Lecture 2

SOCIAL INTERACTION
Social Interaction

• Social interaction is the reciprocal influencing of

the acts of persons and groups.
• Social interaction tends to be repetitious ,
therefore it is patterned and to this extent is
predictable.
Components of Social Interaction

 Social Status
 Role
 Social Construction of Reality
 Communication
Social Status
Social status is a
recognized social position
of a person in a social
situation. Who we are in
relation to others.

For example: gender, social

class, race, nationality,
physical abilities etc.
Other concepts related to social status

Status Set  A person may have status of

a daughter, wife, mother,
A status set is a collection of
student, worker, and citizen.
social statuses that an
individual holds.

For example:
Ascribed Status

Status given to individuals at birth with out innate abilities.

For example: age, gender, race, caste , skin color ,daughter ,

son, family relationships ,religion etc.
Achieved Status
Status that an individual earns or chooses that reflects their
skills, abilities and efforts.
Achieved status may be based on education, occupation,
marital status, accomplishments, or other factors.
For example: College Professor, Olympic Athlete, lawyer or
even a criminal.
Master Status
A status that has exceptional significance for social identity and it
also plays the great role in shaping a person’s life and
determining his or her social identity.
For example:
Occupation
Wealth
Parenthood
Marital Status
ROLE
A behavior expected of some one who holds a particular status.
For example:
Professor
Students
Soldier
Other Aspects of Role

Role Set
Refers to number of roles attached to a single status.
For example:
 Teacher ( Imparting knowledge, Guidance, Counselor,
Examiner, Certification etc.)
 Cook ( Cooking, Groceries, Take care of guests)
 Driver ( Driving , Maintenance of car etc. )
F
Role Conflict
Role Conflict is when an individual experiences a contradiction
between different roles in their day to day existence.
For example:
when a father coaches a cricket team that includes his son. The
role of the father can conflict with the role of the coach who
needs to be objective when determining the positions and
batting lineup, for example, along with the need to interact
with all the children equally.
Role Strain
Role strain occurs when people experience stress in one role.
For example:
A mother is preparing breakfast for her kids and same time
she wishes to press school uniform. This situation leads her
toward role strain.
Role Exit
In sociology, the role exit refers to the process of disengaging
from a role that is true to one's self-identity, in order to take
up a new role.
For example:
 When an individual becomes a parent and has to change
their lifestyle.
 When an individual retires from a job
Social Construction of Reality
.

Process by which people creatively shape reality through social interaction.

• For example :
• Social construction of the life span of people into childhood, adulthood,
and old age can be the examples
• The same is true for gestures. While Americans might recognize a “thumbs
up” as meaning “great,” in Germany it would mean “one” and in Japan
it would mean “five.” Thus, our construction of reality is influenced by our
interactions.
• Your school exists as a school and not just as a building because you and
others agree that it is a school.
.
Communication

Communication needs language for action and interaction to

take place. In every situation its difficult for a person to
interact with out a language. Language is composed of signs,
symbols , letters or words . Meanings are attached with them.
There are two types of communication
• Verbal Communication
• Non-Verbal Communication
Verbal Communication

In verbal Communication message is transmitted through

spoken words.
Non Verbal Communication
Non Verbal communication is the transfer of information
through the use of body language including eye contact, facial
expressions, gestures and more.

For example:
Smiling when you meet someone
conveys friendliness, acceptance and openness.
Thank You 