CHAPTER 4: SOCIAL STRUCTURE & SOCIAL INTERACTION

Objectives: Differentiate between the

macrosociological and microsociological approach to studying social life

Define stereotypes and explain their significance

Differentiate between role conflict, role strain, and provide examples

MICROSOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: SOCIAL INTERACTION IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Symbolic Interactionists examine small-scale, face-to-face social interactions from a microsociological perspective

especially interested in symbols that people use to define their worlds and how these definitions, in turn, influence human behavior

AREAS OF SOCIAL LIFE THAT MICROSOCIOLOGISTS STUDY

Stereotypesassumptions of what people are like, whether

true or falseassumptions are based upon previous

associations with “similar types” of people and/or what we have been told about those people

affect how people define and treat others, which influences how these “other people” define themselves

can be based upon gender, race, ethnicity, ability, and intelligence

See Down-to-Earth Sociology Box—page 107

AREAS OF SOCIAL LIFE THAT MICROSOCIOLOGISTS STUDY CONT…

Personal Space“personal bubble”Different groups have different perceptions of personal

space; this distant varies from culture to culture, and activity to activity

4 Different “distance zones” for North Americans1) Intimate Distance: to 18 inches, comforting,

lovemaking, hugging, etc…2) Personal Distance: 18 inches to 4 feet, friends/acquaintances for normal conversation3) Social Distance: 4 to 12 feet, impersonal/formal relationships, job interviews4) Public Distance: beyond 12 feet, more formal relationships, public speakers, general public

PERSONAL SPACE INVADER…

AREAS OF SOCIAL LIFE THAT MICROSOCIOLOGISTS STUDY CONT…

Touchingfrequency of touching varies from

culture to cultureIn general, high-status individuals do

more touching Touching experiment:

women: soothed by touching, lowered blood pressure

men: upset by touching, blood pressure and anxiety increased

AREAS OF SOCIAL LIFE THAT MICROSOCIOLOGISTS STUDY CONT…

Eye Contactanother way to protect your “bubble” is

through eye contacthow long or short, directly or indirectly

a person looks into your eyeslonger eye contact can be seen as a

sign of attraction, or as an invitation for intimacy

DRAMATURGY

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts,…

DRAMATURGYErving Goffmansocial life is analyzed in terms of drama or

the stage; also called dramaturgical analysis

everyday life consists of social actors playing assigned roles

people play many roles (ie: daughter, student, wife, teacher)

Impression Management—people’s efforts to control the impressions that others receive of them

EXAMPLE OF IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

DRAMATURGY CONT…

Front Stages—where performances are givenBack Stages—where people rest from their

performances, discuss their presentations and plan future performances

Role Performance—the ways in which someone performs a role within the limits that the role provides; style/personality

Role Conflict—conflicts that someone feels between roles because the expectations attached to one role are incompatible with the expectations of another role

Role Strain—conflicts that someone feels within a role

DRAMATURGY CONT…

sign-vehicles–term used by Goffman to refer to how people use social setting, appearance, and manner to communicate information about the self.

social setting: place where action unfolds (office, classroom, dorm, gym)

appearance: how we look when we play our roles (make-up, hairstyles, clothing, uniforms, props)

manner: attitudes we show as we play our roles (anger, indifference, sincerity, good

humor)

DRAMATURGY CONT…

Teamwork—the collaboration of two or more people to manage impressions jointly

face-saving behavior—techniques used to salvage a performance that is going sour.

we can ignore flaws in someone’s performance (tact)

9-11 (Bush speaking from oval office)

THE NEED FOR BOTH MACRO & MICRO

Each focuses on different aspects of the human experience

Macro: larger framework (structure)

Micro: smaller scale (interaction)

Both are needed to understand social life

example: Saints vs Roughnecks (pg. 117/120)