Social Interaction Flashcards
Status
A position in society used to classify individuals
Ascribed status
Involuntarily assigned to an individual based on race, ethnicity, gender, family background, and so on
Achieved status
Voluntarily gained as a result of one’s efforts or choices
Master status
The status by which an individual is primarily identified; is pervasive in that person’s life
Role
A set of beliefs, values, and norms that define the expectations of a certain status in a social situation
Role performance
Refers to carrying out the behaviours of a given role
Role partner
Another individual who helps define a specific role within the relationship
Role set
Contains all of the different roles associated with a status
Role conflict
Occurs when one has difficulty in satisfying the requirements of multiple roles simultaneously
Role strain
Occurs when one has difficulty satisfying multiple requirements of the same role simultaneously
Groups
Made up of two or more individuals with similar characteristics that share a sense of unity
Peer Group
A self-selected group formed around similar interests, ages, and statuses
Family Group
The group into which an individual is born, adopted, or married
In-group
One with which an individual identifies
Out-group
One that an individual competes with or opposes
Reference group
A group to which an individual compares him or herself.
Primary Groups
Groups that contain strong, emotional bonds
Secondary Groups
Groups that are often temporary and contain fewer emotional bonds and weaker bonds overall
Gemeinschaft (community)
A group unified by feelings of togetherness due to shared beliefs, ancestry, or geography. E.g. families and neighbourhoods
Gesellschaft (society)
A group unified by mutual self-interests in achieving a goal. E.g. companies
Network
An observable pattern of social relationships between individuals or groups
Organizations
Bodies of people with a structure and culture designed to achieve specific goals (they exist without each individual’s membership within the organization)
Basic Model of emotional expression/self-presentation
States that there are universal emotions, along with corresponding expressions
Social Construction Model
States that emotions are solely based on experiences and the situational context of social interactions
Display Rules
Unspoken expectations of emotions that govern the expression of emotion
Cultural syndrome
A shared set of beliefs, norms, values, and behaviours organized around a central theme, as is found among people sharing the same language and geography.
Self-presentation/ Impression management
Refers to the maintenance of a public image, which is accomplished through various strategies: e.g. self-disclosure, managing appearances, ingratiation, aligning actions, and alter-casting. Includes the authentic self, the ideal self, and the tactical self (who we market ourselves to be when we adhere to others’ expectations of us).
Self-disclosure
Sharing factual information about oneself to establish an identity
Managing appearances
Refers to using props, appearance, emotional expression, or associations to create a positive image
Ingratiation
Using flattery or conformity to win over someone else
Aligning actions
The use of excuses to account for questionable behaviour
Alter-casting
Imposing an identity onto another person
Dramaturgical approach
Claims that individuals create images of themselves in the same way that actors perform a role in front of an audience (front and back stage components)
Front stage
Where an individual is seen by the audience and strives to preserve his desired image
Back Stage
where the individual is not in front of an audience and is free to act outside of his desired image
Verbal Communication
The conveyance of information through spoken, written, or signed words
Nonverbal Communication
The conveyance of information by means other than the use of words, such as body language, prosody, facial expressions, and gestures
Animal communication
Takes place not only between nonhuman animals, but between humans and other animals as well.
Animals use body language ,rudimentary facial expressions, visual displays, scents, and vocalizations to communicate
Role exit
The dropping of one identity for another
Network redundancy
In a social network, if there are overlapping connections with the same individual
Characteristic institution
The basic organization of society; in modern times, this is bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A rational system of political organization, administration, discipline, and control.
Iron law of oligarchy
States that 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 societies.
appraisal model
Accepts that there are biologically predetermined expressions once an emotion is experienced, but that there is a cognitive antecedent to emotional expression
George Mead’s “I” vs “me” theory
“Me” is the part of self that is a response to the environment. “I” is the creative expression of the individual
