Presentation Transcript

1. Chapter 4: Social Structure

   Definition: a network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide interaction
2. Status: a socially defined position in a group or society Ascribed status: assigned according to qualities beyond the individuals control, not according to effort or abilities; ex. teen or adult Achieved status: from abilities, special skills, knowledge; ex. Sports player or actor. Master status: the one which plays the greatest role in shaping one’s life or identity, can be achieved or ascribed. Changes over lifetime; ex. parenthood
3. Roles: bring meaning to status, play many roles simultaneously Reciprocal roles- no husband without wife Role expectations for behavior Role performance- actual behavior, may not always match. Ex. Parent beating child Role set- all those roles attached to a status can lead Role conflict-when conflict, fulfilling one makes another difficult. Ex good worker goes to work, good parent stays home with sick child. Role strain-if difficult meeting expectations of a single status. Ex. Good boss increase morale but make stay late.
4. Conflicts in play Status Examples of Roles Examples of Conflict / Strain Put out fires, save lives, wear a uniform Voluntarily puts self in danger, but has loved ones who need him or her Firefighter Provide food and shelter, nurture family, discipline children Fatigue and long shifts make household tasks and interactions difficult Mother Run meetings, recruit new members, plan activities Has trouble getting members to attend and follow through on promises P.T.A. President
5. Social Institutions Must organize statuses to make sure needs of society are meet; Physical and emotional support for members Transmitting knowledge Producing good and services Maintaining social control
6. Types of social institutions Family Economy Politics Education Religions The media Medicine Science
7. Types of Social Interactions Types of social interactions Competition Exchange Conflict Cooperation Accommodation
8. Interactions stabilize or promote change Exchange: people interact in an effort to receive a reward or return for their actions. Ex dating, politics, family life. Peter Blau calls the most basic and common form of interaction. Reciprocity: do for another so will do for you. Rewards nonmaterial as a thank you, or material as wage Exchange theory-people are motivated by self-interest in all interactions, repeated if rewarded. What have you done for me lately? Stabilizes
9. Competition: 2 or more oppose each other to achieve a goal that only one can attain. Accepted rules of conduct Can be positive or negative in effects. Deborah Tannen: the argument culture reading, not everything is 2 sided. Polarizes battles, hurts cooperation and agreement. Language: “war on drugs”, courts adversarial, neg ads politics. Can disrupt society
10. Conflict: deliberate attempt to control a person through force, harm, or by opposing. Few rules of conduct, can break. Snubbing to killing. Georg Simmel- 4 sources of conflict: wars, disagreements within groups, legal disputes, clashes over ideology (religion, politics). Can increase loyalty, group cohesion, focus changes away from internal problems. Can disrupt society
11. Cooperation: 2 or more work together toward a common goal to benefit all or most. Motivate to work harder to achieve goal. Ex. Sports teams, work groups. Stabilizes
12. Accomodation: state of balance between cooperation and conflict Compromise Truce-bring a halt to conflict Mediation- 3rd party used to reach agreement Arbitration-3rd party decision is binding Stabilizes
13. Subsistence strategies Group- a set of people who interact on the basis of shared expectations and who possess some degree of common identity. Most complex societies are classified by their subsistence strategies or how the society uses technology to provide for the needs of its members Preindustrial, Industrial and Postindustrial societies.
14. Preindustrial—food production is the main economic activity; can be subdivided according to the level of technology and the method of producing food (hunting & gathering, pastoral societies, horticultural societies, agricultural societies) Industrial—emphasis shifts from the production of food to the production of manufactured goods, made possible by changes in production methods Postindustrial—much of the economy is involved in providing information and services. US 73% work in these sectors, 2% agriculture, 25% production of goods.
15. Preindustrial Industrial Types of Societies Postindustrial Hunting and gathering; pastoral; horticultural; mechanical solidarity Manufacturing; urbanization; technology Organic solidarity Information; provision of services
16. Contrasting Societies Durkheim-preindustrial societies held together by mechanical solidarity-people share same values and perform same tasks, united whole Industrial societies held together by organicsolidarity-impersonal relationships, depend on others for needs not shared values
17. Ferdinand Tonnies- how simple and complex societies differ, 2 ideals types based on structure of social relations and degree of shared values. Gemeinschaft-community. Most members know each other, close relationships, family and community central to activities, strong sense of group identity and solidarity Gesellschaft-society. Society based on need not emotion, impersonal, often temporary relations, individual goals more important than group, urban society.
18. What is a group? 1. two or more people 2. interaction amongst members 3. members must have shared expectations 4. members must possess some sense of common identity An aggregate is without these, ex. Airplane flight or on line. A social category is classifying by trait. Ex students. Vary by SIZE, TIME and ORGANIZATION.
19. Types of Groups Primary Groups Interact over a long period of time on a direct and personal basis Entire self of the individual is taken into account Relationships are intimate and often face-to-face Communication is deep and intense Structure is informal
20. Types of Groups Secondary Groups Interaction is impersonal and temporary in nature Involve a reaction to only a part of the individual’s self Casual Limited in personal involvement Individual can be replaced easily
21. Reference Groups-individual identify with attitudes and behaviors. Ex. Occupational groups. In-groups vs Out groups-1. members tend to separate themselves from other groups by use of symbols, 2. members tend to view themselves positively and out group negatively, 3. competition with out groups can lead to conflict. E-communities- on internet Social network – sum of all interactions with others, support system, feeling of community.
22. GROUPFUNCTIONS Group Functions Define Boundaries Select Leaders Assign Tasks SetGoals Make Decisions Control Members’ Behavior
23. Select leaders—people that influence the attitudes and opinions of others. Instruemental leaders-task oriented. Expressive Leaders- emotion oriented. Define boundaries—members can tell who belongs and who does not Set goals, assign tasks, and make decisions Control members’ behavior—if members violate group norms, the group cannot survive long
24. Formal Organizations Large, complex with specific goals Bureaucracy- ranking authority structure that operates according to specific rules and procedures. Rationality- post industrial society, every feature of human behavior is measured, controlled, and calculated.
25. Weber’s Model of Bureaucracy Division of labor Ranking of authority Employment based on formal qualifications Rules and regulations Specific lines of promotion and advancement
26. Relationships develop within formal organizations. Informal groups develop among workers with own sets of norms more important than the structure of the organization. Are Bureaucracies effective? Efficient at coordinating large numbers of people, defining tasks and rewards Provide stability Can lose sight of goals, create red tape, and result in oligarchies (domination by increasingly small groups of people: the iron law of oligarchy). In some instances, reward incompetence and expand uncontrollably, endless waste of time from red-tape or bureaucratic delay.
27. The Peter Principle- “In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence”. Often organized into role not qualified to perform. Parkinson’s Law- “work expands to fill the time available for its completion”. Worker feels overworked. Can 1. resign (lose benefits), 2. cut work in half by sharing with another (would create a rival for promotion), or 3. demand the assistance of 2 subordinates. Choice: 3! Now more work overseeing and likelihood for promotion.
28. Cross Cultural Studies: Japan Reading: strict codes and roles to follow, mentors, rules for dining, special training sessions, formal social controls. You spend much of your day in a formal organization-school. Describe some of the formal structures that guide day to day life at Myers Park. Discussion: students with cross-cultural experiences, how does school differ? Do you think American businesses differ from Japanese model? Why?
29. Investigating Formal Organizations The structure of CMS and its’ bureaucracies. In media, The Office, Pilot & Diversity Training.