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Social Interaction and Social Groups

This chapter discusses social interaction and social groups. It defines social interaction as action between two or more people that takes into account the actions of others. There are different types of social interaction such as exchange, cooperation, and conflict. Social interaction is shaped by statuses, roles, norms, and contexts. Groups are formed when people share an identity and goals. Groups can be primary and intimate or secondary and larger. Larger groups develop formal bureaucracies to coordinate roles and accomplish goals. Social institutions and organization develop from the values, norms and groups within a society.

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66 views20 pages

Social Interaction and Social Groups

This chapter discusses social interaction and social groups. It defines social interaction as action between two or more people that takes into account the actions of others. There are different types of social interaction such as exchange, cooperation, and conflict. Social interaction is shaped by statuses, roles, norms, and contexts. Groups are formed when people share an identity and goals. Groups can be primary and intimate or secondary and larger. Larger groups develop formal bureaucracies to coordinate roles and accomplish goals. Social institutions and organization develop from the values, norms and groups within a society.

Uploaded by

XYZ
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 5:

Social Interaction and Social Groups


What to Expect in This Chapter...
What is social interaction?
Contexts and Norms of Social Interaction
Studying Social Interaction: Ethnomethodology and
Dramaturgy
Types of Social Interaction
Elements of Social Interaction
What are Groups?
Functions of Groups
Group Size
Bureaucracy
Institutions and Social Organization
What is Social Interaction?

Social interaction is the


social action of two or more
people taking each other
into account in their action
Social action refers to those
actions which people are
conscious of doing because
of other people
Contexts and Norms of Social
Interaction
The context in which a social interaction
takes place determines its meaning
Three elements comprise the context:
The physical setting
The social environment
Activities surrounding the interaction
Norms are the rules of behavior governing
the interaction
Studying Social Interaction:
Ethnomethodology and Dramaturgy

Ethnomethodology is the study of the


norms governing social interaction
This approach normally involves purposely
violating commonly understood rules as a
means to gauge the nature of peoples
response
Dramaturgy understands social interaction
in terms of the theater
Interacting parties are actors involved in a
performance known as impression
management
Types of Social Interaction

Nonverbal Behavior
Involves forms of communication that involved body movements,
or kinesics
Researchers focus on things such as posture, yawns, and eye
contact
Exchangesocial interaction with the express purpose
of receiving mutual rewards
Cooperationsocial interaction engaged in to promote
common interests
Conflictsocial interaction that involves working against
each other for a commonly prized object
Competitionform of conflict in which individuals
confine conflict to agreed-upon rules
Elements of Social
Interaction: Statuses
A status is any socially defined position that
people occupy
Some statuses are more influential than others in
shaping our identity and the interactions of others
around us. These are called master statuses
Statuses can be either conferred upon us, or can
be voluntarily attained
Ascribed statuses are conferred upon us, usually at birth.
Include our race, sex, etc.
Achieved statuses are voluntarily attained and include
our occupation, student status, etc.
Elements of Social
Interaction: Roles
Roles are the ...culturally defined rules for
proper behavior that are associated with
every status.
All of the roles attached to a particular status
are called, collectively, role sets
Because we cannot possibly fulfill all of the
roles attached to a particular status at any
given time, we typically identify a role set as
those rules that apply to our interaction with
other individuals in particular statuses
Understanding Role Sets
Grade Write Student
Papers Papers
Admin-
istrator Staff
Professor Chair Committee
Professor
Give
Present Lobby for money
Lectures
Papers
Commu-
Faculty
Advise nity
Students
Role Sets
Status and Roles Each of the relationships depicted
here has its own set of roles
Role Strain and Role Conflict

Because we occupy several statuses, and


numerous roles are attached to each
status, there is great potential for conflict
between roles
Role Strain occurs when there is conflict
between roles attached to the same status
Role Conflict occurs when conflict is
encountered between roles that are attached
to two or more statuses
What Are Social Groups?

Social groups consist of people who have a


common sense of identity, shared norms and
common goals
Social groups are distinct from two other types of
collectivities:
Social Aggregatespeople who happen to be in close
physical proximity, but share little else
Social Categoriespeople who share one or more
characteristics in common, but do not interact
Comparing Primary and Secondary Groups
Primary Groups Secondary Groups
Physical Small number Large number
Conditions Long duration Shorter duration

Intrinsic value on Value goals of group


relationship more than relationship
Inclusive knowledge of Limited knowledge of
Social members members
Characteristics Freedom and spontaneity External constraint
Informal norms and Formal norms and
controls controls

Friends Clerk/Customer
Sample Husband/Wife Performer/Spectator
Relationships Parent/Child Officer/Subordinate

Play Group Professional Association


Sample Groups Family Corporation
Work team Government Agency
Functions of Groups
Group Size: Small Groups

Small groups are few enough in


number so that all members know
one another
Dyad is the smallest group,
consisting of only two people
Triad is a group of three, which
introduces the possibility of
coalitions and mediation
As the group grows larger,
subgroups within the larger group
may form
Group Size: Large Groups
Large groups consist of many people
who do not usually know each other
well
Associations are large groups
purposely created to accomplish
clearly defined goals
Associations have both a formal
structure and an informal structure
The formal structure consists of formally
defined, typically written job definitions
The informal structure is negotiated in the
day to day activities of the association
The Bureaucracy
The bureaucracy is a formal, rationally
organized social structure with clearly
defined patterns of activity in
which...ideally, every series of actions
is...related to the purposes of the
organization.
The classic model of bureaucracy was laid
out by the German sociologist Max Weber,
who identified six essential
characteristics....
Webers Classical Model of
Bureaucracy
The Reality of Bureaucracy

While Weber suggested that bureaucracy was


the most rational and efficient way of
accomplishing goals, we know that
bureaucracies also produce a sense of
alienation, adherence to unproductive ritual and
even incompetence
Moreover, Robert Michels observed that
bureaucracies inevitably come to be dominated
by a small number of self-serving people at the
topan oligarchy. This tendency has come to
be known as the iron law of oligarchy
Social Institutions
Social institutions are the ordered
relationships that grow out of the values,
norms, statuses, roles and groups of
society.
Social institutions respond to the basic
need areas of society, which include:
Family
Educational Institution
Economic Institution
Religion
Political Institutions
Social Organization

Social organization refers to the


...relatively stable pattern of social
relationships among individuals and
groups in society
The organization of society consists of
statuses, roles, groups and institutions,
ordered according to social norms that
provide regularity and predictability in
social interaction

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