Individuals as

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Individuals as Status-Occupants only insofar as
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Obligations and Responsibilities What am I
supposed to do?
Normative Expectations (Rules) How am I supposed
to do all this?
Social Status
Cognitive Attributes Beliefs, Values, Motivations
and Attitudes
Interests Conflict is built-in society.
Power Authority
Social Capital Access to Opportunities and
Resources Inequality is built-in society
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Obligations and Responsibilities What all am I
supposed to do?
Where do these come from?
Social Status
How do they change over historical time? - ie.,
fathers and parenting
The extent to which individuals who occupy a
given status live up to the responsibilities and
obligations that are called for varies.
Individuals who occupy a given status must take
these into account.
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Obligations and Responsibilities What all am I
supposed to do?
Normative Expectations (Rules) How am I supposed
to do all this?
Social Status
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Normative Expectations (Rules) How am I supposed
to do all this?
Guidelines, rules for social conduct. They
indicate how one ought to act or behave in
social settings Prescribe -
Proscribe Permitted - Preferred
Social Status
Norms vary from one culture to another. Norms
vary from one sub-culture to another.
Norms vary over historical time.
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Normative Expectations (Rules) How am I supposed
to do all this?
Do not confuse norms with actual action or
behavior.
Social Status
The extent to which people consider norms
legitimate varies.
The extent to which people comply with norms
varies.
Norms vary in their importance Folkways -
norms for routine or casual interactions Mores -
norms that are derived from moral values Laws -
norms that are codified and are sanctioned Taboos
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S T A B I L I T Y
Obligations and Responsibilities What am I
supposed to do?
Normative Expectations (Rules) How am I supposed
to do all this?
Social Status
Cognitive Attributes Beliefs, Values, Motivations
and Attitudes
Mutually reinforcing and reciprocal expectations
Whether we recognize it or not, we possess a
vast storehouse of social knowledge and, to
varying degrees, know what is expected of us
know what to expect of others.
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S T A B I L I T Y
Obligations and Responsibilities What am I
supposed to do?
Normative Expectations (Rules) How am I supposed
to do all this?
Social Status
Cognitive Attributes Beliefs, Values, Motivations
and Attitudes
Interests Conflict is built-in society.
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Interests Conflict is built-in society.
Social Status
People who occupy different social positions -
by virtue of occupying different positions -
will have different sets of LEGITIMATE
interests, values and attitudes.
The vast majority of conflict that occurs in
society is the result of people -
status-occupants - living up to the expectations
placed upon them.
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S T A B I L I T Y
Obligations and Responsibilities What am I
supposed to do?
Normative Expectations (Rules) How am I supposed
to do all this?
Social Status
Cognitive Attributes Beliefs, Values, Motivations
and Attitudes
Interests Conflict is built-in society.
Power Authority
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Power Authority
Power the capacity to impose ones will over
others, even against the resistance of others
coercion.
Social Status
Authority the capacity to have others comply
with your wishes - even if they would prefer not
to - because they recognize the legitimacy of the
request.
Power and authority are not individual
attributes, they are located in the positions
people occupy i,e., the President.
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Power Authority
Power and authority are not equally distributed
in all social statuses
Social Status
Examples employer - employee male -
female professor - student dean -
professor wealthy - poor white - non-white
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S T A B I L I T Y
Obligations and Responsibilities What am I
supposed to do?
Normative Expectations (Rules) How am I supposed
to do all this?
Social Status
Cognitive Attributes Beliefs, Values, Motivations
and Attitudes
Interests Conflict is built-in society.
Power Authority
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Social Capital Access to Opportunities and
Resources Inequality is built-in society
Social Status
Central or Controlling Statuses Different
statuses provide occupants different degrees of
access to resources and opportunities - some
more, some less. Merton Opportunity Structures
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S T A B I L I T Y
Obligations and Responsibilities What am I
supposed to do?
Normative Expectations (Rules) How am I supposed
to do all this?
Social Status
Cognitive Attributes Beliefs, Values, Motivations
and Attitudes
Interests Conflict is built-in society.
Power Authority
Social Capital Access to Opportunities and
Resources Inequality is built-in society
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Status-sets
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Status-sets identities
Age 54
Husband
Father
Race White
Professor
Friend
Executive Director
Status-Activation Salient Statuses
Since individuals occupy multiple statuses, which
specific status becomes activated at any given
time? How is this socially negotiated by
partners in interactions? How are
discrepant activations resolved?
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Status-sets identities
Age 54
Husband
Father
Race White
Professor
Friend
Executive Director
Since individuals occupy multiple statuses they
are subject to cross-pressures.
Status-consistency - to what extent are the
beliefs, values attitudes, interests and
social standing attached to different
statuses in an individuals status-set
consistent? How are the inevitable
inconsistencies that arise managed?
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Status-sets
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Master and Dominant Statuses
Master status the status within an individuals
status-set that has special importance for
social identity, often shaping a persons
entire life.
Dominant status the status within an
individuals status-set that is given priority
when the behavioral expectations associated
with two or more statuses come into conflict.
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Status-conflict Status-strain
Age 52
Husband
Father
Race White
Professor
Friend
Executive Director
Conflict living up to the demands and
obligations of one status precludes
fulfilling the demands and obligations of
another status.
Strain you can fulfill all of the demands and
obligations but at less than peak
efficiency. You prioritize and cut
corners.
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Social Status and corresponding Role-Set
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Role-set corresponding to the status of
Professor
Professor
Students
Colleagues
Deans
Support Staff
Community
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Status-conflict or Status-strain
Role-conflict or Role-strain
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All the worlds a stage, And all the men and
women merely players. They have their exits and
their entrances And one man in his time plays
many parts . . .
As You Like It. Act ii. Sc. 7.
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The Dramaturgical Perspective
Erving Goffman 1922-1982
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The Dramaturgical Perspective
Actor
Social Roles
Scripts
Rehearsal
Erving Goffman 1922-1982
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The Dramaturgical Perspective
Actor
Audience
Social Roles
Scripts
Rehearsal
Front Stage vs. Back Stage
Evaluation of Role Performance
Erving Goffman 1922-1982
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The Dramaturgical Perspective
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
impression management
Behavior in Public Places
taken-for-granted rules and procedures of
interaction expressions-given vs.
expressions-given-off
Stigma Notes on the Management of Spoiled
Identity
tribal identities, bodily abominations, blemishes
of character
Interaction Ritual Essays on Face-to-Face
Behavior
embarrassment as a social phenomenon face-work
deference demeanor