CH 6 Contemporary Theories of Everyday Life

Symbolic Interactionism

A sociological theory that focuses on everyday life, interaction, and the symbols and meanings associated with them.

Dramaturgy

Erving Goffman's concept that views social life as a series of dramatic performances similar to those in theater.

Impression Management

Techniques used by actors to maintain certain impressions in the face of challenges.

Front Stage

The part of the performance where actors present themselves in a defined manner to the audience.

Back Stage

The area where actors can relax and express themselves outside the public view.

Role Distance

The degree to which individuals separate themselves from the roles they inhabit.

Stigma

A gap between a person's virtual social identity and their actual social identity.

Discredited Stigma

A stigma where the differences are known by the audience.

Discreditable Stigma

A stigma where the differences are neither known nor perceivable by the audience.

Emotion Management

Techniques used to display emotions appropriate to performances.

Surface Acting

Manipulating facial expression and tone to convey emotions externally.

Deep Acting

Recalling personal emotional experiences to create authentic emotional expressions.

Feeling Rules

Culturally determined standards for managing emotions.

Ethnomethodology

The study of how ordinary people use social practices to construct and understand social realities.

Breaching Experiments

Experiments that violate social norms to understand how people create social reality.

Exchange Theory

A theory based on behaviorist principles focusing on how social interactions reinforce behavior.

Rational Choice Theory

A theory that views actors as purposive and intentional, aiming to achieve their goals.

Opportunity Costs

The costs associated with foregoing the next most attractive action.

Looking-Glass Self

The idea that we develop our self-concept based on how others perceive and react to us.

Primary Group

An intimate group that has a major influence on an individual’s socialization.

Sympathetic Introspection

Methodology of understanding others by empathetically placing oneself in their position.

Fieldwork

A research method involving direct observation of social interactions in natural settings.

Observation

Studying social interactions by directly watching individuals in their environment.

Setting

The physical scene necessary for a dramaturgical performance to occur.

Personal Front

Items of expressive equipment expected by the audience from performers.

Appearance

The way actors look and the items indicating their social status.

Manner

The expected behavior and conduct of actors in a situation.

Mystification

Efforts by actors to confuse their audience by concealing the processes behind their performance.

Team

A group of individuals working together to coordinate a single performance.

Outside

An area that is neither part of the front stage nor the back stage in performance.

Emotion Memory

A powerful recollection that evokes strong feelings related to personal experiences.

Commercialization of Feeling

Management of emotions to create economic value in service-oriented industries.

Accounts

Explanations provided by actors to make sense of specific social situations.

Accounting Practices

The methods by which accounts are offered and evaluated socially.

Operant Conditioning

A learning process where behavior is modified by its consequences.

Generalization

Extending learned behavior to similar situations.

Discrimination

Exhibiting behavior only in specific circumstances where it was previously successful.

Rewards

Positive valued actions that increase the likelihood of desired behavior.

Punishments

Negative valued actions that decrease the likelihood of undesired behavior.

Cost

The rewards lost when an action is chosen over alternatives.

Profit

The surplus of rewards gained over incurred costs in social exchanges.

Utilities

Preferences or values that inform actor’s choices.