Sociology Unit III

Reciprocal roles

Corresponding roles that define the patterns of interaction between related statuses (ex parent -child , teacher-student)

Group control

Employ effective sanctions for conformity

Nurture

Environment and social learning

social structure

A network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide human interaction (Observable in the established pattern of social interaction/institutions)

status

A socially defined position in a group or society (a rank, occurs e within institutions)

Social institution

A system of statues, roles, values, and norms that is organized to satisfy one or more basic needs of society (education, economy, government)

Ethnomethodology

A technique for studying human interaction by deliberately disrupting social norms

Achieved status

Acquired by an individual on the basis of some special skill,knowledge or ability

Ascribed status

Assigned according to standards beyond one's control (based on inherited traits or assigned when a person reaches a certain age)

factors in personality development

Birth order, parental characteristic ls, cultural environment, heredity

role conflict

Fulfilling the role expectations of one status's makes it difficult to fulfill the role expectations of another status

Nature

Hereditary, the transmission of genetic characteristics from parents to children

Tabula rasa

Individuals are born with a blank slate, without personality, humans can be molded into any type of character

Socialization

Interactive process through which individuals learn the basic skills, values, beliefs and behavior patterns in society

Aggregate

No shared expectations or no coming identity, lacks organization or lasting pattern of interaction

Role strain

Occurs when a person has difficulty meeting the role expectations of a single status

The looking glass self

Others serve as mirrors reflecting ourselves back to us

Self

Our conscious awareness of possessing a distinct identity that separates us from other members is society

Master status

Plays the greatest role in shaping a persons life and determine their social identity (can be achieved or ascribed and may change throughout life)

Primary groups vs secondary

Primary are usually smaller and interact over a long period of time on a direct personal basis (informal) Secondary have interaction that is impersonal and temporary, importance in a persons function, and is organized around specific goals

Types of groups

Primary, secondary, reference, in-group, out group, electronic communities

Erving Goffman

Proposed dramaturgy, social interaction is like a drama being performed on stage, audience judging preformance to determine character

Group

Set of two or more people who interact on the Basis of shared expectations and posses some degree of common identity

Requirements of a group

Shared expectations, two or more people, common identity, interaction

agents of socialization

Specific individuals groups and institutions that provide situations in which socialization can occur

Difference between status and roles

Statuses are occupied roles are played

Personality

Sum total of behaviors, attitude, beliefs and values that are characteristics of an individual

Role

The actual behavior, the rights and obligations expected of someone occupying a particular status

Role set

The different roles attached to a single status, they will eventually confikct

Role expectations

The socially determined behaviors expected of a person performing a role

How groups differ

Time, organization, size

Role taking theory

We take on or pretend to take on the roles of others, (prep, play, game)

agents of socialization in US

family, peer group, school, mass media

Two types of leaders

instrumental and expressive

role performance

people's actual role behavior