Chapter 9

Statuses

Elements of Social Interaction

Perceived positions in society that are used to classify individuals.

Ascribed Status

Elements of Social Interaction

A status that is given involuntarily, such as race, ethnicity, gender, and family background.

Achieved Status

Elements of Social Interaction

A status that is gained as a result of one's efforts and choices, such as being a doctor.

Master Status

Elements of Social Interaction

The status by which a person is most identified; typically the most important status the individual holds and affects all aspects of that person’s life; can also cause pigeonholing

Role

Elements of Social Interaction

A set of beliefs, value, attitudes, and norms that define expectations for those who hold the status.

Role Performance

Elements of Social Interaction

The carrying out of behaviors associated with a given role; can change depending on the social situation and context of the interaction

Role Partner

Elements of Social Interaction

The person with whom one is interacting.

Role Set

Elements of Social Interaction

The various roles associated with a status.

Role Conflict

Elements of Social Interaction

Difficulty in satisfying the expectations of multiple roles. Such as being both a father and a physician.

Role Strain

Elements of Social Interaction

Difficulty in satisfying multiple expectations of the same role. Such as being a third-year resident, attending grand rounds, and teaching interns.

Role Exit

Elements of Social Interaction

The dropping of one identity for another. Such as quitting being a doctor in favor of becoming an expert witness in the courtroom for malpractice cases.

Social Group

Elements of Social Interaction

Consists of two or more people who share similar characteristics and a sense of unity.

Peer Group

Elements of Social Interaction

A group that is defined by association of self-selected equals around similar interests, ages, and statuses. These groups provide an opportunity for friendship and feelings of belonging.

Family Group

Elements of Social Interaction

Group of not self-selected individuals, but rather determined by birth, adoption, or marriage.

In-Group

Elements of Social Interaction

Group to which an individual belongs.

Out-Group

Elements of Social Interaction

Group with which an individual competes or is in opposition of.

Reference Groups

Elements of Social Interaction

Groups that establish the terms by which individuals evaluate themselves.

Primary Groups

Elements of Social Interaction

Groups in which interactions are direct, with close bonds providing warm, personal, and intimate relationships to members. For example, members of a sports team.

Secondary Groups

Elements of Social Interaction

Groups in which the interactions are superficial and businesslike, with few emotional bonds and the goal of accomplishing a specific purpose. For example, a group of students working together on a group project.

Community

Elements of Social Interaction

Refers to groups unified by feelings of togetherness due to shared beliefs, ancestry, or geography; according to the theory created by Ferdinand Tonnies

Society

Elements of Social Interaction

Refers to groups that are formed because of mutual self-interests working together towards the same goal; according to the theory created by Ferdinand Tonnies

Interaction Process Analysis

Elements of Social Interaction

A technique for observing, classifying, and measuring the interactions within small groups.

System for Multiple Level Observation of Groups (SYMLOG)

Elements of Social Interaction

Based on the belief that there are three fundamental dimensions of interaction: dominance vs. submission, friendliness vs. unfriendliness, and instrumentally controlled vs. emotionally expensive.

Group Conformity

Elements of Social Interaction

Occurs when a group holds power over its members, creating group pressure that ultimately shapes members' behaviors.

Groupthink

Elements of Social Interaction

Related to group conformity, it occurs when members begin to focus solely on ideas generated within the group, while ignoring outside ideas.

Network

Elements of Social Interaction

Describes the overall pattern of social relationships among individuals or groups.

Organizations

Elements of Social Interaction

Complex secondary groups that are set up to achieve specific goals and are characterized by having a structure and culture.

Formal Organizations

Elements of Social Interaction

Different from groups in multiple ways. They continue despite the departure of a single member, they have expressed goals, have enforcement procedures to control the activities of the members, and they are characterized by hierarchical allotment of formal roles and duties to members. Developed during the Industrial Revolution as a way to maximize efficiency.

Characteristic Institution

Elements of Social Interaction

What the basic organization of a society is found on; nowadays it is usually bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy

Elements of Social Interaction

A rational system of political organization, administration, discipline, and control.

Iron Law of Oligarchy

Elements of Social Interaction

States that democratic and bureaucratic systems naturally shift to being ruled by an elite group.

McDonaldization

Elements of Social Interaction

Refers to a shift toward efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control in societies.

Self-Presentation

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

The process of displaying oneself to society through culturally accepted behaviors, often to make sure others see us in the best possible light; a form of impression management

Basic Model of Emotional Expression

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

First established by Charles Darwin, it stated that emotional expression involves facial expressions, behaviors, postures, vocal changes, and physiological changes.

Appraisal Model

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

Accepts that there are biologically predetermined expressions once an emotion is experienced, but that there is a cognitive antecedent to emotional expression.

Social Construction Model

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

Assumes that there is no biological basis for emotions and that they were based on experience and situational context alone; suggests that certain emotions can only exist within social encounters and that emotions are expressed differently across cultures

Display Rules

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

Cultural expectations of emotions; govern which emotions can be expressed and to what degree

Cultural Syndrome

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

a shared set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, values, and behaviors among members of the same culture that are organized around a central theme'; influence the rules for expressing or suppressing emotions and can even influence the ways emotions are experiences

Impression Management

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

Our attempt to influence how others perceive us.

Authentic Self, Ideal Self, Tactical Self

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

The three selves that describe impression management.

Authentic Self

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

The self of impression management that describes the person we actually are, including both positive and negative attributes

Ideal Self

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

The self of impression management that describes the person that we would like to be under optimal circumstances

Tactical Self

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

The self of impression management that refers to who we market ourselves to be when we adhere to others' expectations of us.

Dramaturgical Approach

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

Erving Goffman's metaphor of using a theatrical performance to describe how individuals create images of themselves in various situations; relates a person’s attempts to manage the impressions of others to an actor’s performance in a play

Front Stage Self

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

the persona a person presents to an audience; a person will adapt it depending on the social situation; part of Goffman's dramaturgical approach where the actor is in front of the audience, and performs according to the setting, role, and script in order to conform to the image that he wants the others to see.

Back Stage Self

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

the persona adopted when not in a social situation and there is no concern about upholding the performance of a desired public image; part of Goffman's dramaturgical approach where the actor is not in front of anyone and they can act in whatever way they chose.

George Herbert Mead

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

This person described the self in two parts called the Me and the I

the Me

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

the part of the self that is developed through interaction with society; its development comes from considering the generalized other, which is based on a person’s established perceptions of the expectations of society; part of George Herbert Mead’s theory of the self

the I

Self-Preservation & Interacting with Others

the part of the self that is the individual’s own impulses; it is not totally independent of the OTHER self, as a person’s impulses are shaped by their interpretation of society’s expectations; part of George Herbert Mead’s theory of the self