Elements of Social Interaction 9.1 [HY] Flashcards
Ascribed status
one that is given involuntarily (usually at birth), due to
such factors as race, ethnicity, sex, and family background
Achieved status
status that is gained as a result of one’s efforts or choices
Master status
- Status by which a person is most identified
- Typically the most important status the individual holds
Role performance
the carrying out of behaviors associated with a given role
Role partner
the person with whom one is interacting
Role set
various roles associated with a
status
Role conflict
difficulty in satisfying the requirements or expectations of multiple roles
Role strain
the difficulty in satisfying multiple requirements of
the same role
Role exit
the dropping of one identity for another
In-group
a social group with which a person experiences a sense of
belonging or identifies as a member
Out-group
a social group with which an individual does not identify
Group conflict
- Out-groups can sometimes compete with or oppose in groups
- negative feelings toward an out-group are not
necessarily based on a sense of dislike but favoritism
Reference group
Groups that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves.
Primary group
interactions between members of the group are direct, with
close bonds providing warm, personal, and intimate relationships to members
Secondary group
the interactions are impersonal and businesslike, with few
emotional bonds and with the goal of accomplishing a specific purpose
Community and Society (Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft)
- Gemeinschaft (community) refers to groups unified by feelings of togetherness due to shared beliefs, ancestry, or
geography. - Gesellschaft (society) refers to less personal groups that are formed out of mutual self-interests working together toward the same goal.
Interaction process analysis
technique for observing, classifying, and measuring the interactions within small groups
System for multiple level observation of groups (SYMLOG)
- based on the belief that there are three fundamental dimensions of interaction: *dominance vs. submission,
*friendliness vs. unfriendliness, and
*instrumentally controlled vs. emotionally expressive.
Groupthink
related to group conformity and occurs when members focus on reaching a consensus at the cost of critical evaluation of relevant information.
Network
- used to describe the observable pattern of social relationships among individuals or groups
- Individuals in networks face the demands and expectations of other members, constraining what they are able to do.
Network redundancy
If there are overlapping connections with the same individual
Immediate networks
- Are dense with strong ties
- immediate networks may be
composed of friends
Distant networks
- looser and contain weaker ties
- distant networks may include acquaintances
Formal organization
- Developed during the Industrial Revolution as a way to maximize efficiency
- Formal aspect derives from
the explicit goals that guide the members and their activities - Formal organizations have enforcement procedures that seek to control the activities of their members.
- these organizations are characterized by the hierarchical allotment of formal roles or duties to members. Formal organizations can be quite large.
Characteristics of Bureaucracy
-paid, nonelected officials on a fixed salary;
- officials who are provided rights and privileges as a result of making their careers out of holding office
- regular salary increases, seniority rights, and promotions upon passing exams or milestones
- officials who enter the organization by holding an advanced degree or training
- responsibilities, obligations, privileges, and work procedures rigidly defined by the organization
- responsibility for meeting the demands of one’s position.
The iron law of oligarchy
- ## democratic or bureaucratic systems naturally shift to being ruled by an elite group.
McDonaldization
commonly used to refer to a shift in focus toward
efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control in societal practices.
