Social Structure and Interaction
CHAPTER
5
SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND INTERACTION
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define social interaction and explain why the ability to define social reality is so powerful.
2. Identify and discuss the various elements of social structure.
3. Discuss the differences between ascribed and achieved statuses.
4. Discuss how the individual and elements of social structure reciprocally influence one another.
5. Identify the various types of groups and how they contribute to the functioning of social structure.
6. Describe the characteristics of a bureaucracy as outlined by Weber.
7. Explain McDonaldization and the effects of worldwide bureaucratization of society.
8. Discuss how modern and traditional societies differ historically and globally.
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Social Interaction (LO 1)
• Social interaction refers to the ways people respond to one another.
• How we interact with people is shaped by our perception of their position relative to our own. Example: Herbert Blumer’s view of the situation.
• The meanings we ascribe to others’ actions typically reflect the norms and values of the dominant culture and our socialization experiences within that culture.
• Our understanding of social reality is literally constructed from our social interactions.
• The ability to define social reality reflects a group’s power within society. Example: William I. Thomas’s definition of the situation.
II. Elements of Social Structure (LO 2, LO 3, LO 4, LO 5)
• All social interaction takes place within a social structure—the way in which a society is organized into predictable relationships, which are composed of the various positions people occupy.
• Occupying those positions shapes how we think, what resources we have access to, and how we interact with others.
• For our purposes, any social structure can be broken into six elements: statuses, social roles, groups, social networks, virtual worlds, and social institutions.
A.
5
SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND INTERACTION
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define social interaction and explain why the ability to define social reality is so powerful.
2. Identify and discuss the various elements of social structure.
3. Discuss the differences between ascribed and achieved statuses.
4. Discuss how the individual and elements of social structure reciprocally influence one another.
5. Identify the various types of groups and how they contribute to the functioning of social structure.
6. Describe the characteristics of a bureaucracy as outlined by Weber.
7. Explain McDonaldization and the effects of worldwide bureaucratization of society.
8. Discuss how modern and traditional societies differ historically and globally.
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Social Interaction (LO 1)
• Social interaction refers to the ways people respond to one another.
• How we interact with people is shaped by our perception of their position relative to our own. Example: Herbert Blumer’s view of the situation.
• The meanings we ascribe to others’ actions typically reflect the norms and values of the dominant culture and our socialization experiences within that culture.
• Our understanding of social reality is literally constructed from our social interactions.
• The ability to define social reality reflects a group’s power within society. Example: William I. Thomas’s definition of the situation.
II. Elements of Social Structure (LO 2, LO 3, LO 4, LO 5)
• All social interaction takes place within a social structure—the way in which a society is organized into predictable relationships, which are composed of the various positions people occupy.
• Occupying those positions shapes how we think, what resources we have access to, and how we interact with others.
• For our purposes, any social structure can be broken into six elements: statuses, social roles, groups, social networks, virtual worlds, and social institutions.
A.