Ch 4 - Social Structure Flashcards
action
the ability to operate independent of social constraints
achieved status
a position in a social system that a person attains voluntarily, to a considerable degree, as the result of his or her own efforts
affective action
behavior guided by emotions and feelings
ascribed status
a position in a social system, assigned to a person from birth, regardless of his or her wishes
breaching experiments
controlled social situations that intentionally break social rules, violating basic norms and patterns of behavior
convention
a practice or technique that is widely used in a particular social setting
conversation analysis
a method of analyzing the patterns in face to face conversation that produce the smooth back and forth turn-taking of such exchanges
ethnomethodology
an approach that examines the methods people use to make sense of their daily activities, emphasizing the ways in which we collectively create social structure in our everyday lives
organizational structure
the rules and routines, both formal and informal, that shape daily activity within organizations
rational action
behavior motivated by calculations of efficiency
roles
the sets of expected behaviors associated with particular statuses
social institutions
the major arenas of social life in which durable routines and patterns of behavior take place
social integration
the social structures that bind people together and the values that link people to the broader society
social structure
recurring patterns of behavior
status
a position in a social system that can be occupied by an individual
