Chapter 9: Social Interaction

Question 1

What is the difference between ascribed, achieved, and master status?

Answer 1

Ascribed: given involuntarily, based on race, ethnicity, gender, family background, etc
Achieved: gained as a a result of one’s efforts or choices
Master: status by which one is most identified, is pervasive in that persons’s life (ex. POTUS)

Question 2

What is role performance?

Answer 2

Carrying out of behaviors associated with a given role (expectations of a status)

Question 3

What is the difference between role conflict and role strain?

Answer 3

Role conflict: difficulty in satisfying the requirements or expectations of MULTIPLE roles.
Role strain: difficulty in satisfying multiple requirements of the SAME role.

Question 4

What are primary groups?

Answer 4

Interactions are direct, with close bonds providing warm, personal, and intimate relationships to members. Last a long time.

Question 5

What are secondary groups?

Answer 5

Interactions are superficial, with few emotional bonds. Last for a short time and dissolve easily.

Question 6

What is group conformity?

Answer 6

Individuals are compliant with the group’s goals, even when the group’s goals may be in direct contrast tot he individual’s goals.

Question 7

What are the fundamental dimensions of interaction based on SYMLOG (system for multiple level observation of groups)?

Answer 7

dominance vs submission
friendliness vs unfriendliness
instrumentally controlled vs emotionally expressive

Question 8

What is groupthink?

Answer 8

Occurs when members begin to focus solely on ideas generated within the group, while ignoring outside ideas.

Question 9

What is the difference between a formal organization and a group:

Answer 9

Organizations continue despite the departure of a member, contain expressed goals, contain enforcement procedures to control activities of members, contain a hierarchy, and can be very large

Question 10

What is the iron law of oligarchy?

Answer 10

Democratic or bureaucratic systems naturally shift to being ruled by an elite group.

Question 11

What is self-representation?

Answer 11

Process of displaying oneself to society through culturally accepted behaviors. Used to shape what people think of them.

Question 12

What is the appraisal model?

Answer 12

States that there are biologically predetermined facial expressions once an emotion is experienced, but there is a cognitive antecedent to emotional expression

Question 13

What does the social construction model assume about emotion?

Answer 13

Assumes that there is no biological basis for emotions. Emotions are based on experiences and situational context alone.

Question 14

What are display rules of emotion?

Answer 14

Cultural expectations of which emotions can be expressed and to what degree.

Question 15

What is the difference between front stage and back stage of the dramaturgical approach?

Answer 15

Front stage: the actor in front of the audience, performs according to the setting and script in order to conform to the image he wants others to see

Back stage: actor not observed by audience, actor is fee to act in ways that may not be congruent with his desired public image

Question 16

What is the difference between a Gemeinschaft group and a Gesellschaft group?

Answer 16

Gemeinschaft = Community: group unified by feelings of togetherness due to shared beliefs, ancestry, or geography (ex. neighborhood).

Gesellschaft = Society: group unified by mutual self-interests in achieving a goal (ex. companies).

Question 17

What is a bureaucracy?

Answer 17

A rational system of political organization, administration, discipline, and control. They are often slow to change and less efficient than other organizations.

Question 18

What is McDonaldization?

Answer 18

Term commonly used to refer to a shift in focus toward efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control in societies.

Question 19

What is the impression management strategy of self disclosure?

Answer 19

Giving information about oneself to establish an identity

Question 20

What is the impression management strategy of managing appearances?

Answer 20

Using props, appearance, emotional expression, or associations with others to create a positive image (ex. wearing a white coat, mentioning research experience during an interview)

Question 21

What is the impression management strategy of ingratiation?

Answer 21

Using FLATTERY or conforming to expectations to win someone over (blindly agreeing to someone else’s opinion, complimenting a friend before asking for a favor)

Question 22

What is the impression management strategy of aligning actions?

Answer 22

Making questionable behavior acceptable through excuses (blaming a bad grade on too little sleep).