Social Interaction

Chapter OutlineWhat is Social Interaction? What Shapes Social Interaction? The Sociology of EmotionsModes of Social Interaction

Social InteractionInvolves people communicating face-to-

face and acting and reacting in relation to other people.

Structured around: a person’s status: recognized social

position that people occupya person’s role: set of expected behaviors

that people performa culture’s norms: a generally accepted

way of doing things

Statuses and RolesStatus set: the group of positions that a

person occupies at the same time

Each status is composed of several sets of expected behaviors, or a role set

Role Set and Status Set

Role Conflict Occurs when different

role demands are placed on a person by two or more statuses held at the same time.

A flight attendant might experience role conflict due to contradicting demands of these statuses?

Role Strain

Occurs when incompatible role demands are placed on a person in a single status.

Why was the status of stewardess in the 1960s and 1970s high in role strain?

Consider this…Draw a map illustrating your role set and

status set.

Identify any role conflict or role strain that exists in your life.

How We Get Emotional

Emotion ManagementInvolves people obeying “feeling rules” and

responding appropriately to the situations in which they find themselves.

Emotion labor is emotion management that people do as part of their job and for which they are paid.

Conflict Theories of SocialInteractionWhen people interact, their statuses are often

arranged in a hierarchy.Those on top enjoy more power and attention

than those on the bottom.Social interaction involves competition over

valued resources such as attention, approval, prestige, information, and money

Symbolic Interaction Theories of Social InteractionWe learn norms and adopt roles and statuses

through our social interaction

We are constantly negotiating and modifying the norms, roles and statuses that we encounter as we interact with others

Goffman’s Dramaturgical AnalysisPeople always play roles, especially in

“front stage” public settingsWe may be our “true” selves during our

“backstage” performanceAlways engaging in role-playing and

impression management

Impression managementMay use role distancing to illustrate a lack

of role commitment if we find a role beneath us or embarrassing

Furthermore, we regularly try to place ourselves in the best possible light by engaging in impression management

Nonverbal CommunicationFacial ExpressionsGesturesBody LanguageStatus cues - Visual indicators of a person’s

social positionthese can turn into stereotypes that impair

interactions

Theories of Social Interaction

How Social Groups Shape Our Actions1. Norms of solidarity demand conformity.

When we form relationships, we develop norms of solidarity about how we should behave to sustain the relationships.

The Nazis who roamed the Polish countryside to shoot and kill “enemies” felt they had to get their job done or face letting down their comrades.

How Social Groups Shape Our Actions2. Structures of authority tend to render people

obedient. Most people find it difficult to disobey

authorities because they fear ridicule, ostracism, and punishment.

Demonstrated in experiment conducted by social psychologist Stanley Milgram.

How Social Groups Shape Our Actions3. Bureaucracies are highly effective structures

of authority. The Nazi genocide machine was so effective

because it was bureaucratically organized.

Social NetworksOur world is small because we are enmeshed

in overlapping sets of social relations

Social Networks are a bounded set of unites (individuals, organization, countries and so on) linked by the exchange of material or emotional resources

Groups vs. CategoriesSocial groups: one or more social networks,

the members of which identify with one another, routinely interact, and adhere to defined norms, roles and statuses

Social categories: people who share similar status but do not routinely interact or identify with one another

GroupthinkGroupthink: the pressure to conform,

despite individual misgivings

Can be positive (e.g., being a “team player), but can also be dangerous, if people no longer feel confident challenging the group consensus

Reference GroupWe generally evaluate ourselves in

comparison to othersThese “role models” can be our reference

groupThey may represent an imaginary ideal

Primary vs. Secondary GroupsPrimary groups: norms, roles and statuses

are agreed on but not put in writing (e.g., our family)

Secondary groups: larger and more impersonal that creates weaker emotional ties

Formal organizations: secondary groups designed to achieve explicit objectives

BureaucracyWeber regarded bureaucracies as the most

efficient kind of secondary group

1.Was using older organizational forms2.Only discussing ideal case

Bureaucratic InefficiencyThe larger the bureaucracy, the more difficult

it is for functionaries to communicate

Given the hierarchy of most bureaucracies, power differentials will affect communication across levels

1. The verbal and nonverbal communication between people acting and reacting to one another:

a. conversationsb. social interactionc. group processesd. front stage performance

Answer: b Social interaction involves verbal and

nonverbal communication between people acting and reacting to one another. It is ordered by norms, roles, and statuses.

2. Role strain occurs when:a. people communicate face-to-face, reacting to

other peopleb. a cluster of roles are attached to a single

statusc. an individual occupies many statusesd. incompatible role demands are placed on a

person in a single status

Answer: dRole strain occurs when: incompatible role

demands are placed on a person in a single status.

3. Which of the following approaches to studying groups focuses on how people create meaning in the course of social interaction?

a. Conflict approachb. Symbolic interactionistc. Functionalistd. Feminist

Answer: bSymbolic interactionists focus on how

people create meaning in the course of social interaction and on how they negotiate and modify roles, statuses, and norms

4. Which of the following types of groups involve intense, intimate, enduring relations?

a. primary groupsb. secondary groupsc. reference groupsd. front stage performances

Answer: aPrimary groups involve intense, intimate,

enduring relations

5. Which of the following types of groups involve less personal and intense ties?

a. primary groupsb. secondary groupsc. reference groupsd. front stage performances

Answer: bSecondary groups involve less personal and

intense ties than primary groups

6. The idea that no more than 6 degrees of separation separate any two people in the United States reveals the importance of _______________.

a. Facebookb. friendshipsc. social networksd. families

Answer: cThe idea that no more than 6 degrees of

separation separate any two people in the United States reveals the importance of social networks.

7. The more levels in a bureaucratic structure:

a. the more efficiently it operates.b. the less likely is oligarchic rule to emerge.c. the more difficult communication becomes.d. the greater the number of dyadic

relationships.

Answer: cThe more levels in a bureaucratic structure:

the more difficult communication becomes.