MCAT-SOC: Social Interaction

ascribed status

a status given involuntarily

achieved status

a status gained as a result of one’s efforts or choices

master status

a status by which one is most identified

role conflict

difficulty in satisfying the requirements of multiple roles

role strain

difficulty in satisfying multiple requirements of the same role

role exit

the dropping of one role for another

peer group

a group defined by an association of equals around similar statuses

family group

a group determined by birth, adoption, or marriage

in-group

the group to which an individual belongs

out-groups

the group that the individual competes with

reference group

the group that establishes the terms by which individuals evaluate themselves

primary group

a group with direct interactions and close bonds

secondary group

a group with superficial interactions and few emotional bonds

Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft

theory distinguishing between two major types of groups by Tonnies

Gemeinschaft

community, groups united by shared beliefs, ancestry, or geography

Gesellschaft

society, groups formed because of mutual self-interests working together towards the same goal

interaction process analysis

a technique for observing, classifying, and measuring interactions within small groups

system for multiple level observation of groups (SYMLOG)

there are three fundamental dimensions of interaction: dominance vs submission, friendliness vs unfriendliness, and instrumentally controlled vs emotionally expressive

network

the observable pattern of social relationships among individuals or groups

network redundancy

when within a network there are overlapping connections with the same individual

immediate networks

networks that are dense with strong ties

distant networks

networks that are looser and contain weaker ties

formal organizations

bodies that persist before and after individual groups’ joining and departure

characteristic institution

the basic organization of society

bureaucracy

a rational system of political organization where decisions are made by state officials, not elected representatives

iron law of oligarchy

democratic or bureaucratic systems naturally shift to being ruled by an elite group

McDonaldization

a shift in focus towards efficiency and predictability in societies

social construction model

emotions are based on experiences and situational context alone, without biological backing

display rules

cultural expectations of emotions

impression management

attempts to influence how others perceive us

authentic self

who the person actually is

ideal self

who the person would like to be under optimal circumstances

tactical self

who the person markets themselves to be when adhering to others’ expectations of us

self-disclosure

impression management, sharing factual information about oneself

managing appearances

impression management, using props or emotional expressions to create a positive image

ingratiation

impression management, using flattery or conformity to win over someone else

aligning actions

impression management, using excuses to account for questionable behavior

alter-casting

impression management, imposing an identity onto another person

dramaturgical approach

individuals create images of themselves like actors in front of an audience

front stage

actor performs to conform to the image he wants the audience to perceive

back stage

actors is not observed by an audience and may act incongruent with his desired image

verbal communication

transmission of information with the use of words

nonverbal communication

unintentional or intentional communication without words

animal communication

any behavior of one animal that affects the behavior of another