

The external forces, most notable social hierarchies, norms, and institutions that provide the context for individual and group action.

Social institutions

Religion, education, economy, families, politics, criminal justice, health, global institutions

What happens when social structures break down?

Social order breaks down

What are the key components of social structure?

• Roles and social hierarchies

• Norms and institutions

Social hierarchy

Any relationship between individuals or groups that is unequal and provides members of one group more status and power than others.

Status

A social position that a person holds

Status set

All the statuses a person holds at a given time

Ascribed status

A social position a person receives at birth or takes involuntarily later in life

Achieved status

A social position a person takes voluntarily that reflects personal ability and effort

Master status

A status that has special importance for social identity, often shaping a person’s entire life.

Status group

• Introduced by Max Weber

• Process by which groups of individuals who share characteristics or attributes come together to protect and promote members of the group

Power

The ability to influencer the behavior of others

Privilege

The ability or right to have access to opportunities or claims on rewards

Dominant groups

Use social closure to try to monopolize opportunities or rewards

Subordinate groups

Subjected to inferior status and limited opportunities

Population size

Social hierarchies are strongly influenced by the relative size of competing groups

SP Role definition

A position within an institution or organization that comes with specific social expectations for how to behave and be treated

Role Simplified definition

Behavior expected of someone who holds a particular status

Role set

A number of roles attached to a single status

SP Role Conflict definition

When two or more discorgant demands are placed on individuals, rendering them unable to fulfill their own or other’s expectations

Simplified Role Conflict definition

Conflict among the roles connected to two or more statuses

Role Strain

Tensions among the roles connected to a single status

Deviane

Behavior that goes against the norm

Troy Duster

• Statistically deviant: rare or uncommon behavior

• Socially deviant: behavior that violates societal rules

Labeling Theory

Also known as Societal reaction theory

Focuses on how people react to deviance and crime

• Negative labels

• Positive label

Howard Becker

• Deviance is a social construction

• Deviance is in the eye of the beholder

• Deviance is a process/interaction

• Deviance is not homogenous

• Differential labeling

• Differential enforcement

Social Construction

A theoretical view that knowledge is socially created

Rule Creator/ Moral Crusader

• Agenda/vested interest

• Force morals

• Dominant/powerful

• Labeling

• Create fervor

Moral Entrepreneurs - how to be successful

• Societal leaders

• Depersonalize

• Good story

• Time

• Separate from rule enforcers

• Buttressed by law, custom, morality (recall issues)

Examples of Moral Crusaders

• Child savers

• MADD

• Abolitionists

• Civil Rights

• Temperance/Prohibition

• Opium/Opioids

First Temperance Society

Formed in 1808 and claimed drinking alcohol ruined health, disrupted family life, led to unemployment and ungodly behavior

What ideas did the temperance movement promote?

Nativism ideology

18th Amendment

• Passed in 1919 an established federal prohibition of alcohol - .5% or more

• Enforcement of prohibition began in 1920 - via the Prohibition Bureau

What was the result of Prohibition?

• Increased consumption of alcohol which was much more potent than legal drinks prior to prohibition

• Increased corruption and organized crime which led to speakeasies, saloons, and the mobilization of criminal organizations

• Was overturned in 1933 by the 21st Amendment

Inequality

The unequal distribution of valued goods and opportunities

High-end inequality

Economic inequality that arises from the highest households (e.g. the 1%) and/or firms, pulling away from everyone else

• Bottom 50% of the world’s population (3.8 billion people) has the same total wealth as approximately the 23 richest people in the world

Social stratification

Society’s system of ranking categories of people in a hierarchy

Income

Wages or salary from work and earnings from investments

Wealth

The total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debt

Caste system

Social stratification based on ascription or birth

Pure caste system

Closed because due to birth alone

Class system

Social stratification based on both birth and individual achievement

Meritocracy

Social stratification based on personal merit

Pure meritocracy

Social position depend solely on person’s ability and effort

Classless society

A society without classes or caste system

Social Class in the U.S.

Lack of agreement among sociologists as to number of social classes

Upper-Upper Class

• <1% of the population

• “blue bloods”

• wealth inherited

Lower-Upper Class

• 3-4% of the population

• “working rich”

Middle Class

40-45% of the population

Upper-Middle Class

• $116,000-$205,000

• High prestige careers

• Home & investments

Average-Middle Class

• $48,500-$116,000

• Less prestigious white collar jobs

• Highly skilled blue-collar jobs

• Home & retirement funds

Working Class

• 1/3 of the population

• $27,000-$48,500

• Little to no wealth

• Over 50% own homes

Lower Class

• 20% of the population

• Low prestige jobs

• 43% own home

Socioeconomic status (SES)

A composite ranking based on various dimensions of social equality

Pew Research Center: Upper Class

Highest education, highest income, professional/managerial jobs

Pew Research Center: Upper middle class

College education, moderate to high income, professional/managerial jobs

Pew Research Center: Middle class

Some college/associate degree, moderate income, service or sales jobs

Pew Research Center: Working class

High school diploma or less, lower to moderate income, skilled/unskilled labor

Pew Research Center: Lower class

Limited education, very low income, precarious employment

Status consistency

The degree of consistency in a person’s social standing across various dimensions of social inequality

Social mobility

A change in position within the social hierarchy

Intragenerational social mobility

A change in social position occurring during a person’s lifetime

Intergenerational social mobility

Upward or downward social mobility of children in relation to their parents

Horizontal social mobility

Changing jobs in the same class

Structural social mobility

A shift in the social position of large numbers of people due more to changes in society than to individual efforts