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