Social Interaction, Social Groups

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Social Interaction, Social Groups

• Oryou can call it the study of
• Social Structure Social Interaction
• Or..
• Macrosociology
• Microsociology
• Or a general breakdown of what sociologists study

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How Groups Interaction influence us -Levels
of groups -Macrosociology influence of larger
social structures / the link to
groups -social location social status,
etc. -prison the power of social
controls -Microsociology influence of social
interaction -personal space -collective
definitions of situations -Goffmans (SI)
interpretation of social interaction
-frontstage backstage -presentation
of the self (impression
management) -facework
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(Macrosociology)The Importance of Groupsfor the
Individual

• Groups establish our place in the social world
• Without that. . . . normlessness (eek)

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Social Status The Link to Groups

• Social Statuses positions we hold in the social
  world
• Define interaction with others
• Ascribed statuses - assigned at birth and do not
  change during an individuals lifetime
• Achieved statuses - chosen or earned by decisions
  one makes or by personal ability
• Master statuses - most important status (at a
  particular time place), take precedence over
  other statuses

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One example of the macro-level influence on us

• Prison Experiment
• (Zimbardo) eek

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The Microsociolgical side

• its influence on
• us

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The Elements of Social Interaction(Microsociology
)

• Interaction - a kind of action that occurs as two
  or more objects have an effect upon one another
  - chemistry, etc.
• Social interaction is two or more people relating
  / the actions of one depend on the actions of
  another vice versa
• - action, goal, and context helps us
• interpret the social meaning
• - difficult to clearly communicate, though
• - so .the basis for research

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The Elements of Social Interaction(Microsociolog
y)

• One example Personal space comfort zones
• (non-verbal language)

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Personal space zones

• The amount of personal space needed varies by
• Social context ?
• Gender ?
• Status ?
• Cultural setting ?
• Personal space communicates social positions
• Higher positions and status have greater control
  of physical space how?
• Gender differences how?

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So, we have (of course) some theoretical
perspectives on the interaction process. One

• (Symbolic interaction theory)
• Dramaturgy the study of social life from the
  framework that life is similar to a play or drama
  on stage, with scripts, props, and scenes to be
  played
• Dramaturgical analysts believe interaction occurs
  on two stages
• Front stage behavior
• Backstage behavior
• Impression management - working to create a
  definition of self through social interaction

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Theoret. Perspectives on the Interaction Process

• Assumptions of Dramaturgical analysts
• We create an impression for our audience
• Individuals learn new lines to add to their
  scripts through socialization
• Individuals perform scripts for social audiences
  in order to maintain certain images, much like
  the actors in a play
• Individuals use props as visible symbols to
  create or reinforce our roles
• Individuals perform according to societys script
  for the situation
• Individuals work to create a positive,
  advantageous impression through impression
  management
• Individuals use tact, humor, and other strategies
  to try to create positive impressions
• Interaction occurs on two stages

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Even bodies.

• are mechanisms of the presentation of the self
• are cultural, and vary by time and place to make
  the correct presentation
• How?

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