Transcript Social Structure - National Paralegal College

Essentials of
Sociology
9th Edition
Chapter 4: Social Structure and
Social Interaction
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
1
Social Structure and Social Interaction
Chapter Overview

Two Levels of
Sociological Analysis
 Components of the
Macrosociological
Perspective
 Societies and their
Transformation

What Holds Society
Together?
 Components of the
Microsociological
Perspective
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2
Social Structure and Social Interaction
Two Levels of
Sociological Analysis
Macrosociology
 Large-Scale Features of Social Life
Microsociology
 Focus on Social Interaction
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3
Social Structure and Social Interaction
The Macrosociological
Perspective
 Sociological Significance of Social
Structure
 Guides Our Behavior
 Behavior Decided by Location in Social
Structure
 Culture
 Group’s Language, Beliefs, Values,
Behaviors, Gestures
 Material Objects
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4
Social Structure and Social Interaction
The Macrosociological
Perspective
 Social Class Divides People by…
1. Income
2. Education
3. Occupational Prestige
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5
Social Structure and Social Interaction
The Macrosociological
Perspective
Social Status – Position a person occupies
 Ascribed –a status one is born with
 Achieved –a status one earns
 Master Status-cuts across all other statuses one
holds
 Status Set-all of the statuses one holds
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6
Social Structure and Social Interaction
The Macrosociological
Perspective
Roles – Behaviors associated with ones status
 You Occupy a Status
 You Play a Role
 Ones role will change as ones status changes
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7
Social Structure and Social Interaction
The Macrosociological
Perspective
Groups – People Who Regularly and
Consciously Interact and think of themselves as
belonging together
Social Institutions – Means Developed by
Societies to Meet Basic Needs
• The more industrialized the society the more
formal the institution
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8
Social Structure and Social Interaction
Societies and Their
Transformation

Hunting and Gathering Societies-few social
divisions and little inequality. Today, only about 300
hunter-gathering groups exist today
 Pastoral and Horticultural Societies-based on the
pasturing of animals, division of labor developed as
well as social inequality
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9
Social Structure and Social Interaction
Societies and Their
Transformation

Agricultural Societies-people developed cities and
what is known as culture; sometimes referred to as the
“dawn of civilization”.
 Industrial Societies-people flocked to the cities and
the pattern of growing inequality was reversed
 Postindustrial Societies-basic components are
information and services
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10
Social Structure and Social Interaction
What Holds Society
Together?
Durkheim
 Early on, people were
connected by
Mechanical solidarity
 Organic solidarity is
present today
Tonnies
 Gemeinschaft (closeknit, personal) societies
once existed
 Today, we live in a
Gesellschaft (impersonal)
society
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11
Social Structure and Social Interaction
Microsociological
Perspective:
Social Interaction in Everyday
Life
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12
Social Structure and Social Interaction
The Microsociological
Perspective
Stereotypes –
Assumptions about the
characteristics of certain
individuals which leads
to generalizations
Figure 4.5 How Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes Work
Source: By the author.
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13
Social Structure and Social Interaction
The Microsociological
Perspective
Personal Space (Edward Hall) – a invisible
bubble by which we surround ourselves
 4 Levels:




Intimate
Personal
Social
Public
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14
Social Structure and Social Interaction
The Microsociological
Perspective
Erving Goffman
 Dramaturgy – Life is like a play
 Impression Management – Face Saving
Behavior
 Front and Back Stages
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15
Social Structure and Social Interaction
Dramaturgy
(Role Conflict and Role Strain)
Role Conflict – a conflict between two separate roles
The more roles you play, the more conflict you may
experience
Role Strain – a strain within the same role
Dramaturgy (Role Conflict and Role Strain)
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16
Social Structure and Social Interaction
Figure 4.6 Role Strain and Role Conflict
Source: By the author.
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17
Social Structure and Social Interaction
The Microsociological
Perspective
Ethnomethodology - The study of how
people use background assumptions to
get through everyday life
 Harold Garfinkle’s Experiments
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18
Social Structure and Social Interaction
The Microsociological
Perspective
Thomas Theorem – W.I. Thomas
Our behavior depends not on the objective but on
the subjective interpretation of reality.
We behave according to the way we perceive the
world
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19
Social Structure and Social Interaction