Social Structure and Social Interaction

Chapter 5

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The Levels of Sociological Analysis

MacrosociologyFocus on the broad features of

society Microsociology

Focus on social interaction between people

Postmodernism: A recent example of Microsociology and Macrosociology

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Macrosociology

Social StructureEstablishes limits on behaviour

• Patterns of behaviour• Key relationships between people

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Social Institutions

The organized means that each society develops to meet its basic needs

The social significance of social institutions

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Social Institutions

Family Religion Law Politics Economics

Education Science Medicine Military Mass media

(emerging institution)

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Social Institutions in Industrialized Societies

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Functionalist Perspectives

Social institutions exist because they perform vital functions for societyReplacing MembersSocializing New MembersProducing and Distributing Goods

and ServicesPreserving OrderProviding a Sense of Purpose

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Feminist Perspectives

Liberal: gendered inequalities Marxist and radical: patriarchy and

social class Multiracial: ethnicity and race

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Conflict Perspective

Institutions are influenced (both directly and indirectly) by influential minority

Institutions serve functions, but also act to maintain privilege of elite

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Mass Media in the Information Age

Functionalist perspective: controlled by varied interests

Conflict perspective: controlled by the political elite

Radical feminists, postmodernists, and queer theorists: what is seen both shapes the audience’s perceptions and is shaped by the audience’s perceptions

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Globalization & Changes in Social Structure

Classes Relationships among ethnic groups State institutions for taxation

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What Holds Society Together?Social Cohesion--the degree to which

members of a society feel united by shared values and other social bonds

• Durkheim

Mechanical Solidarity• Performing similar tasks develops a shared

consciousness

Organic Solidarity• Shared consciousness as a result of the

division of labour

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What Holds Society Together?

Ferdinand Tönnies (1887-1988)Gemeinschaft (Guh-MINE-shoft)

• Traditional communities, in which everyone knows everyone else

Gesellschaft (Guh-ZELL-shoft)• Emphasis on short-term relationships, individual

accomplishments, and self-interests.

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Culture

Language Beliefs Values Behaviours Gestures

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Social StatusStatus: the position a person

occupiesStatus Set: all the statuses or

positions a person occupiesAscribed Status

• Status that is involuntary (e.g., race)Achieved Status

• Status that is voluntary and, possibly, earned (e.g., scholar)

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Social Status (cont.) Status Symbols

Signs that identify status (e.g., wedding rings announce marital status)

Master StatusStatus that transcends all other

statuses (e.g., female or male) Status Inconsistency

Status that is inconsistent with other status (e.g., 14-year-old university student)

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Roles

The behaviours, obligations, and privileges attached to a status

Each status carries expectations

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Social Groups and Societies

Social GroupsMembers of a group who have

something in common, and for whom these qualities are thought significant

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Groups in Society

AggregateIndividuals who temporarily share the

same physical space but who do not see themselves as necessarily belonging together

CategoryPeople who have similar characteristics

(e.g., all university women who wear glasses)

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Groups in Society

Primary Groups Secondary Groups In-Groups and Out-Groups Reference Groups Social Networks Electronic Communities

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Group Dynamics

How groups affect us, and how we affect groups

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Group Size

DyadTwo peopleUnique features

TriadThree peopleUnique features

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The Incremental Effects of Group Size on Relationships

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Leadership

LeaderA person who influences the

behaviours, opinions, or attitudes of others

Types of LeadershipInstrumental LeaderExpressive Leader

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Conformity to Peer Pressure

The Asch Experiment (Solomon Asch)

The Milgram Experiment (Stanley Milgram)

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Asch’s Cards

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Groupthink & Decision-Making

Asch and Milgram Experiments: Implications

Irving Janis & Groupthink Alternatives interpreted as

disloyal, signs of uncooperativeness

Preventing Groupthink

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Microsociological Perspective

Focus on face-to-face interaction

Symbolic Interaction

StereotypesSelf-fulfilling

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Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes

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Symbolic Interaction

Personal SpaceIntimate DistancePersonal DistanceSocial DistancePublic Distance

Touching

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Dramaturgy: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

Erving Goffman (1922-1982) Social life as a drama or “the stage”

“Front Stages”

“Back Stages”

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Roles Role Performance

The particular emphasis or interpretation that an individual gives a role

Impression Management Communicate using “sign-vehicles”

Social SettingAppearanceManner

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Roles (cont.)

TeamworkA coordinated performance

between two or more people

Face-Saving Behaviour“studied nonobservance”

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Postmodernism

Challenges the manner in which we see and interpret the language and images of contemporary society

Social fragmentation causes instability in the meaning of the social life.Language games and role

playing

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Social Construction of Reality

Our behaviour depends on how we define reality – our “definition of the situation”e.g., gynecological examinations

Thomas Theorem

“If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.”