Sociology: Ch 4 Sec 1 Definitions

“Social Structure” “Building Blocks of Social Structure” Standards: 4.11, 5.13

Section 1 Vocabulary

 1. Social Structure:

Network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide human interaction

 2. Status: a socially defined position in a group or in society  3. Role: behavior, right, and obligations expected of someone occupying a particular status

Types of Status

 4. Ascribed Status: assigned status given based on qualities that are out of a person’s control (Black/White)  5. Achieved Status: Status achieved through own direct efforts  6. Master Status: The status that plays the greatest role in shaping a person’s life and determining his or her social identity.  Can be ascribed OR achieved (U.S. Mostly achieved)  Ex: Occupation, wealth, marital status, and parenthood…etc.

Types of Roles

 7. Reciprocal Roles: corresponding roles that define the patterns of interaction between related statuses… huh? Ok: How can you perform the role of husband if there is no one there to perform the roles of the wife? (other Ex: Doctor/Patient; Sales Clerk/Customer)(Mini play dialogue between two people: Conversation expectations) Ex: Doctor: “take a deep breath” Patient: “No” Now, how does the doctor fulfill his role as doctor?

Role Expectation and Role Performance

 8. Role Expectations: Socially determined behaviors expected of a person performing a role  Ex: Police: “Protect and Serve”  9. Role Performance: ACTUAL role behavior; does not always match behavior expected by society  Ex: Police brutality, child abuse…etc

Role Conflict and Role Strain

 9. Role Set: Different roles attached to a single status… Can lead to conflict   10. Role Conflict: occurs when filling the role expectations of one status makes it difficult to fulfill the role expectations of another status Ex: “To be a good employee, one has to spend extra time at work; to be a good parent, one has to spend extra time at home” Both can NOT occur; a compromise has to be reached  11. Role Strain: occurs when an individual has difficulty meeting expectations of a single status (ex: boss boosting morale and production

Basic Needs of Society

 12. Social Institution: When statuses and roles are organized to satisfy one or more needs of society  Needs…  -Provide physical and emotional support to members  -Transmit knowledge  -Produce goods and services  -maintain social control*

Sociology: Ch 4 Sec 2

“Types of Social Interaction” Standards: 3.2, 3.5

Exchange Theory

 13. Exchange: Whenever people interact in an effort to receive a reward or return for their actions  14. Reciprocity: the idea that if you do something for some one, then that person “owes” you something in return… (Unwritten rule)  15. Exchange Theory: People are motivated by “Self” interests in interactions with other people  People do things for rewards  Behaviors that are rewarded, are usually repeated

Competition

 16. Competition: Occurs when two or more people or groups oppose each other to achieve goal that only ONE can attain (winners and losers; dodgeball debate)  Very Common in “Western” societies  17. Conflict: is the deliberate attempt to control a person by force, to oppose someone, or to harm another person. (Few rules are often ignored)

4 Sources of Conflict

 Georg Simmel:  1. Wars  2. Disagreements within group  3. Legal disputes  4. Clashes over ideology  *Sometimes begin as competition  Read: “The Argument Culture” p. 70

Cooperation and Accommodation

 18. Cooperation: two or more people or groups work together to achieve a goal that will benefit more than one person  19. Accommodation: a state of balance between conflict and cooperation  COMPROMISE: We can rarely have everything that we want  Help to ensure social stability  VOCAB QUIZ