Psych MCAT: Social Interations

your social status

Status

Types of status

achieved, ascribed

obtained status, such as becoming a doctor

achieved

you're born with it, such as your race.

Ascribed

the role you play for a given status

role

treating patients when you're a doctor.

role

conflict between multiple roles (Eg: being a doctor and a soldier at the same time).

role conflict

conflict between requirements within the same role (Eg: patient care vs patient autonomy. Jehova's witness refusing blood transfusion, which may save their life. Parents refusing vaccination of their kids.)

Role strain

quitting a role

Role exit

long-term relationship/interaction, such as family and friends.

primary group

short-term relationship/interaction, such as classmates, colleagues.

Secondary group

you identify with/belong to your in-group. Groups that you don't identify with/belong to is called an out-group.

in-group vs. out-group

e.g., dyads, triads

Group size

pair relationships (eg: husband-wife, staff-customer)

dyad

3 members (eg: parents and single child).

Triad

made of social relationships/ties

networks

made of professional relationships. This is an entity in itself. It has a goal, structure, and culture.

Organizations

secondary groups that serve a specific need/goal. Eg: governments, corporations, universities, hospitals.

Formal organization

a system of government where non-elect government officials make the decisions.

Bureaucracy

• Hierarchy of authority

• Impersonality

• Written rules of conduct

• Promotion based on achievement

• Specialized division of labor

• Efficiency

Characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy

e.g., iron law of oligarchy, McDonaldization

Perspectives on bureaucracy

government tend to shift toward being ruled by an elite group

Iron law of oligarchy

shift toward being efficient and practical like McDonalds/fast food restaurants.

McDonaldization

verbal and body language

Expressing and detecting emotion

popular belief is that girls are more emotional and they are also more sensitive to detect emotion. Research shows that society has particular expectations of how boys and girls express emotion.

The role of gender in the expression and detection of emotion

Eg: girls can cry, guys should act tough, girls should be gentle, guys can be aggressive. This shapes how guys and girls express emotions differently.

The role of gender in the expression and detection of emotion

individualistic emotions predominate, such as pride and anger

individualistic cultures (Western)

emotions that promote interconnectedness predominates, such as friendliness and shame

collectivist cultures (Asia, Africa)

how we act in order to influence how others perceive us.

Impression management = self presentation =

introducing yourself as doctor to a patient

self-disclosure

wearing a white coat, looking compassionate

managing appearances

telling your interviewer that his research is fascinating, even when you couldn’t care less

ingratiation

aligning/justifying your actions by making excuses

aligning actions

imposing an identity on someone. Eg: as a doctor, you should...

alter-casting

using theater performance as an analogy to impression management

dramaturgical approach

type of self: when you’re being observed, you act to conform to society’s expectations

front stage

when you’re by yourself, you can be yourself

back stage

things you say

verbal

body language

nonverbal

like/dislike. Causes include physical attractiveness, proximity, similarity, familiarity, complementarity (opposites attract), reciprocity

interpersonal attraction

how good someone looks

physical attractiveness

how much sexual desire they arouse

sexual attractiveness

behavior that intends to cause harm

Aggression

parent-child relationship = develops during first 2 years of life

Attachment

caring parent, child upset if parent leaves, comforted when parent returns, child prefers parent to stranger, good social skills later on

secure attachment = normal

uncaring parent = child treats parent like any stranger

avoidant attachment

type of attachment= inconsistent parent = child upset if parent leaves, but may not be fully comforted when parent returns

ambivalent attachment

= child abuse = disorganized response to presence and absence of parent, such as avoidance, resistance, confusion, repetitive behaviors such as rocking

disorganized attachment

helping others at the cost of yourself = evolutionary helps you indirectly as you share genes with those you help

Altruism

genetic (hunger drives foraging, testosterone drives mating) and social (learning from those around you)

Biological explanations of social behavior in animals

seeks out food

Foraging behavior

finding, attracting, and choosing a mate

Mating behavior and mate choice

decision making. Decisions have a benefit-cost ratio. Pick the choice of action that has the most benefit-cost ratio.

Applying game theory: game theory

help others at the cost of yourself.

Altruism

Alternatives to altruism

spite (harms both), cooperation (benefits both), selfishness (help yourself at the cost of other

explains altruism = when you help others who share genes with you, you indirectly help yourself

Inclusive fitness

it's just you doing the discrimination

individual discrimination

the society doing the discrimination. Can be subtle, such as providing different access to opportunities, promoting positive/negative stereotypes in the media.

institutional discrimination

= pre-judge = you're judging someone based on their race before even getting to know them.

prejudice

= action = you are prejudiced against a certain race and because of that, rejected them from med school.

Discrimination

power (ability to obtain goals), prestige (respect), and class (socioeconomic status) divides people into haves and have-nots. This leads to prejudice and discrimination.

How power, prestige, and class facilitate discrimination