CHAPTER 5

THE SELF AND INTERACTION

SOCIAL INTERACTION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQMB5teKf7M&NR=1

Free hugs

How do we create reality in our face-to-face interactions?

SOCIAL INTERACTION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0BBgVCAxg0String experiment

SOCIAL STRUCTURE: A GUIDE TO EVERYDAY LIVING

SOCIAL INTERACTIONThe process by which people act and react in relation to others

STATUSA social position that a person holds

STATUS SETAll the statuses a person holds at a given time

ASCRIBED AND ACHIEVED STATUS

Ascribed StatusA social position a person receives at birth or takes involuntarily later in life

Achieved StatusA social position a person takes on voluntarily People’s ascribed statuses influence the statuses they achieve

ASCRIBED STATUS—BORN RICH

ASCRIBED STATUS--GENDER

ASCRIBED STATUS--GENDER

ACHIEVED STATUS

MASTER STATUS

Special importance for social identityNegative or positive

Gender AthleteNerdCriminal

ROLEBehavior expected of someone whoholds a particular statusA person holds a status

Who we areA person performs a roleWhat we do

PERFORMING A ROLE

Role Set

Roles attached to a single status

ROLE SET: STUDENT STATUS

ROLE CONFLICT AND ROLE STRAIN

Role ConflictConflict among the roles connected to two or more statuses (student, job, athlete)

Role StrainTension among the roles connected to a single status (student)

Statuses

Student

Athlete

Job

Conflicts

Time

Importance

Enjoyment

Expectations

2/28 ROLE CONFLICT

ROLE STRAIN: STUDENT STATUSTENSION AMONG THE ROLES CONNECTED TO A SINGLE STATUS

ROLE EXITProcess by which people disengage from

important social roles

Becoming an “ex”GraduatingRetirementWidowDivorce

Status Set and Role SetsA status set includes all the statuses a person holds at a given time. The status set defines “who we are” in society. The many roles linked to each status define “what we do.”

Social Construction of Reality

The process by which people creatively shape reality through social interaction

Social interaction is:Complex NegotiationBuilds reality

Perception of events are based on different interests and intentions

THE THOMAS THEOREM

“Situations that are defined as real are real in their consequences.”

DEFINING SITUATIONS

DEFINING SITUATIONS

DEFINING SITUATIONS

DEFINING SITUATIONS

ETHNOMETHODOLOGY

The study of the way people make sense of their everyday surroundings

Behavior rests on assumptions

“Breaching experiments”

BREACHING EXPERIMENTSOffering to pay more than posted price for an item.

Taking items from others’ shopping carts.

Standing very, very close.

Haggling with bus driver over the fare.

Tipping friends for small kindnesses.

Eating with fingers in fancy restaurant.

REALITY BUILDING: CLASS AND CULTUREHow we act or what we see depends on:Our interestsSocial classGenderRace/ethnicityCulture

REALITY BUILDINGWHAT DO YOU SEE?

DRAMATURGICAL ANALYSIS: THE PRESENTATION OF SELF

DRAMATURGICAL ANALYSISStudy of social interaction in terms of theatrical performance

Erving Goffman (1922-1982)People live like actors performing on a stage.

Presentation of Self

A person’s efforts to create specific impressions in the minds of others

Also called “Impression Management”

PRESENTATION OF SELF(IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT)

PERFORMANCESReveal information consciously & unconsciouslyIncludes:Dress (costume)Objects we carry (props)Tone of voice and way we carry ourselves (demeanor)Performances vary based on context (the set)

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Communication using body movements,

gestures, & facial expressions rather than

speech

“Body Language”Using body to convey information

Eye contactGestures

BODY LANGUAGE

BODY LANGUAGE AND DECEPTIONContradictions in verbal & nonverbal meaningNonverbal communication hard to control

Clues to deception

Recognizing dishonest performances is difficulthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGQf9O61cww

Key to detecting liesView whole performanceLook for inconsistencies

VIDEOS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-eC2QQ-nSM&feature=fvstInstructor on body language (Still images)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9YTxff3pHU&feature=more_related

Funny video on learning body language

STARING, SMILING, AND TOUCHING

Women hold eye contact more than men doMen stare

Claiming social dominance

Smiling-Sign of trying to please or of submissionWomen smile more than men do

Mutual touching suggests intimacy & caring

EYE CONTACT

STARING

SMILING

EMBARRASSMENT AND TACTEmbarrassment: Discomfort after aspoiled performance

Embarrassment is an ever-present danger One moment can shatter the intended impressionAudience often overlooks flaws in performance

EMBARRASSMENT

TactHelping someone “save face”

“Tact is the ability to describe others the way they see themselves.” (Abraham Lincoln)

Embarrassment creates discomfort for the actor and everyone else

People are reminded of how fragile their own performances are

THE PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION

Socialization is the process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group.

The socialization process begins in infancy and lasts throughout the lifetime.

Language facilitates socialization.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SELF

• The self is our personal identity •Separate and different from all other people•Who are you?• The self is created and modified through social

interaction •Socialization process

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

Agents of socialization are the social groups, institutions, and individuals that provide structured situations where socialization occurs.

Major agents include:FamilySchoolsPeersThe mass media

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION (CONT’D)

The family is the single most significant agent of socialization in all societies and teaches:Basic values Norms that shape our identity

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION (CONT’D)

Schools:EducationHidden curriculumSet of behavioral traits such as:PunctualityNeatnessDisciplineHard work, competition, and obedience

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION (CONT’D)

Peers provide very different social skills and often become more immediately significant than the family, especially as children move through adolescence.

The media has become an important agent of socialization, often overriding the family and other institutions in instilling values and norms.

REALITY PLAY: THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF HUMOR

Humor an important part of everyday life

By using humor, we “play with reality”

HUMOROUS QUOTES

“You can observe a lot by just watching”.

-- Yogi Berra

"He who laughs last probably didn't get the joke." ---Unknown

"Not all chemicals are bad. Without hydrogen or oxygen,

for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital

ingredient in beer." ---Dave Berry

THE FOUNDATION OF HUMORHumor is produced by the social construction of reality.Create and contrast two different realities

1. ConventionalWhat people in a specific situation expect

2. UnconventionalAn unexpected violation of cultural patterns

Humor arises from contradictions, ambiguities, and double meanings in differing definitions of the same situation

The Dynamics of Humor: “Getting It”

To “get” humor, must understand the two realities enough to appreciate the difference

Enjoyment of a joke increased by pleasure of figuring out the pieces needed to “get it”

The joke makes you an insider

If a joke has to be explained, not very funnyYou’re an outsider

The Topics of Humor

Humor is a universal element of human culture

Different cultures, humor rarely travels well

People find humor in different situations

Jokes can break through cultural barriersMust touch on universal human experiences

Topics with double meanings or controversy generate humor

Controversy of humor: Fine line between what is funny and what is “sick”

Middle Ages – “humors” from the Latin “humidus” meaning “moist”

A balance of bodily fluids that regulated a person’s health

Researchers today document the power of humor to reduce stress and improve health

“Laughter is the best medicine”

At the extreme, people who always take

conventional reality lightly, risk being defined as

deviant or mentally ill

Every social group considers certain topics too

sensitive for humorous treatmentPeople’s religious beliefsTragic accidentsAppalling crimes

Here is a joke about sociologists:

How many sociologists does it take to change a light bulb?Answer: None. There is nothing wrong with the light bulb; it’s the system that needs to be changed!

What sort of people are likely to get it?

What makes this joke funny?

What kind of people probably won’t?

Why?

The Functions of Humor

Humor is found everywhere--As a safety valve for potentially disruptive emotions

Humor provides acceptable way to discuss sensitive topicWithout appearing to be serious or offensive

Humor used to relieve tension in uncomfortable situations

Humor and ConflictHumor also used to put down others“Put-down” jokes make one category of people feel good at expense of anotherReal conflict can be masked by humor“The Dozens”http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/1-dozen-classic-yo-mamma-jokes-for-your-mom-on-mothers-day/99c09fb952545f10d3e099c09fb952545f10d3e0-165711512563?q=the%20dozens%20jokes&FROM=LKVR5&GT1=LKVR5&FORM=LKVR

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/the-dozens/1b8c8ced681accaf06221b8c8ced681accaf0622-257130430521?q=the%20dozens%20jokes

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/top-10-yo-mama-jokes/45d62e5de7219b1af9da45d62e5de7219b1af9da-168729313694?q=the%20dozens%20jokes

Humor: More important than we think

Mental escape from world not entirely to our liking

Survival: Comedians from historically marginalized

groups

Sense of humor asserts freedom

We are never a prisoner of reality

T H E O R Y I N E V E R Y D A Y L I F E

The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology, 2nd EditionCopyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company