Social Structure Or the social bigger picture Interaction

Social Structure (Or the social bigger picture)

Interaction, Groups, and Structure Social interaction and reality Elements of social structure Global social structure Understanding organizations

Social Structure Social structure: the way society is organized into predictable relationships Concepts of social interaction and social structure are closely linked to groups and organizations Nature of social interaction and what constitutes reality various across cultures The ability to define social reality reflects a group’s power within that society

Elements of Social Structure Statuses: any range of socially defined ranked positions within a large group or society Master status: the statuses that carry the most weight within society Individuals can hold multiple statuses simultaneously Intersectionality Ascribed status: is assigned by society without regard for a person’s unique talents or qualifications Achieved status: earned through an individual’s own efforts Ascribed status heavily influences achieved status

Elements of Social Structure Social role: set of expectations for people who occupy a given status Role conflict: when incompatible expectations arise from two or more social positions held by same person Role strain: difficulties that arise when same social position imposes conflicting demands and expectations

Elements of Social Structure Groups: people with similar norms, values, and expectations who interact on a regular basis Primary group: small group with intimate, face-to-face association and cooperation Secondary group: impersonal groups with little social intimacy or mutual understanding In-groups: any groups/categories to which people feel they belong Out-groups: any groups or categories to which people feel they do not belong

Elements of Social Structure Reference group: any group individuals use for evaluating their own behavior Serve a normative function by setting and enforcing standards of conduct and belief Perform a comparison function by serving as a standard against which people can measure themselves and others Social Networks: series of social relationships that link person directly to others, and indirectly links him or her to still more people Networking: involvement in social network; valuable skill when job-hunting Virtual Worlds

Social Institutions Social institution: organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs Gives insight into the structure of a society Durkheim: Division of Labor ([1893] 1933) Mechanical solidarity: collective consciousness that emphasizes group solidarity, implying all individuals perform the same tasks Organic solidarity: collective consciousness resting on the need a society’s members have for one another

Social Institutions Tönnies Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft Gemeinschaft (guh-MINE-shoft): small community in which people have similar backgrounds and life experiences Gesellschaft (guh-ZELL-shoft): large community in which people are strangers and feel little in common with other community residents Lenski’s Sociocultural Evolution Approach Human societies undergo process of change characterized by dominant pattern known as sociocultural evolution

Lenski’s Sociocultural Evolution Approach Preindustrial Societies Hunting-and-gathering society: people rely on whatever foods and fibers are readily available Horticultural society: people plant seeds and crops rather than merely subsist on available foods Agrarian society: people primarily engaged in production of food Industrial Society: people depend on mechanization to produce goods and services – People rely on inventions and energy sources – Individuals, villages, and regions began to exchange goods and services and became interdependent

Lenski’s Sociocultural Evolution Approach Postindustrial and Postmodern Societies Postindustrial society: economic system engaged primarily in processing and controlling information Postmodern society: technologically sophisticated society preoccupied with consumer goods and media images

Stages of Sociocultural Evolution

Organizations Formal organization: special-purpose group designed and structured for maximum efficiency Structured to facilitate management of large-scale operations Have bureaucratic form of organization Fulfill enormous variety of personal and societal needs Bureaucracy: component of formal organization that uses rules and hierarchical ranking to achieve efficiency

Ideal Types Weber’s Ideal type: construct or model for evaluating specific cases Division of Labor Trained incapacity Hierarchy of Authority Written Rules and Regulations Impersonality Employment Based on Technical Qualifications Peter Principle

Bureaucracy and Organizational Culture Classical theory (Scientific Management Approach): workers motivated almost entirely by economic rewards Human relations approach: role of people, communication and participation within a bureaucracy emphasized