Chapter 4 Book Notes Social Interaction in Everyday Life Social interaction- the process by which people act and

d react in relation to others Social Structure: A Guide to Everyday Living Members of every society rely on social structure to make sense out of daily situations. Status In every society, people build their lives using the idea of status status- a social position that a person holds prestige status is part of our social identity and defines our relationships to others Georg Simmel- one of the founders of sociology Status set- all the statuses a person holds at a given time Each person holds many statuses at once Over a lifetime people gain and lose statuses bases on relationships, jobs and activities Ascribed and Achieved Status ascribed status- a social position a person receives at birth or takes on involuntarily later in life ex. a daughter, a teenager matters about which we have little or no choice achieved status- a social position a person takes on voluntarily that reflects personal ability and effort ex. honors student, thief most statuses are a combination of the two ascribed statuses influence the statuses they achieve Master Status a status that has special importance for social identity, often shaping a persons entire life can be negative or positive Role behavior expected of someone who holds a particular status a person holds a status and performs a role ex. status= student, role= attending class and doing assignments Roles differ in every society Robert Merton- introduce role set role set- a number of roles attached to a single status Role conflict and Role Strain role conflict- conflict among the roles connected to two or more statuses role strain- tension among the roles connected to a single status strategy for minimizing role conflict- separating parts of our lives so that we perform roles for one status at a time and place and carry out roles for another status in a completely different setting Role Exit the process by which people disengage from important social roles Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh- studied role exit- 1988 the process of role exit begins as people come to doubt their ability to continue in a certain role The Social Construction of Reality the process by which people creatively shape reality through social interaction the foundation of the symbolic-interaction approach

social interaction is a complex negotiation that builds reality People see events depending on their background, interests and intentions Street Smarts a form of constructing reality The Thomas Theorem named after W.I. Thomas Situations that are defined as real are real in their consequences means that although reality is soft as it is being shaped, it can become hard in its effects Ethnomethodology Harold Garfinkel, founder of ethnomethodology the study of the way people make sense of their everyday surroundings every day behavior rest on assumptions Reality Building: Class and Culture How we act or what we see in our surroundings depends on our interests Social background also affects what we see people build reality from the surrounding culture Films affect the reality we all experience. Dramaturgical Analysis: The Presentation of Self Erving Goffman- sociologist analyzed social interaction- he explained that people live their lives much like actors performing on a stage. dramaturgical analysis- the study of social interaction in terms of theatrical performance status= a part in a play role= script- supplying dialogue and action for the characters presentation of self- each persons performance- a persons efforts to create specific impressions in the minds of others- sometimes called impression management Performances Every day we present ourselves consciously and unconsciously includes the way we dress- costume objects we carry- props our tone of voice and the way we carry ourselves- demeanor we vary our performance according to where we happen to be- set Nonverbal Communication communication using body movements, gestures, and facial expressions rather than speech Facial expressions are the most significant form of body language Eye contact is another crucial element of nonverbal communication Hand gestures Body Language and Deception unintended body language can contradict our planned meaning nonverbal communication is hard to control so it provides clues to deception Gender and Performances gender is the central element in personal performances Demeanor the way we act and carry ourselves A clue to social power gender issue Use of Space The more power you have, the more space you use

Men usually command more space than women femininity in our culture is measured by how little space women occupy- daintiness masculinity by how much territory a man controls Personal space- the surrounding are over which a person makes some claim to privacy. Staring, smiling, and touching eye contact encourages interaction Women hold more eye contact than men Men form of eye contact= staring Mutual touching suggest intimacy and caring The intent of touching may be harmless and may bring little response, but it amounts to a subtle ritual by which men claim dominance over women Idealization Erving Goffman suggests, we construct our performances to idealize our intentions. We try to convince others that our actions reflect ideal cultural standards rather than selfish motives. Embarrassment and Tact embarrassment- discomfort after a spoiled performance- losing face tact- helping someone- save face Interaction in Everyday Life: Three Applications Emotions: The Social Construction of Feeling feelings The Biological Side of Emotions Paul Ekman 6 basic emotions- happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise. People in every society use much of the same facial expressions to show these emotions social purpose of emotion= supporting group life Allow us to overcome our individualism and build connections with others Believed to be biologically programmed into muscles and CNS The Cultural Side of Emotions Culture plays an important role in guiding human emotions Culture defines what triggers an emotion Culture provides rules for the display of emotion Culture guides how we value emotions Many cultures expect women to show emotions while condemning emotional expression by men as a sign of weakness Emotions on the Job Arlie Russell Hochschild- the typical company does indeed try to control not only the behavior of its employees but also their emotions Deep acting of emotions We socially construct our emotions as part of our everyday reality- emotion management Language: The Social Construction of Gender language is the thread that weaves members of a society in the symbolic web we call culture language conveys a surface message and deeper levels of meaning Important level of language is gender defines men and women differently in terms of both power and value Language and Power language helps men establish control over their surroundings

 a man attaches a female pronoun to an object because doing so reflects ownership. Language and Value English language treats as masculine whatever has greater value, force, or significance. masculine terms have positive meanings feminine terms have negative meanings language both mirrors social attitudes and helps perpetuate them Reality Play: The Social Construction of Humor Humor= important in everyday life The foundation of Humor Humor is produced by the social construction of reality; specifically it arises as people create and contrast two different realities. conventional- what people in a specific situation expect unconventional- an unexpected violation of cultural patterns Humor arises from the contradictions, ambiguities, and double meanings found in differing definitions of the same situation The greater the opposition or difference between the two definitions of reality, the greater the humor. The Dynamics of Humor: Getting It To get a joke the audience must understand the two realities involved well enough to appreciate their difference Our enjoyment of a joke is increased by the pleasure of figuring out all the pieces needed to get it The Topics of Humor For everyone the topics that lend themselves to double meanings or controversy generate humor Sick jokes- jokes about peoples religious beliefs, tragic accidents, or appalling crimes The Functions of Humor safety valve for potentially disruptive statements and ideas an acceptable way to discuss a sensitive topic without appearing to be serious or being offensive relieve tension in uncomfortable situation Humor and Conflict Humor holds the potential to liberate those who laugh, but it can also be used to put down other people Christie Davis- confirmed that ethnic conflict is a driving force behind humor in most of the world