SCHAEFER, CHAPTER 5:  Social Interaction and Social Structure

Schaeffer begins this chapter by describing the Zimbardo experiment
(explain)
  --people TOOK ON the roles they were assigned
  --they become "real" for them

From Chapter 4, we learned that interaction is how we exchange meanings.

Book Def: Interaction "refers to the ways in which people respond to
to one another, whether face to face or over the telephone or over
the computer, or any place else they can communicate (letters).

We define our social reality in many ways
SOCIAL STRUCTURE: The predictable relationships that emerge from our
interaction, from our norms, and from our institutions.

An INSTITUTION is a highly regulated and predictable set of social practices
that guide social and cultural practices (eg, marriage, religion, education)
 
DEFINITION:  SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS ARE ORGANIZED PATTERNS OF
BEHAVIORS CENTERED AROUND BASIC SOCIAL NEEDS.
WHAT HOLDS IT TOGETHER?

One way we define our world, hold it togetheri
and act upon it is by sorting out statuses of various kinds.

STATUS: STATUS, FOR SOCIOLOGISTS, REFRS TO ANY OF THE FULL RANGE
OF SOCIALLY DEFINED POSITIONS WITHIN A LARGE GROUP OR SOCIETY, FROM
THE LOWEST TO THE HIGHEST POSITION.   ONE CAN BE PRESIDENT, STUDENT,
FARMER, ORMOVIE STAR.  PEOPLE HOLD MORE THAN ONE STATUS SIMULTANEOUSY
 
   1.  ASCRIBED STATUS:    ASSIGNED TO PEOPLE "BY  SOCIETY,
       REGARD FOR  INDIVIDUAL'S UNIQUE TALENTS OR  QUALITIES
       SUCH AS - WOMAN, RACE, SIZE).

   2.  ACHIEVED STATUS,  ON THE OTHER HAND,   IS EARNED BY
       EFFORTS.  (STUDENT, CROOK, PROFESSOR, MOVIE STAR).

   3.  MASTER STATUS: A status that dominates other statuses.
       An athlete (Magic Johnson) now has status as an AIDS
       victim. AIDS VICTIM status dominates the athelete status.

DEFINITION:  SOCIAL ROLE:   A SOCIAL ROLE IS A SET OF EXPECTATIONS FOR
INDIVIDUALS WHO OCCUPY A GIVEN SOCIAL POSITION OR STATUS.
We expect THAT CAB DRIVERS KNOW THE CITY,  THAT PROFESSORS KNOW THEIR
material, etc.

COMPLEMENTARY ROLES:   WHEN OUR ROLE REQUIRES  AT LEAST ONE
OTHER FULFILL IT.  THUS, PROFESSOR/STUDENT, POLICE/CROOKS, BARTENNDERS
REQUIRES OTHERS.

Parents have competing roles (spouse, father, etc)

ROLE AMBIGUITY:  WHEN WE AREN'T CERTAIN ABOUT OUR ROLES. 
THE SOCIAL POSITION/EXPECTATIONS NOT CLEAR.   (EG,  PROF AT A P
NAME AT PART, FORMAL LATER).

ROLE STRAIN: Difficulties that result from the differing demands
and expectations associated with the same social position 

ROLE CONFLICT:  Incompatible expecations (father/coach; athlete/friends).

ROLE EXITS: The process of disengaging from a role. Some see four
basic stages (1) doubt; (2) search for alternatives; (3) action
stage or departure; (4) creation of new identity.

NOW, THIS OCCURS IN GROUPS!
GROUP:   ANY NUMER OF PERSONS WITH SIMILAR VALUES AND EXPECTATIONS WHO
REGULARLY AND CONSCIOUSLY INTERACT (EG, STUDENT, TEACHERS).
GROUPS FORM SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS:   MASS MEDIA, GOVERNMENT,
EDUCATION, CHURCH, FAMILY ARE ALLEXAMPLES OF A SOCIAL INSTITION

WE CALL A NUMBER OF GROUPS A SOCIETY.  A SOCIETY IS A FAIRLY LARGE
GROUP OF  PEOPLE WHO  LIVE IN  THE  SAME TERRITORY  AND ARE  RELATIVELY
INDEPENDENT OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE THEIR AREA,   AND WHO PARTICIPATE IN A
COMMON CULTURE.  (NOTE: US SOCIETY, STUDENT SOCIETY, ETC).
SOCIETIES GIVE RISE TO A SOCIAL STRUCTURE,  WHICH IS SIMPLY
A PATTERN  OF  THE  ORGNIZATION OF  A  SOCIETY  INTO  PREDICTABLE
RELATIONSHIPS.

THREE VIEWS:

   1.  FUNCTIONALISTS:   UNDERSTAND (OR EXAMINE) SOCIETY BY
       THEY FUNCTION,  THAT IS,  HOW THEY DEVELOP ADAPTIVE
       FOR PERPETUATING THE SOCIETY.  PARSONS CONTENDS THAT
       SYSTEMS,  INCLUDING EVEN THE MOST COMPLEX OF SOCIETIES
       PERFORM ALL FOUR OF THE FOLLOWING FUNCTIONS:

   a.  ADAPTATION TO  THE ENVIRONMENT (IE,  CREATING  MECHA
       STRATEGIES TO ENABLE  SOCIETIES OR GROUPS TO  REACT
       WHICH MAY BE DISRUPTIVE, SUCH AS NEW TECHNOLOGY, FAM
 
   b.  GOAL ATTAIN MENT, IN THAT SOCIETIES DEFINE GOALS AND
       FOR ATTAINING THESE GOALS,  AND ALSO DIRECT ACTIVITY
       RESOURCES (EG, LABOR, NEW FORMS OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATI
       THESE GOALS.

   c.  INTEGRATION IS MET BY COORDINATING  EACH OF THE INDIVIDUAL
       OF A SOCIAL SYSTEM INTO  A SMOOTHLY FUNCTIONING SINGLE SYSTEM

   d.    MAINTENANCE-- THIS MEANS THAT SOCIETIES INSURE THAT,
       THE SYSTEM WILL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN AND PERPETUATE ITSELF


   2.  CONFLICT VIEW:   WE SHOULD  STUDY SOCIETY/SOCIAL STR
       LOOKING AT HOW POWER IS  DISTRIBUTED,  HOW DECISIONS
       ETC. IN THIS VIEW, POWER IS EVERYWHER, ETC.  CONFLICTS
       ARE GUIDED BY THE HOBBESIAN VIEW  THAT DEFINITIONS OF
       VALUES ARE ALSO A SOURCE OF CONFLICT  OVER WHO HAS TO
       NAME THE WORLD (E.G., AS IN CREATION OF LAWS AND CON
       "JUSTICE." IN THIS VIEW, THE STATE MEDIATES (OR INTE
H
       THE INTENTION OF SOLVING)  THE CONFLICTS OVER THESE
S
       OF ACCEPTABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE BEHVIORS.  AS A CONSE
T
       ONLY BEHAVIOR,  BUT ALSO .US  POWER RELATIONS BECOME
       TOPICS TO STUDY.   UNLIKE  THE FUNCTIONALIST (OR "CO
       VIEW OF SOCIETY,  WHICH VIEWS HARMONY  AS THE BASIS
       CONFLICT THEORISTS SEE CONFLICT AS  THE NATURAL STATBLE
       EXISTENCE.

            CHAMBLISS AND  SEIDMAN HAVE SUMMARIZED  CONFLICT
       FOUR PROPOSITIONS:

          1.  SOCIETY AT  EVERY MOMENT IS SUBJECT  TO CHANGE
               AND CHANGE IS CONTINUOUS.
          2.  EVERY  SOCIETY EXPERIENCES  AT  EVERY MOMENT EXPERIENCES
              CONFLICTS.
          3.  EVERY ELEMENT IN A SOCIETY CONTRIBUTES TO CHANGE
 
          4.  EVERY SOCIETY RESTS UPON CONSTRAINT  OF SOME OVER
              OTHERS.

   3.   INTERACTIONISTS:  HOW PEOPLE PUT THEIR WORLD TOGETHE
       ON MEANING OF EVENTS, LANGUAGE, BEHAVIOR, FOR INDIVI
       HOW THEY EXPERIENCE IT,  AND IN TURN ACT MEANINGFULL
       SOCIAL  STRUCTURE.   FOCUS  IS  ON  SOCIAL ORDER  TH
       INTERACTION.

       SUM THESE THREE, EMPHASIZE DIFFERENT QUESTIONS THEY
       TWO USEFUL TERMS:

       GEMEINSCHAFT:   (TONNIES)---A SOCIETY HELD TOGETHER
       BY PERSONAL BONDS (EG,  STUDENTS,  RURAL COMMUNITIES,
       ETC)---PEOPLE SHARE MUCH.

       GESELLSCHAFT:    (TONNIES)---CHARACTERIZED BY  LARGE
       COMMUNITIES, LARGE, IMPERSONAL,  LITTLE COMMITMENT TO OTHERS
       OR CONSENSUS ON VALUES, NORMS.

       CORRESPONDS TO DURKHEIM'S:
       (1) ORGANIC SOLIDARITY (COMPLEX DIV OF LABOR, ETC)
       (2) MECHANICAL SOLIDARITY (PRIMITIVE SOCIETIES)

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