S&C Chapter 4: Social Interaction & Groups

Introduction: -
Social interaction: the process by which people act toward/ respond to other people & is the foundation
for all relationships & group in society.

Social Structure: the complex framework of societal institutions & the social practices that make up a
society & that organize & establish limits on people’s behavior.

Social Structure
> provides the framework within which we interact with others.
> gives us the ability to interpret the social situations we encounter.
> helps people make sense out of their environment even when they find themselves on the streets.
> creates boundaries that define which persons/groups will be the “insiders” & which will be the
“outsiders.”

Context
definition: the place/ situation where the social interaction takes place.
- this can refer to: -> the physical setting/ place
-> the social environment
-> the activities surrounding the interaction

Nonverbal Behavior
1. Waving Hand
2. Yawn
3. Breathing (Heavily)
4. Make-up
5. Smoking
6. Staring
7. Smiling/ Frowning/ Laughing/ Crying

Social Exchange
definition: when people do something for each other with the express purpose of receiving a reward/
return, they are involving in an exchange interaction.

Conflict
> arise when people/ groups have incompatible values/ when the rewards/ resources available to a
society/ its members are limited.
> always involves an attempt to gain/ use power.

Competition
definition: a form of conflict in which individuals/groups confine their conflict within agreed-upon rules.
Components of Social Structure
the social structure of a society includes its social positions, the relationships among those positions, &
the kinds of resources attached to each of the positions.
- status
- role
- groups
- social institutions

Statuses
A status is a socially defined position in a group/ society characterized by certain expectations, rights, &
duties. Ways statuses can be pertained to:
1. Religion
2. Education
3. Ethnicity
4. Occupation

A status set comprises all the statuses that a person occupies at a given time.

2 Types of Statuses
1. Ascribed
2. Achieved

An ascribed status is a social position conferred at birth/ received involuntarily later in life, based on
attributes over which the individual has little/ no control.

Ex: male, child, Chinese, daughter

An achieved status is a social position that a person assumes voluntarily as a result of personal choice,
merit, / direct effort.

Status symbols are material signs that inform others of a person’s specific status.

A role is set of behavioral expectations associated with a given status.

Role expectation is a group’s / society's definition of the way that a specific role ought to be played.

Role performance is how a person actually plays the role.

Role conflict occurs when incompatible role demands are placed on a person by 2 or more statuses held
at the same time.

Role strain occurs when incompatible demands are built into a single status that a person occupies.

Role exit occurs when people disengage from social roles that have central to their self-identity.
Example of Role strain:
The captain of an airplane is expected to be sure the plane flies only when it is in safe condition, but the
captain also is expected to meet the company’s flight schedule because a day’s delay could cost the
company thousands of dollars.

The stress of these competing pulls is not due to the captain’s personality, but rather is built into the
nature of the role expectations attached to the captain’s status.

Social Groups
> A social group consists of 2 or more people who interact frequently & share & common identity & a
feeling of independence.
- primary group is a small, less specialized group in which members engage in face-to-face, emotion-
based interactions over an extended period of time.

- secondary group is a larger, more specialized group in which members engage in more-impersonal,
goal-oriented relationships for a limited period of time.

- reference group is a group that strongly influences a person’s behavior & social attitudes, regardless of
whether that individual is an actual member.

> A social aggregate is a collection of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time but
share little else in common.
For example: people waiting in at a bus stop, or riding a train together.

Group Characteristics & Dynamics

A small group is a group that is small enough for all members to be acquainted with one another & to
interact simultaneously.

- A dyad is a group composed of 2 members. (2 best friends, 2 siblings, a couple, co-pilots)

- A triad is a group composed of 3 members.

Leadership refers to the ability to influence what goes on in a group/ social system.
* Instrumental leadership is goal/ task oriented.
* Expressive leadership provides emotional support for members.
* Authoritarian leaders make all major group decisions & assign tasks to members.
* Democratic leaders encourage group discussion & decision making through consensus building.
* Laissez-faire leaders are only minimally involved in decision making & encourage group members to
make their own decisions.