Social Structures Flashcards
Social Structure
Set of social statuses, roles, group, networks, and institutions that organize and influence that way people live
Resources
Things individuals have or can acquire to accomplish goals (ex. money, education, status, and formal/informal knowledge). Shapes life chances
Life Chances
Opportunities to provide yourself with material goods, positive living conditions, and favourable life experiences
Rules
Formal/Informal expectations for behaving in any given situation
Formal examples: laws, organizational policies
Informal examples: don’t be naked in public, sneeze in your arm
Social Network
A series of social relationships that link a person directly to other individuals and indirectly to even more people
Can constrain/enable access to resources, information, and opportunities
Statuses
A person’s/group’s socially determined positions in society. It comes with social meaning and sets of social expressions
Ascribed Status
Involuntary status (ex. race, gender, age, etc.). It places people in social hierarchies and influences resources society makes available to individuals
Achieved Status
Voluntary status. Result of efforts/intentions (ex. college students, athletes, etc.)
Role
Derived from statuses. How people act due to how others expect them to behave because of their status
Examples: baristas are expected to know about coffee, students are expected to sit and listen
Role Strain
One role requires too much (ex. parenting)
Role Conflict
Multiple roles contradict one another (ex. working and being a student)
Social Groups
Two or more people with similar values and expectations who interact with each other on a regular basis
Primary Groups
Members aren’t interchangeable and relationships are enduring and meaningful (ex. family, romantic partners)
Secondary Groups
Impersonal and goal-orientated. Can be temporary and can have organized structures, rules, and authority figures (ex. coworkers, classmates)
Institutions
Consists of networks, statuses, roles, and groups that guide behaviors and is the main aspect of social life (ex. education, marriage, governments, etc.)
Governed by norms and can establish social order and perpetuate inequalities