Chapter 5 Key Term Flashcards
roles
The expected behaviors of people occupying particular social positions. The idea of social role originally comes from the theater, referring to the parts that actors play in a stage production. In every society, individuals play a number
of social roles.
status
The social honor or prestige that a particular group is accorded by other members of a society. Status groups normally display distinct styles of life–patterns of behavior that the members of a group follow. Status privilege may be positive or negative
social position
The social identity an individual has in a given group or society. Social positions may be general in nature (those associated with gender role(s) or more specific (occupational positions).
impression management
Preparing for the presentation of one’s social life.
civil inattention
The process whereby individuals in the same physical setting glance at each other and quickly look away to indicate awareness of each other but not intrusiveness.
nonverbal communication
Communication between individuals based on facial expression or bodily gesture rather than on language.
response cries
Seemingly involuntary exclamations individuals make when, for example, they are taken by surprise, drop something inadvertently, or want to express pleasure.
unfocused interaction
Interaction occurring among people present in a particular setting but not engaged in direct face-to-face communication
focused interaction
Interaction between individuals engaged in a common activity or in direct conversation with one another.
encounter
A meeting between two or more people in a situation of face-to-face interaction. Our daily lives can be seen as a series of different encounters spread out across the course of the day. In modern societies, many of these encounters are with strangers rather than with people we know.
time-space
When and where events occur.
regionalization
The division of social life into different regional settings or zones.
back region
Areas apart from front-region performance, as specified by Erving Goffman, in which individuals are able to relax and behave informally.
front region
Settings of social activity in which people seek to put on a definite “performance” for others.
clock time
Time as measured by the clock, in terms of hours, minutes, and seconds, as opposed to measuring it by the rising and setting of the sun.
social interaction
The process by which we act and react to those around us.
agency
The ability to think, act, and make decisions independently.
personal space
The physical space individuals maintain between themselves and others.
ethnomethodology
The study of how people make sense of what others say and do in the course of day-to-day social interaction. Ethnomethodology is concerned with the “ethnomethods” by which people sustain meaningful interchanges with one another.
conversation analysis
The empirical study of conversations, employing techniques drawn from ethnomethodology. Conversation analysis examines details of naturally occurring conversations to reveal the organizational principles of talk and its role in the production and reproduction of social order.
interactional vandalism
The deliberate subversion of the tacit rules of conversation.
compulsion of proximity
People’s need to interact with others in their presence.
