Section 1: Building Blocks of Social Structure

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Section 1 Building Blocks of Social Structure

• What are the two major components of social
  structure?

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What are the two major components of social
structure?

• Statusa socially defined position in a group or
  in a society, which has attached to it one or
  more roles
• Ascribed assigned beyond a persons control.
• Achieved through own efforts

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What are the two major components of social
structure?

• Rolethe behavior expected of someone occupying a
  particular status

You play a role You occupy a status
Role expected behavior
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Section 1 Building Blocks of Social Structure
Status
Examples of Roles
Examples of Conflict / Strain
Put out fires, save lives, wear a uniform
Voluntarily puts self in danger, but has loved
ones who need him or her
Firefighter
Fatigue and long shifts make household tasks and
interactions difficult
Provide food and shelter, nurture family,
discipline children
Mother
Run meetings, recruit new members, plan activities
Has trouble getting members to attend and follow
through on promises
P.T.A. President
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• How do these two components of social structure
  affect human interaction?

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• Peoples particular roles and statuses affect how
  they relate to one another
• Statuses are ways of defining where individuals
  fit in society and how they relate to others

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Most roles have reciprocal roles that define the
patterns of interaction between related statuses,
such as husband and wife or teacher and student
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What are the most common types of social
interaction?

• Exchangeinteracting in an effort to receive a
  reward or a return for ones actions
• Competitiontwo or more people or groups are in
  opposition to achieve a goal that only one can
  attain
• Conflictdeliberate attempt to control a person
  by force, to oppose someone, or to harm another
  person

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What are the most common types of social
interaction?

• Cooperationtwo or more people or groups working
  together to achieve a goal that will benefit more
  than one of them
• Accommodationa state of balance between
  cooperation and conflict.

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Which types of interactions stabilize social
structure and which can disrupt it?

• Accommodation, Exchange, and Cooperationstabilize
  social structure
• Competition and Conflictcan disrupt social
  structure

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What roles do individuals play in these models of
group systems?

• Roles related to
• Leadership
• Family
• Work
• Specialization
• Trade

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What are the major features of primary and
secondary groups?

• Primary Groups
• Interact over a long period of time on a direct
  and personal basis
• Entire self of the individual is taken into
  account
• Relationships are intimate and often
  face-to-face
• Communication is deep and intense
• Structure is informal

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• Secondary Groups
• Interaction is impersonal and temporary in nature
• Involve a reaction to only a part of the
  individuals self
• Casual
• Limited in personal involvement
• Individual can be replaced easily

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What are the purposes and functions of groups?

• Select leaderspeople that influence the
  attitudes and opinions of others
• Define boundariesmembers can tell who belongs
  and who does not

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What is a group?

• Dyad- two
• Triad- three
• Formal-goals and activities defined
• Informal-no established structure
• Reference group-values adopted
• In group-people you identify with
• Out group-people not in your group

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What are the purposes and functions of groups?

• Set goals, assign tasks, and make decisions
• Control members behaviorif members violate
  group norms, the group cannot survive long

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Section 4 Groups Within Society
Define Boundaries
Select Leaders
Assign Tasks
Set Goals
Make Decisions
Control Members Behavior
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The Structure of Formal Organizations

• How are bureaucracies structured?

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Section 5 The Structure of Formal Organizations
(CEO, Superintendent, president, etc.)
Department Head/VP
Department Head/VP
(subordinates)
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Webers Model

• Division of labor
• Ranking of authority
• Employment based on formal qualifications
• Rules and regulations
• Specific lines of promotion and advancement

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How effective are bureaucracies?

• Efficient at coordinating large numbers of
  people, defining tasks and rewards
• Provide stability
• Can lose sight of goals, create red tape, and
  result in oligarchies
• In some instances, reward incompetence and expand
  uncontrollably

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Chapter Wrap-Up Understanding Main Ideas

• How can a persons status differ from his or her
  role?
• How does role conflict affect groups and
  individuals? How can it be resolved?
• What are the five most common forms of
  interaction recognized by sociologists?
• Identify and describe the three broad categories
  of societies used by sociologists.
• How do the roles of group members differ between
  primary and secondary groups?
• What, according to Max Webers model, are the
  major characteristics of a bureaucracy?
• What weaknesses influence the effectiveness of
  bureaucracies?