Social Structure and Society: An Overview

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2. Social Structure and Society Summary of Topics • Social Structure and Status • Social Structure and Roles • Preindustrial Societies • Industrial and Postindustrial Societies Click on a hyperlink to view a topic or click on the right arrow to proceed through the chapter Chapter Overview 2

3. Social Structure and Status The underlying pattern of social relationships in a group is called social structure. • Status is one very important element of social structure. Status is a position a person occupies within a social structure. • Status helps us define who and what we are in relation to others within the same social structure. • Sociologists are interested in the relationships among social statuses. Chapter 3

4. Everyone Has Status • Social statuses do not exist in isolation. • All statuses are interrelated with other statuses. Chapter 4

5. What is an ascribed status? • Ascribedstatus is neither earned nor chosen; it is assigned to us. • At birth, an infant is either male or female. We do not choose our gender. • Age is another example of an ascribed social status. • In some societies, religion and social class are ascribed by the family of birth. If you were born into a lower-class home in India, for example, you would not be permitted to rise to a higher social class. Chapter 5

6. How is status achieved? • Achieved statusis possible where people have some degree of control and choice. • In most modern societies, an individual can decide to become a spouse or a parent. • Occupations are also achieved statuses in modern societies where people have freedom to choose their work. Chapter 6

7. What is a status set? A status setis all of the statuses that a person occupies at any particular time. Chapter 7

8. Are all of a person’s statuses equal? • Master statuses are important because they influence most other aspects of the person’s life. • In industrial societies, occupations–achieved, for the most part–are master statuses because your occupation strongly influences such matters as where you live, how well you live, and how long you live. • Age, gender, race, and ethnicity are examples of ascribed master statuses because they significantly affect the likelihood of achieving other social statuses. Chapter 8

9. Match the definition with the type of status (a-d) it best describes. d ___1. wife, mother, author, church choir director ___2. electrician, spouse ___3. the presidency of the United States, professional athlete ___4. sex, gender, race ___5. daughter, son ___6. quarterback, coach, fan, trainer a. ascribed status b. achieved status c. master status d. status set b c a a d Click the mouse button or press the space bar to display the answers. Chapter 9

10. Social Structure and Roles • People interact according to prescribed roles, which carry certain rights and obligations. • Sometimes conflict or strain occurs when an individual has too many roles to play. Chapter 10

11. Rights and Obligations • An expected behavior associated with a particular status is a role. • Any status carries with it a variety of roles. • Roles can be thought of a statuses “in action.” • Statuses describe positions; roles describe behaviors. • Rights are behaviors that individuals expect from others. Obligations are behaviors that individuals are expected to perform toward others. The rights of one status correspond to the obligations of another. Doctors are obligated to diagnose their patients’ illnesses.Correspondingly, patients have the right to expect their doctors to diagnose to the best of their ability. Chapter 11

12. Rights and Obligations In terms of a play: • Roles are the part of the script that tells the actors (status holders) what beliefs, feelings, and actions are expected from them. • A playwright or screenwriter specifies the content of a performer’s part. • In the same way, culture underlies the parts played in real life. • For example, mothers have different maternal “scripts” in different cultures. Chapter 12

13. Role Performance and Social Interaction Statuses and roles provide the basis for group life. It is primarily when people interact with each other socially that they “perform” in the roles attached to their statuses. Chapter 13

14. Role Performance and Social Interaction • Role performanceis the actual conduct, or behavior, involved in carrying out (or performing) a role. • Role performance can occur without an audience (as when a student studies alone for a test). • Most role performance involves social interaction. • Social interaction is the process of influencing each other as people relate. If statuses are like the parts in a play and roles are like the script, then social interaction represents the way actors respond to cues given by other actors. Role performance is the performance itself. Chapter 14

15. How does play-acting differ from social interaction? • The process of choosing the role and then acting it out occurs in nearly all instances of social interaction. • Unlike stage performances, most real-life role performance occurs without planning. • On the stage, there is a programmed and predictable relationship between cues and responses. In life, we can choose our own cues and responses. • The range of responses is not limitless–only certain responses are culturally acceptable. Chapter 15

16. Links between Culture and Social Structure Sociologists concentrate on the study of social structure. Chapter 16

17. Role Conflict and Role Strain • The existence of statuses and roles permits social life to be predictable and orderly. • At the same time, each status involves many roles, and each individual holds many statuses. • This diversity invites conflict and strain. • Role conflict exists when the performance of a role in one status clashes with the performance of a role in another. • Role strainoccurs when a person has trouble meeting the many roles connected with a single status. Chapter 17

18. How do we manage role conflict and strain? • Role conflict and strain may lead to discomfort and confusion. • When roles clash, we often settle dilemmas by setting priorities. We decide which role is most important to us and act accordingly. • To reduce the negative effects of conflicting roles, we can separate our behavior in one role from our behavior in another. • Ranking incompatible roles in terms of their importance is a good way to reduce role conflict and strain. Chapter 18

19. Match each situation below with the key term (a-e) it illustrates. e ___ 1. A husband and wife discuss the disciplining of one of their children. ___ 2. A mother is expected to take care of her children. ___ 3. A businessman has no time for his children. ___ 4. A school principal hands out diplomas at a graduation ceremony. ___ 5. A corporate chief executive officer is economically forced to terminate employees who are his friends. a. role b. role conflict c. role performance d. role strain e. social interaction a b c d Click the mouse button or press the space bar to display the answers. Chapter 19

20. Types of Societies For more information on a type of society click on it in the graphic. Chapter 21

21. Preindustrial Societies • The way a society provides for basic needs greatly affects its culture and social structure. • A society is composed of people living within defined territorial borders who share a common culture. • Differences in the way societies meet their members’ basic needs form the basis of a system anthropologists often use to classify societies. • Societies are classified as preindustrial, industrial, and postindustrial. Chapter 20

22. Hunting and Gathering • These societies survive by hunting animals and gathering edible foods. • These societies are usually nomadic, and tend to be very small. • The family is the only institution. • Economic relationships are based on cooperation. • Members have little or no conception of private property or ownership. • There are no social classes. • Division of labor is limited to sex and age distinctions found in most families. Chapter 22

23. Horticultural Societies • This type of society came into being when people learned they could grow and harvest certain plants instead of simply gathering them. • The shift from hunting and gathering to horticulture, or gardening, led to more permanent settlements. • Relative stability permitted the growth of multicommunity societies averaging one to two thousand people each. • The family is very basic to social life. • The primary emphasis is on providing for household members. Chapter 23

24. Pastoral Societies • Food is obtained primarily by raising and taking care of animals. • There is more migration than in those based more fully on cultivation of land. • These societies are male dominated. • With a surplus of food supply, some members of the community are free to create a more complex division of labor. • Because nonedible goods are produced, an incentive to trade with other peoples emerges. • The creation of surplus permits the development of limited social inequality (class or caste). Chapter 24

25. Agricultural Societies • Agricultural societies subsist by growing food, using plows and animals. • Increased productivity allows people to engage in noneconomic activities. • Cities can be built and occupations appear that are not directly tied to farming. • Government replaces the family group as the guiding force. • Distinct social classes appeared for the first time. • An economy based on trade emerges. • Monetary systems use money rather than goods for payment. Chapter 25

26. In which type of society did a marked class system first appear? Explain why. Distinct social stratification first appeared in agricultural societies because the governing class was able to control the source of wealth (land) and accumulate wealth in the form of money. Click the mouse button or press the space bar to display the answers. Chapter 25a

27. Industrial and Postindustrial • The Industrial Revolution created a new type of society called industrial society. • An industrial society is one that depends on science and technology to produce its basic goods and services. • Intensive animal and human labor is replaced by power-driven machines, a process known as mechanization. • Urbanization is a basic feature of industrial societies. • Postindustrial society has a labor force that is concentrated in service industries. Chapter 26

28. What are Durkheim’s views? • In societies in which the division of labor is simple, mechanical solidarityis the foundation for social unity. • A society based on mechanical solidarity achieves social unity through a consensus of beliefs, values, and norms; strong social pressures for conformity; and dependence on tradition and family. • People tend to behave, think, and feel in much the same ways, to place the group above the individual, and to emphasize tradition and family. Chapter 30

29. What are Durkheim’s views? • Modern industrial society is based onorganic solidarity. • Members depend on a variety of people to meet their needs. • Industrial society achieves social unity through a complex of specialized statuses that make members of the society interdependent. • If a biological organism composed of highly specialized parts is to survive, its parts must work together. • Similarly, the parts of a society based on organic solidarity must cooperate if the society is to survive. Chapter 31

30. Postindustrial • Some societies such as the United States have passed beyond industrial society into postindustrial society. • The economic emphasis is on providing services and information rather than on producing goods through basic manufacturing. Chapter 32

31. Five Features of a Postindustrial Society 1. The majority of the labor force are employed in services rather than in agriculture or manufacturing. 2. White-collar employment replaces much blue-collar work. 3. Technical knowledge is the key organizing feature. 4. Technological change is planned and assessed. 5. Reliance is on computer modeling in all areas. Chapter 33

32. Indicate whether each of the following is or is not a major feature of a postindustrial society. _____ a. emphasis on technical knowledge _____ b. employment of the majority of the labor force in service industries _____ c. reliance on advanced technology _____ d. increased dependence on skilled blue- collar workers _____ e. shift toward the employment of white-collar workers is is is is not is Click the mouse button or press the space bar to display the answers. Chapter 34

33. Chapter Summary • The underlying pattern of social relationships in a group is called social structure. • Status is one very important element of social structure. • People interact according to prescribed roles that carry certain rights and obligations. • Preindustrial, industrial, and postindustrial societies meet basic needs in different ways, greatly affecting culture and social structure. • Transition from an industrial society to a postindustrial society has been linked to social instability. Summary