SOCIAL INTERACTION

The manner in which people act and react in relation to others. How poeple respond to one another.

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Organized patterns of beliefs and behaviors centered on basic social needs.

FUNCTIONALIST THEORY

(Social Interactions and Institutions)

• Institutions should replace personnel such as after retirement
• Teach new recruits
• Produce, distribute goods and services
• Preserve order (police, government, even OSU)
• Provide and maintain a sense of purpose

CONFLICT THEORY

(Social Interactions and Institutions)

Institutions work to maintain the priviledges of the powerful. Institutions operate in a gendered, stratified, and racist environment.

Ex. OSU on your resume < Harvard on your resume

INTERACTIONIST THEORY-MICRO

(Social Interactions and Institutions)

Social behaviors are conditioned by the roles and statuses we accept.

It matters what groups we belong to and institutions in which we function.

Whether we have a lot of contact with our institutions matters.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Organized pattern of social relationships and social institutions.

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Series of social relationships linking a person directly to others and thus to even more people. (Micro)

GROUP

Any number of people with similar norms, values, and expectations who interact with one another on a regular basis.

STATUS

Social position a person occupies-has a certain level of prestige.

Ex: students, Mrs., Dr., siblings, son/daughter, peer/friend, boyfriend/girlfriend

STATUS SET

All statuses a person holds at a particular time. You act differently under all those status sets.

ASCRIBED

A social position a person recieves at birth and assumes involuntary later in life.

ACHIEVED

Social position a person assumes voluntarily due to personal ability and choice through their own efforts.

MASTER STATUS

A status dominating all others thereby determining a person's general position in society. Denote our status in relation with others' statuses all the time.

SOCIAL ROLE

Behavior expected of someone who holds a particular status.

ROLE SET

All things attached to a particular status.

Ex: students- study, go to class, manage time, turn in assignments

ROLE CONFLICT

Incompatibility among roles that would result in a role exit.

ROLE STRAIN

Incompatibility among roles.

Ex: Students are busy with school work but want to hangout with friends.

ROLE EXIT

Process by which people disengage from important social roles.

Ex: graduation, new job, marriage

3 TYPES OF VERBAL COMMUNICATION

1. Language
2. Gender difference
3. Humor

TACTILE COMMUNICATION

Women touch to show support. Men touch to show dominance or sexual interest.

Ex: power of hand shaking

IDEALIZATION

(Non-verbal communication)

Convince others that our actions reflect cultural standards rather than selfish motives.

Ex: "sorry I can't talk I have to get to class"

THOMAS THEOREM

(Social Construction of Reality)

Situations are defined as real become real in their consequences. Definition of the situation shapes thinking.

Ex: 1973 toilet paper shortage caused a scare so people stockpiled toilet paper causing a shortage.

NEGOTIATION

(Social Construction of Reality)

Reaching agreement with others on the meanings of social patterns and social interaction.

ETHNOMETHODOLOGY

The study of how people make sense of their surroundings.

DRAMATURGY-Goffman

(Symbolic Interactionism)

We're all players on a stage.

PRESENTATION OF SELF

(Symbolic Interactionism)

An individual's efforts to create impressions in others. Also known as impression management or facework.

FRONTSTAGE vs. BACKSTAGE

(Symbolic Interactionism)

We present ourselves differently in different situations.

FRONT STAGE

(Symbolic Interactionism)

Areas where we see other people.

Ex: We are typically meaner to our parents or siblings than we are to our friends.

SOCIAL GROUP

Two or more people who identify and interact with one another.

AGGREGATE

(Groups)

People who happen to be at the same place at the same time.

Ex: Everyone at a store at a particular time.

CATEGORY

(Groups)

Common statuses or features, but do not necessarily act together.

Ex: All students attending OSU

CROWD

(Groups)

Loosely formed group with some interaction.

Ex: football games

GROUP SIZE EFFECTS - Simmel

The smaller the group the more opportunity members have in interacting with each other.

DYAD- Simmel

(Group size effects)

2 people- not much conflict, strong and stable relationship.

TRIAD- Simmel

(Group size effects)

3 people- someone can act as a mediator. 2 can form a coalition against 1. Relatively unstable, consists of a dyad and an isolate.

COALITIONS- Simmel

(Group size effects)

Temporary or permanent alliances geared toward some kind of goal. As groups grow, there is flexibility in terms of stability.

PRIMARY GROUP- Cooley

Small social group whose members share personal relationships. Emotional support and serve expressive needs.

Ex: Morgan, Lindsay, Jamie, and I

SECONDARY GROUP- Cooley

Large, impersonal social group whose members pursue a specific interest or activity.

Ex: AXO pledge class 2011

REFERENCE GROUP

A social group that serves as a point of reference for other groups.

Ex: sorority

INGROUP- Sumner

(Social Interaction)

Social group commanding a member's loyalty.

Ex: OSU

OUTGROUP- Sumner

(Social Interaction)

Social group toward which one feels opposition or competition.

Ex. OU

INSTRUMENTAL LEADERS

Emphasis on group's completion of tasks.

EXPRESSIVE LEADERS

Focus on collective well-being of group.

CHARISMATIC LEADERS

Folks that have personalities that are essentially very mobilizing.

Ex: Martin Luther King Jr. (good) or Hitler (bad)

AUTHORITARIAN LEADERSHIP

Addresses concerns, decision making, and compliance from subordinates.

DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP

Include everyone in decision making process.

LAISSEZ FAIRE LEADERSHIP

Groups functions more or less on its own

Ex: U.S. economy

CONFORMITY

by

Solomon Asch

In order for people to avoid feeling awkward, people can be swayed to conform to the group even if they think that conforming is wrong.

Ex: different line lengths experiment

CONFORMITY

by

Stanley Milgram

Showed how authority figures can easily gain compliance.

Ex: electroshock experiment

CONFORMITY

by

Abu Ghraib

Situation where American soldiers tortured prisoners because they were following orders from superiors.

CONFORMITY

by

Zimbardo Prison Study

Twenty-four male students were selected to take on randomly assigned roles of prisoners and guards in a mock prison situated in the basement of the Stanford psychology building. The participants adapted to their roles well beyond Zimbardo's expectations, as the guards enforced authoritarian measures and ultimately subjected some of the prisoners to psychological torture.

CONFORMITY

by

Group Think

Irving Janis, a research psychologist from Yale University defined Group Think as a tendency of group members to conform resulting in a narrow view on an issue.

CONFORMITY

by

Risky Shift (Stoner)

People are more willing to engage in risky behavior in a group than alone.

CONFORMITY

by

Deindividuation

Self merges with the group-risk is borne by all members of the group. We begin to see ourselves as a group rather than an individual.

Ex: Groups of teenagers and shoplifting

FORMAL ORGANIZATIONS

Large secondary groups designed to address specific goals--structured for maximum efficiency.

Ex: OSU Bursars office

NORMATIVE ORGANIZATION

(Type of Formal Organization)

Pursue goals that members consider morally worthwhile. Usually volunteer organizations.

COERCIVE ORGANIZATIONS

Membership is largely involuntary. Goffman's total institution

Ex: prisons and mental hospitals

UTILITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS

Large organizations generally in pursuit of income.

Ex: Microsoft, ConocoPhillips

5 CHARACTERISTICS OF BUREAUCRACY

1. Specialization (Restaurants have hosts, waiters, bus boys, cooks, and managers)
2. Hierarchy- each person is supervised by someone higher than them (student<professor<department head)
3. Written rules and regulations (Full time students=12 hours)
4. Technical competence/efficiency
5. Impersonality (CWID number instead of your name)

MCDONALDIZATION OF SOCIETY

George Ritzer of University of Maryland said the world is run more and more like a fast food restaurant.

4 principles:

1. efficiency- fast and easy

2. calculability- everything is measured

3. uniformity and predictibility- same thing everywhere

4. Control through automation- no human error

Results in a loss of human individuality and creativity

DIVERSITY AND THEORY

DEVIANCE

Recognized violation of socially constructed cultural norms.

FORMAL DEVIANCE

Breaks laws or violates official rules.

INFORMAL DEVIANCE

Behavior that violates customary norms.

SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

(Deviance)

Social movements influence perceptions of deviance.

Ex: fashion trends or environmental movement

SOCIAL CONTROL

Attempts by society to regulate the thoughts and behaviors or individuals.

SELF-FULFILLING PROPHESY

Becoming a product of what society expects of you.

Ex: parents expect you to make good grades, go to college, find a job, etc.

DEVIANCE FUNCTIONALIST THEORIES

by

Durkheim

Deviance not abnormal because it has functions in society.

Affirms cultural values and norms.

Response clarifies social boundaries and social unity.

Deviane encourages social change.

Anomie- loss of direction felt in society when social control becomes ineffective. State of normlessness.

DEVIANCE FUNCTIONALIST THEORY

by

Robert Merton

Strain theory (anomie theory of deviance)- violations arise from social arrangements.

Modes of adaptation: Conformists, Innovators, Ritualist, Retreatist, Rebel

Strain between societies' emphasis on success and the ability of people to actually be successful.

SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY -Hirschi

(Deviance Functionalist Theory)

 Deviance occurs when a person's atachments to social bonds are weakened.

Conformity thorugh 4 types of social control:

1. Strong attachments=encourages conformity

2. Greater opportunities=greater likely to conform

3. More involvement with community=more conformity

4. Morality and respect for authority= greater conformity

CONFLICT THEORY

(Deviance)

Norms and laws reflect interests of the rich. (Cocaine recieves less sanctions than crack)

Belief that norms and values are good for society masks the political aspects of them

Significance of social control is to encourage conformity

Those who threaten capitalism=labeled as deviant

Feminist perspective

FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE

(Deviance)

Cultural views in society about gender that affect labeling.

Ex: we are surprised when women are accused of crimes or put on death row

DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY- Sutherland

(Interactionist theory on deviance)

Process through which exposure to attitudes favorable to criminal acts leads to a violation of rules.

ROUTINE ACTIVITIES THEORY

(Interactionist theories on deviance)

Conditions must be exactly right. At the same time and same place, there must be a perpetrator, a victim, and/or object of property.

Criminal victimization increased when motivated offenders and suitable targets converge.

LABELING THEORY

(Interaction theories on deviance)

Deviane and conformity come from how others respond to situations.

Deviant identy-someone who identifies themself as deviant.

Deviant careers-someone who decides to have an entire life with a deviant career

Deviant communities- Ex: mafia

Societal reaction approach- response to the act not the behavior itself that determines deviance. Whether the community sees the act as bad.

Self-fulfilling prophesy

CRIME

Violation of a society's formally enacted criminal law

HATE CRIMES

Malicious acts motivated by social bias.

Ex: lynching in the South

VICTIMLESS CRIMES

Involve the active choice of all hte parties involved. 80% of police work goes toward monitoring and policing victimless crimes.

Ex: gambling, druge use, prostitution

ORGANIZED CRIME

Business operation supplying illegal goods that are in high demand. Essentially perpetuates itself and depends on the extent of the corruption of officials that allow it to happen. Structured to ensure efficiency.

WHITE-COLLAR CRIME

Committed by middle and upper class people in their business and social activities. Causes a high level of cost and is felt throughout the system but is seen as less offensive than blue-collar crimes.

Ex: embezzlement, tax evasion, insider trading

CORPORATE CRIME