Social Interaction Structure

What is social interaction

the way people respond to one another (in person or over distance)

What is a social structure

Ways in which society is organized in predictable relationships

What are the 5 elements of social structure

1) status 2) social roles 3) networks 4) social institutions 5) groups

What is status

Socially defines position within a larger society (can hold multiple statuses)

What is ascribes status

Traits you do not have control over (gender, race, age)

How does the conflict perspective view ascribed status

The traits you are born with can confer privilege or disadvantage

What is achieved status

Traits you develop related to skills (career, hobbies like guitar playing etc.)

What is master status

It is the trait that defines one’s identity, (main thing people see about a person such as an ex-criminal, disabled person, police officer)

What are social roles

expectations we have based on social positions or status (uber driver, professor, barber)

What is role conflict

Incompatible expectation arise from 2 or more positions held by the same person (status in one role violates status of another role)

What is role strain

When the same social position imposes conflicting demands and expectations (INVOLVES SINGLE POSITION)

What is role exit

The process of leaving one central role to their self-identity to establish a new role and identity (transgender people, ex-convicts, divorce)

What is the four stage process of role exit

1) doubt 2) search for alternatives 3) action stage 4) creation of new identity

What is a social network

Series of social interactions that link persons together (can be in person or long distance, used to track covid)

What is a social institution

Organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centres on basic social needs (government, family, healthcare system etc.)

What is the functionalist view of social institutions

Their role is to meet basic social needs (replacing people, teaching new recruits, producing goods, preserves order)

What is the conflict view of social institutions

Their role is to meet basic social needs (maintains privilege and inequality)

What is the interactionist view if social institutions

Their role is to foster everyday behavior (influences the roles and statuses we accept

What is a group

Made up of 2 or more people with shared norms, values, and expectations (interact and have sense of belonging)

What are primary groups

a small group with a lot of face-to-face interactions (family, sports teams, gangs)

What are secondary groups

Formal and impersonal groups with little social intimacy (co-workers)

What is an in-group

Groups of people who feel like they belong

What is an out-group

Group of people who feel they do not belong

What is a reference group

People used as a standard for evaluating themselves (normative and comparison functions)

What is a Coalition

Temporary or permanent group to accomplish a common goal

What are formal organizations

A group for special purpose and designed for maximum efficiency (McDonald’s, postal service, steelers)

What is Bureaucracy

Rules and hierarchy ranking to achieve goals (relates to Weber’s ideal types) (Major component of formal orgs)

5 Characteristics of bureaucracy

1) division of labor, 2) Hierarchy of authority, 3) written rules and regulations, 4) impersonality, 5) employment based on technical qualifications

What is division of labor

Specialized people perform specialized tasks

Issues with division of labor

Alienation (people are estranged form others) and Trained incapacity (so specialized they develop blind spots and foil to notice obvious problems)

What is hierarchy of authority

long chain of command (pope, cardinals, bishops, priest, deacon)

What are written rules and regulations

Have certain clear rules to follow in bureaucracy

Problems with written rules and regulations

procedure v efficiency, leads to goal displacement (conformity to regulations of bureaucracy)

Who coined the term goal displacement

Robert Merton

Impersonality characteristics of bureaucracy

Everyone is treated the same, does not treat people as individuals

Issue with impersonality

produces dissatisfaction with company

Employment based on technical qualifications characteristic of bureaucracy

Skills are what matter for employment, written policies on how to get promoted, removes favoritism and provides security

Peter principle

Every employee rises to their level of incompetence