THE SELF AND INTERACTIONCHAPTER 5
SOCIAL INTERACTION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQMB5teKf7M&NR=1
Free hugs
How do we create reality in our face-to-face interactions?
SOCIAL INTERACTION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0BBgVCAxg0
String experiment
SOCIAL STRUCTURE: A GUIDE TO EVERYDAY LIVING
SOCIAL INTERACTIONProcess by which people act and react in relation to others
STATUSA social position
STATUS SETAll statuses a person holds
ASCRIBED AND ACHIEVED STATUS
Ascribed StatusSocial position received at birth or taken involuntarily later in life
Achieved StatusSocial position taken voluntarily Ascribed statuses influence Achieved statuses
ASCRIBED STATUS—BORN RICH
ASCRIBED STATUS--GENDER
ASCRIBED STATUS--GENDER
ACHIEVED STATUS
MASTER STATUS
Special importance for social identity
Negative or positiveGender AthleteNerdCriminal
ROLEBehavior expected of someone who
holds a particular statusPerson holds a statusWho we are
Person performs a roleWhat we do
PERFORMING A ROLE
Role Set
Roles attached to a single status
ROLE SET: STUDENT STATUS
ROLE CONFLICT AND ROLE STRAIN
Role ConflictConflict among roles connected to two or more statuses (student, job, athlete)
Role StrainTension among roles connected to single status (student)
Statuses
Student
Athlete
Job
Conflicts
Time
Importance
Enjoyment
Expectations
ROLE CONFLICT
ROLE STRAIN: STUDENT STATUSTENSION AMONG ROLES CONNECTED TO A SINGLE
STATUS
ROLE EXITProcess by which people disengage
from important social roles
Becoming an “ex”GraduatingRetirementWidowDivorce
Status Set and Role SetsA status set includes all the statuses a person holds at a given time. The status set defines “who we are” in society. The many roles linked to each status define “what we do.”
Social Construction of Reality
The process by which people creatively shape reality through
social interaction
Social interaction is:Complex Involves NegotiationBuilds reality
Perception of events based on interests and intentions
THE THOMAS THEOREM
“Situations that are defined as real are real in their consequences.”
DEFINING SITUATIONS
DEFINING SITUATIONS
DEFINING SITUATIONS
DEFINING SITUATIONS
DEFINING SITUATIONS
ETHNOMETHODOLOGY
Study of: The way people make sense of
everyday life
Behavior based on assumptions
“Breaching experiments”
BREACHING EXPERIMENTSTaking items from others’ shopping carts
Standing very, very close
Tipping a person who opens adoor for you
Eating with fingers in fancyrestaurant
REALITY BUILDING: CLASS AND CULTURE
How we act & what we see dependson:
• Our interests• Social class• Gender• Race/ethnicity• Culture
REALITY BUILDINGWHAT DO YOU SEE?
DRAMATURGICAL ANALYSIS: THE PRESENTATION OF SELF
Study of:Social interaction as a theatrical performance
Erving Goffman (1922-1982)People perform on a stage
PRESENTATION OF SELF
Efforts to create specific impressions in others’ minds
Also calledImpression Management
PRESENTATION OF SELF(IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT)
PERFORMANCESReveal information Consciously &Unconsciously:Dress (costume)
Objects we carry (props)
Tone of voice and way we carry ourselves (demeanor)
Performances influenced by context (the set)
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION“BODY LANGUAGE”
Communication using:• Body movements• Gestures• Facial expressions
BODY LANGUAGE
BODY LANGUAGE & DECEPTIONContradictions in verbal & nonverbal
meaningNonverbal communication hard to controlClues to deception
Recognizing dishonest performances is difficult
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGQf9O61cww
Key to detecting lies• --View whole performance --Look for inconsistencies
VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9YTxff3pHU&feature=more_related
Learning body language--Funny
STARING, SMILING, AND TOUCHING
Women hold eye contact more than men do
Men stareClaiming social dominance
Smiling• Trying to please• Submission• Women smile more than men do
EYE CONTACT
STARINGRandom Staring
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLBCsWQbwJ0
Tom Brady staring contest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkp03HdkUJs
10/16 SMILINGhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR_UYx4vSPs
EMBARRASSMENT AND TACT
Embarrassment: Discomfort after a
spoiled performance Embarrassment is an ever-present
danger One moment can shatter the
intended impression Audience often overlooks flaws in
performance
EMBARRASSMENT
TactHelping someone “save face”
“Tact is the ability to describe others the way they see themselves.” (Abraham Lincoln)
Embarrassment creates discomfort for the actor and everyone else
People are reminded of how fragile their own performances are
PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION
The process of learning the:• Values• Beliefs• Norms
of our social group
Begins in infancy Lasts throughout lifetime
DEVELOPMENT OF THE SELF
• The self is our personal identity •Separate and different from others•Who are you?
• The self is created and modified through social interaction •The socialization process
AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
Major agents include:FamilySchoolsPeersThe mass media
AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
The family: Single most significant agent of socialization
Teaches:• Basic values • Norms that shape identity
AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATIONSCHOOLS
• Hidden curriculum: Traits such as:
• Punctuality• Neatness• Discipline• Hard work• Competition• Obedience
AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATIONPEERS
• Provide different social skills than the family
• Often become more significant than the family
•Especially during adolescence
THE MEDIA
Has become an important agent of socialization
Often overriding the family and other institutions
In instilling values and norms
REALITY PLAY: THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF HUMOR
Humor an important part of everyday life
By using humor, we “play with reality”
HUMOROUS QUOTES
“You can observe a lot by just watching”.
-- Yogi Berra
"He who laughs last probably didn't get the joke."
---Unknown
"Not all chemicals are bad. Without hydrogen or oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer." ---Dave Berry
THE FOUNDATION OF HUMORCreate and contrast two different realities
1. ConventionalWhat people in a specific situation expect
2. UnconventionalAn unexpected violation of cultural patterns
Humor arises from differing definitions of the same situation
The Dynamics of Humor: “Getting It”
To “get” humor, must understand the two realities enough to appreciate the difference
Enjoyment of a joke increased by pleasure of figuring out the pieces needed to “get it”
The joke makes you an “insider”
If a joke has to be explained, not very funny
You’re an “outsider”
The Topics of Humor
Humor is a universal of human culture
However, humor rarely travels well
Controversy of humor: Fine line between what is funny and what is “sick”
Middle Ages – “humors” from the Latin “humidus” meaning “moist”A balance of bodily fluids that regulated a person’s health
Researchers today document the power of humor to reduce stress and improve health“Laughter is the best medicine”
At the extreme, people who always take
conventional reality lightly• Risk being defined deviant or mentally ill
Certain topics are “not funny”
Too sensitive for humorous treatment:Religious beliefsTragic accidentsAppalling crimes
A joke about sociologists:
How many sociologists does it take to
change a light bulb?
Answer: None. There is nothing wrong with
The light bulb; it’s the system that needs to
be changed!
What sort of people are likely to get joke?
What kind of people probably won’t?
What makes this joke funny?
Why?
The Functions of Humor
Humor is found everywhere--As a safety valve for potentially disruptive emotions
Humor provides acceptable way to discuss sensitive topicWithout appearing to be serious or offensive
Humor used to relieve tension in uncomfortable situations
Humor and ConflictHumor also used to put down others“Put-down” jokes make one category of people feel good at expense of another
Real conflict can be masked by humorhttp://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/top-10-yo-mama-jokes/
45d62e5de7219b1af9da45d62e5de7219b1af9da-168729313694?q=the%20dozens%20jokes
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/top-10-yo-mama-jokes/45d62e5de7219b1af9da45d62e5de7219b1af9da-168729313694?q=the%20dozens%20jokes
Humor: More important than we think
Mental escape from world not entirely to our liking
Survival: Comedians from historically marginalized
groups
Sense of humor asserts freedom
We are never a prisoner of reality
THEORY IN EVERYDAY LIFE
The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology, 2nd EditionCopyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company