SOCIAL STRUCTURE

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SOCIAL STRUCTURE

• Chapter 3.1

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Who Am I?
Traveler
Woman
Sister
Friend
Soon to be Tia
Daughter
Teacher
Thai
Single
College graduate
White
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Guiding questions What are the two major
components of social structure?How do these two
components of social structure affect human
interaction?

• Social Structure the network of interrelated
  statuses and roles that guide human interaction
• Status a socially defined position in a group or
  in a society
• Role the behavior- the rights and obligations
  expected of someone occupying a particular status

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STATUS

• Statuses are ways of defining where individuals
  fit in society and how they relate to others in
  society
• Ascribed Status assigned beyond a persons
  control
• Achieved Status given through their own direct
  efforts including special skills, knowledge or
  ability

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Master Status

• Master Status Achieved or ascribed this status
  plays the greatest role in shaping a persons
  life and determining his/her social identity

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ROLES

• Reciprocal Roles-
• Corresponding Roles that define a pattern of
  interaction between related statuses
• Athlete-?
• Friend-?
• Husband-?
• Seller-?
• Employer-?
• Leader-?
• Doctor-?

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Role Expectation

• The socially determined role expected of a person
  performing a role
• Police-uphold the law
• Doctors-care for patients
• Parents-provide physical emotional care
• Students-do all their homework and get good grades

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Role Performance

• Actual role behavior
• Reality does not always meet expectations

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Role Conflict and Role Strain

• Some of us are asked to perform many roles that
  contradict one another referred to as a role set
• Role conflict occurs when fulfilling the role
  expectation of one status making it difficult to
  fill the role of another status
• Role Strain occurs when a person has difficulty
  fulfilling the expectations of a single status

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Social Institutions

• Statuses and roles organized to satisfy one or
  more of the basic needs of society
• Education
• Prison
• Religion
• Economics
• Media
• Family

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