Module 3

social cohesion

how well members of a social group and society relate and trust each other

mechanical solidarity

low individual autonomy, where people performed similar tasks, values, languages, and symbols

organic solidarity

complex system of interrelated parts working together to maintain stability; we have more individual autonomy but paradoxically we are more dependent on each other

Durkheim’s argument on structural functionalism

The more an individual is autonomous, the more they rely on others to provide them with things they cannot provide for themselves

social positions

we have places in society that exist in relation to one another; relationships are more hierarchical then equitable

robert merton

these different roles we occupy come with a recipe on how to act within those positions

status

social position a person has. part of our social identity and forms our social relationships, and can be ascribed or achieved

status set

all the statuses a person holds, which are fluid over a life course, and vary in broad and specific groups that define us

role

each status comes with different rights and responsibilities and a range of behaviours, opposing expectation that establishes the individual’s relationship to others

role set

entire set of behaviours and attitudes associated with a particular status

relationship between status and role

each different status comes with a well-defined role set

role strain

tension between roles connected to a single status

role conflict

conflict between different statuses an individual has, which can occur for instance in the case of many social situations

role exit

voluntarily/involuntarily disengaging from a role central to ones identity

conflict and power

distinguishing between ascribed vs achieved status, managing role strain and role conflict, as well as social stratification with inherited power imbalances

status hiearchy

statuses can be ranked from high to low based on prestige and power, like gender, race, age, class, etc.

conflict theorists on status hierarchies

these matter because they have consequences; for instance, our behaviour depends on who we are dealing with.

status consistency

all positions in different status hierarchies are fairly consistent and align

status inconsistency

positions may be highly ranked in some status hierarchies and lower in others

everett hughes — master status

we hold multiple conflicting statuses which combine to our status set — special importance that shapes our social identity and entire life. this tends to dominate all statuses, and each the it can vary between different situations

the looking-glass self

the sense of who we are based on how other members of society react to us — so based off our interactions with others

double consciousness

black people have 2 behavioural scripts — to be theirselves and to see theirselves through the eyes of others

social environment

real or imagined others to whom a person is connected

organizations

collectivities characterized by social structure that encourages patterns in individual action

ascribed status

social position imposed on a person at birth

achieved status

social position resulting from choices people make; through effort

instrumental communication

messages that are a means to an end

expressive communication

messages that are ends themselves

mediated interaction

communication using technologies to send and receive messages

technological determinism

the existence of new technologies inevitable lead to undesired effects

how social media affects empathy

removes facial expressions, and involves remote and anonymous communication

displacement hypothesis

media use weakens in-person connections

feminist theory and emotions

differences in role performance are often related to gender status

emotion management

obeying “feeling rules” and responding appropriately to the situations we find ourselves

emotion labour

emotion management that many people do for their job which they are paid

competitive interaction

involves people trying to gain the most socially, emotionally, and economically while paying the least

power

the capacity to carry one’s will despite resistance

domination

all power is concentrated in the hands of high status; with fear as the main emotion

cooperation

equally distributed power between people of different status, based on trust

competition

power is unequally distributed but inequality here is less than domination

cultural scaffolding

set of cultural values and beliefs that legitimate exisiting power arrangements, making them seem reasonable

altruistic behaviour

when people interact with others based on learned norms, as we constantly negotiate and modify these norms, roles, and statuses we encounter

dramaturgical analysis

people present themselves in the best light

role distancing

giving the impression of ‘going with the flow’ without making serious commitment to the role

ethnomethodology

study of methods ordinary people use unconciously to make sense of what others do and say

breaching experiments

disrupt interaction patterns to illustrate the importance of pre-existing shared norms in social order

fundamental sociological facts

social life tends to be orderly, if social order is disrupted, people try to reestablish a new one, the orderliness of social life is maintained by shared norms and understanding, and people can establish orderly behaviour without talking to each other

status cues

visual indicators of a person’s social position

stereotypes

inflexible views of how members of various groups act, regardless of whether individual group members actually behave that way