Social Institutions, Reality, Status, Roles, and Nonverbal Communication
About "Emma"
Emma, a beloved family dog, was a rescue. Her previous owners thought she was deaf and abandoned her, a misconception that could have been resolved by simply opening a bag of chips near her, revealing her highly selective hearing. She was later adopted by the speaker's niece but was not suited for apartment living due to health issues and the niece's busy schedule (working, school). The speaker agreed to care for Emma three years ago. When the niece later offered to take Emma back, the speaker refused, declaring Emma her own dog. Emma is now considered the family's favorite member, a constant source of laughter and shared photo opportunities, making herself a constant presence in the daily lives of everyone.
Social Institutions and Perspectives
Social institutions are the fundamental pillars of importance within a society, such as the economy, government, healthcare, family (for procreation), media, religion, and education. These were likely discussed on the first day of lecture, often from a functionalist perspective.
Sociological perspectives offer different views on these institutions:
Functionalist Perspective: This was once the sole perspective in sociology. Functionalists believe that institutions are essential for the sustainability and stability of society. If one institution falters, others are in place to support and rebuild societal equilibrium.
Conflict Perspective: Conflict theorists often focus on power struggles, particularly between the "haves" and "have-nots" or upper and lower classes. They view institutions as systems that often disadvantage some individuals, noting that higher echelons within these institutions dictate dynamics for those at lower levels. Anytime a conflict arises over resources or power on an exam, the conflict perspective is often the correct answer.
Interactionist Perspective: This perspective, which is a primary focus today, is concerned with the subjective meaning individuals derive from institutions and how these structures affect their personal lives. An interactionist would ask how healthcare systems or the economy have specifically impacted an individual or their family. Interactionism emphasizes context, relationships, and the subjective meanings brought into every situation.
Social Construction of Reality
Social construction of reality is a complex idea asserting that our understanding of reality is shaped by our subjective experiences and exposure to phenomena. What we are exposed to, and how we encounter it, determines our perceptions.
Examples:
Weather and "Snowpocalypse of ": The speaker's intense interest in weather, evidenced by at least five weather apps on her phone, stems from the "Snowpocalypse of " in Central Texas. This event, where heavy snow and ice led to widespread power outages, freezing temperatures, and frozen water pipes for days, created immense anxiety due to the inability to reach elderly parents living only ten minutes away. The lack of snowplows and equipment in rural areas meant roads were impassable. This experience instilled a deep fear that her parents could die from the cold, making her memory of the event drastically different from her children's, who recalled it as a fun time for sledding. This subjective and traumatic experience profoundly shaped her reality regarding weather.
Memorial Day Floods (ten years ago): The speaker's house was evacuated during these floods while she had of her daughter's friends over for a birthday party. Although her house wasn't flooded, the experience led her to keep a "go bag" in her car for two years, constantly updated with new clothes and supplies, due to the fear of a repeat event every time it rained. This personal fear and preparedness became part of her socially constructed reality.
Campus Upheaval: Current events on campus, such as protests, are deeply impactful and meaningful for some individuals, shaping their reality as good, bad, sad, or angry. For others, these events are not part of their reality if they are not directly involved or aware, demonstrating how different exposures lead to different constructions of reality. It's crucial to understand that not everyone will perceive events the same way due to varied pasts and experiences.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person's belief, because of its intensity, directly or indirectly causes it to become true. The belief itself influences behavior to align with the expectation.
Example:
Hating Math: A student who believes, "I hate math, I cannot do math, numbers freak me out" will likely struggle. This belief might lead them to avoid studying, not focus in class, or neglect seeking help. Consequently, they might fail a math test, which then reinforces their initial belief, "I told you, I can't do math." To break this cycle, one must change behavior, not just language. This could involve attending every class, taking notes, asking questions, seeking tutoring, or hiring a private tutor—active steps to alter the outcome despite the initial dislike for the subject.
Social Status
Each individual holds multiple social statuses in life, which are socially defined positions within a group or society. Collectively, all of an individual's statuses at any given time comprise their status set (e.g., son, daughter, grandchild, cousin, employee, club officer, athlete, college student).
Statuses can be categorized:
Ascribed Statuses: These are positions assigned to an individual at birth or at different stages in the life cycle, typically without their conscious effort or control. Examples include family lineage (born or adopted into), age, or royalty. These are generally unchangeable.
Achieved Statuses: These are positions that an individual earns, accomplishes, or selects through personal effort, talent, or choice. What constitutes an achievement is subjective to the individual. Examples might include being a college student, an "A" student, an employee, or "employee of the month." The individual determines what they deem an achievement.
Master Status: This is the most important status that shapes a person's entire life and identity, often defining how others view them. For college students, parents often invest in the idea that "college student" is their master status, expecting other activities to take a back seat for academic success. For self-supporting students, "work" might be the master status to cover bills, potentially leading to breaks in studies. "Family" often becomes a master status for many later in life.
Societally Determined Master Statuses: While individuals usually choose their master status, society can impose it on certain groups:
Homeless Individuals: Society often defines "being homeless" as their master status, with recent Supreme Court rulings even allowing for jailing people for being homeless, highlighting a confusing legal shift.
Individuals Born into Slavery: Historically, "slave" was an imposed master status, denying individuals other rights or identities.
Convicted Criminals/Incarcerated Individuals: The status of "convicted felon" becomes a master status, imposing significant restrictions on employment, education, and daily life, as society continues to prioritize this label.
Celebrities: For many celebrities, society (and often their own choices, like the Kardashians) determines "celebrity" as their master status, which grants them immense wealth and recognition, often without the specific talents or extensive training typically honored in society (e.g., professional athletes, brain surgeons).
Social Roles
Social roles are the behaviors, responsibilities, and expectations attached to a particular social status. These roles are cultural, meaning that what is expected of a specific status in one culture or family might differ in another. For example, the eldest child in one family might have many responsibilities, while the youngest might have none, exhibiting an "I do what I want" role.
Role Conflict and Role Strain
Role Conflict: Occurs when there is conflict among the roles of two or more different statuses an individual holds. This requires learning to navigate multitasking and prioritizing. For example, a student might experience role conflict if they are scheduled to work at the same time they are supposed to be in class (conflict between "employee" and "student" statuses). Other examples include conflicting demands from family versus friends, or needing to study for an exam while also having a paper due.
Role Strain: Occurs when there is conflict within the roles of a single status. This often involves multitasking or prioritizing within one set of responsibilities. For example, a student might experience role strain by trying to work on material for another class while attending the current class (conflict within the "student" status). A server in a restaurant is a classic example: managing multiple tables' orders, getting drinks, serving food, training new staff, expediting for other sections, and completing closing duties (rolling silverware, filling salt shakers) all under the single "server" status.
Role Exits
Role exits describe the process of disengaging from a social status that has been central to one's identity. This experience often involves a period of grieving.
Examples:
Graduating College: Many college graduates experience role exit, finding the "real world" lonely and challenging compared to the academic bubble. This often leads to reluctance to leave the university town, with San Marcos, for instance, having a high proportion of highly educated bartenders.
Ending Relationships: When a significant relationship that has been central to one's identity ends (e.g., romantic partnerships, the passing of a loved one), individuals undergo a role exit.
The process of grieving a role exit often follows four steps, similar to the stages of grief:
Doubt: A period of uncertainty and internal debate about the status or relationship. (e.g., constant back-and-forth about whether to break up with a partner, frustrating friends).
Search for Alternatives: Exploring other options or possibilities outside of the current status.
Departure: The act of officially leaving or ending the central status (e.g., moving out, changing social media status).
Creation of a New Identity: Developing a new sense of self apart from the former status. This involves reflection on past experiences and moving forward, potentially with or without new relationships.
Nonverbal Communication
In communication, individuals are more likely to believe nonverbal messages (facial expressions, tone, body language) than verbal messages. This is why emojis became popular in texting, to add nonverbal cues, though sometimes they can further confuse the interpretation of a message. Newer forms like custom stickers also serve this purpose.
Proxemics (Space)
Proxemics is the study of the use of space and how it relates to human interaction. Our personal sense of space is largely cultural. For instance, Americans tend to prefer more personal space compared to people in some other countries where close talking or physical proximity is common.
Research on US comfort zones defines various distances:
Public Distance ( feet or more): Reserved for public speaking or impersonal interactions. Allowances are made in crowded environments like a university campus during class changes or on public transportation, where maintaining feet is impossible. However, in an empty, potentially threatening scenario (e.g., a dark parking garage at ), this distance offers a sense of security.
Social Distance ( to feet): Used for formal interactions or with acquaintances (e.g., classmates, club members)—people familiar but not close friends.
Personal Distance ( to feet): Reserved for trusted individuals like close friends or family, enabling comfortable conversations or sitting together (e.g., at a movie theater).
Intimate Distance (Contact to feet): Reserved for individuals with whom one is intimate, or for those who disregard personal space, such as babies or grandmothers.
Our face is the most protected area of our body; people generally do not like their faces touched unless explicitly invited. We are also more defensive of our front than our back. Being bumped from behind, like on a crowded shuttle, is often forgiven, but a bump to the front can evoke a defensive reaction.
Tactile Communication (Touch)
Tactile communication, or touch, is also culturally determined and defines relationships, with its meaning varying significantly by situation.
Handshakes: A cultural norm in some societies but not all. Historically, women were not expected to shake hands and were taught a different hand gesture. Today, in professional settings like job interviews, a firm handshake with eye contact is crucial. Post-COVID, some people are hesitant to shake hands, but in formal contexts, it is often still expected.
Greetings: While some cultures greet with kisses on both cheeks or one, in American society, kissing is generally reserved for certain relationships. Even within families, there can be cultural variations regarding kissing on the lips among relatives.
Shoulder Touch: A casual touch on the shoulder to get attention or get through a crowd is generally forgivable. A pat on the shoulder can signify "good job" or sympathy. However, a hand remaining on the shoulder for too long, or a rub instead of a pat, changes the meaning, potentially becoming uncomfortable or creepy, thus altering the relationship.
Other Touches: Touching someone's lower back or butt, for example, conveys a different meaning than a shoulder touch, often implying flirtation or intimacy. The context is paramount: a celebratory pat on the butt in a sports game is different from the same action in a bar later, as the latter carries a different social meaning.
Holding Hands: In some cultures, it is normal and without romantic connotations for men who are friends or acquaintances to hold hands while walking or conducting business. In American culture, holding hands almost universally signifies a romantic relationship.
Dramaturgy (by Irving Goffman)
Dramaturgy, a concept coined by Irving Goffman, posits that life is like a stage play. Individuals are constantly performing and navigating others' impressions of them.
Front Stage: This is where individuals manage their impressions. In public settings (like a classroom), everyone is on the front stage, attempting to project a specific image of themselves.
Backstage: This is a private space reserved for trusted individuals (e.g., roommates, close friends, family) where one can relax their guard and not worry about impression management. No performance is necessarily being made.
Embarrassment: This feeling arises when an individual's performance or impression management fails, meaning their portrayal did not go as planned. It signifies a public failure to maintain a desired image.
Face-Saving Behavior: To recover from such a failed performance, individuals engage in "face-saving" behaviors, attempting to repair their tarnished image or reputation.
(The transcript ends abruptly during the explanation of face-saving behavior, with the speaker mentioning coming "from a long line of followers.")