Chapter 4 - The Real World

Status

a position in a social hierarchy that carries a particular set of expectations

Saturated self

a postmodern idea that the self is now developed by multiple influences chosen from a wide range of media sources

Achieved status

a status earned through individual effort or imposed by others

Embodied status

a status generated by physical characteristics

Master status

a status that is always relevant and affects all other statuses we possess

id, ego, and superego

according to Freud, the three interrelated parts that make up the mind. The id consists of basic inborn drives that are the source of instinctive psychic energy. The ego is the realistic aspect of the mind that balances the forces of the id and the superego. The superego has two components (the conscience and the ego-ideal) and represents the internalized demands of society

Definition of the situation

an agreement with others about "what is going on" in a given circumstance. This consensus allows us to coordinate our actions with those of others and realize goals

Dramaturgy

an approach pioneered by Erving Goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance

Ascribed status

an inborn status; usually difficult or impossible to change

Total institution

an institution in which individuals are cut off form the rest of society so that their lives can be controlled and regulated for the purpose of systematically stripping away previous roles and identities in order to create new ones

Cooling the mark out

behaviors that help others to save face or avoid embarrassment, often referred to as civility or tact

Thomas theorem

classic formulation of the way individuals define situations, whereby "if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences"

Role-taking emotions

emotions like sympathy, embarrassment, or shame that require that we assume the perspective of another person or many other people and respond from that person or group's point of view

Autoethnography

ethnographic description that focuses on the feelings and reactions of the ethnographer

Role conflict

experienced when we occupy two or more roles with contradictory expectations

Expressions given

expressions that are intentional and usually verbal, such as utterances

Copresence

face-to-face interaction or being in the presence of others

Psychosexual stages of development

four distinct stages of hte development of the self between birth and adulthood, according to Freud. Each stage is associated with a different erogenous zone.

Feral children

in myths and rare real world cases, children, who have had little human contact and may have lived in the wild from a young age

Backstage

in the dramaturgical perspective, places in which we rehearse and prepare for our performances

Region

in the dramaturgical perspective, the context or setting in which the performance takes place

Frontstage

in the dramaturgical perspective, the region in which we deliver our public performances

Front

in the dramaturgical perspective, the setting or scene of performances that helps establish the definition of the situation

Stereotyping

judging others based on preconceived generalizations about groups or categories of people

Expressions given off

observable expressions that can be either intended or unintended and are usually nonverbal

Expression of behavior

small actions such as an eye roll of head nod that serve as an interactional tool to help project our definition of the situation to others

Agents of socialization

social groups institutions, and individuals (especially the family, schools, peers, and the mass media) that provide structured situations in which socialization takes place

Feeling rules

socially constructed norms regarding the expression and display of emotions; expectations about the acceptable or desirable feelings in a given situation

Dual nature of the self

the belief that we experience the self as both subject and object, the "I" and the "me"

Impression management

the effort to control the impressions we make on others so that they form a desired view of us and the situation; the use of self-presentation and performance tactics

Personal front

the expressive equipment we consciously or unconsciously use as we present ourselves to others, including appearance and manner, to help establish the definition of the situation

Preparatory stage

the first stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children mimic or imitate others

Self

the individual's conscious, reflexive experience of a personal identiy separate and distinct from other individuals

Nature vs. nurture debate

the ongoing discussion of the respective roles of genetics and socialization in determining individual behaviors and traits

Generalized other

the perspectives and expectations of a network of others (or of society in general) that a child learns and then takes into account when shaping his or her own behavior

Particular or significant other

the perspectives and expectations of a particular role that a child learns and internalizes

Social construction

the process by which a concept or practice is created and maintained by participants who collectively agree that it exists

Emotion work (emotional labor)

the process of evoking, suppressing, or otherwise managing feelings to create a publicly observable display of emotion

Socialization

the process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society

Role exit

the process of leaving a role that we will no longer occupy

Resocialization

the process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as a part of a transition in life

Play stage

the second stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other

Role strain

the tension experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role

Game stage

the third stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children play organized games and take on the perspective of the generalized other

Hidden curriculum

values of behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling because of the structure of the educational system and the teaching methods used

Agency

the ability of the individual to act freely and independently

Looking-glass self

the notion that the self develops through our perception of others evaluations and appraisals of us

Role

the set of behaviors expected of someone because of his or her status