Chapter 4- Social Life Flashcards
Social Interaction
The process by which people act and react in relation to others
Through interaction we create the reality we perceive
Social Structure
A relatively stable pattern of behaviour
Building blocks are status and role
Status
Recognized social position that a person occupies
Often status symbols are used to define your position
Status set
All the statuses a person holds at a given time
Status Inconsistency
When a person occupied multiple statuses that do not normally occur in the same person
Ascribed status
A social position a person receives at birth or assumes involuntarily later in life
Achieved status
A position a person achieves voluntarily that reflects ability and effort
Master status
A status that has special importance for social identity, often shaping a persons entire life
Role
Behaviour expected of someone who holds a particular status
Role set
All the roles attached to a single status
Role conflict
Conflict among roles associated with two or more statuses
Role strain
Tension among roles associated with a single status
Role Exit
Leaving one role to enter another role (voluntary or involuntary)
Social Construction of Reality
The process by which people creatively and actively shape reality through social interaction
Under Symbolic Interaction Paradigm
Social reality does not exist apart from or prior to human interaction
The Thomas Theorem
Situations that are defined as real become real in their consequences
Ethnomethodology
Study of the way people make sense of their everyday surroundings (understanding the underlying assumptions)
Howard Garfinkle- we may view reality differently, but our everyday interactions rest on assumptions
Reality Building
The building of our reality is effected by our social background
Dramaturgical Analysis
The study of social interaction in terms of theatrical performances
All human interactions are essentially acting
Presentation of Self
An individual’s efforts to create specific impressions in the minds of others
Definition of the Situation
Perception a person brings to a situation will effect how they portray themselves to elicit a specific response
Impression management
We construct performances to idealize our intentions and elicit a certain response
Parts of Performances
Front Stage- what we allow people to see
Backstage- preparing ourselves to respond and present ourselves
Self Awareness
How well we know our private self
Self Monitoring
We can perceive reactions of others and change our actions on the fly
