Ø
Social
Interaction
Social
Interaction is defined as “it is a process by which men inter-penetrate the
mind of each other.” – Dawson and
Gettyes
Merrill; “Social interaction is the
general process whereby two or more persons are in a meaningful contact, as a
result of which their behavior is modified however slightly.”
Corkiness; “Social interaction is such
a process which influences the overt behavior or state of mind of the
individuals.”
“Social
interaction is the process by which people act and react in relation to others.
– J.J Macionis
Elements of
Social Interaction
1.
Two or more than two persons.
2.
Reciprocal relationship among them.
3.
Influence on the event, behavior, brain of the persons.
These three
conditions interrelate the people among themselves and convert them into social
groups.
Types of
Social Interaction (Young and Mack)
1.
Direct or Physical Interaction
2.
Symbolic Interaction
Forms of
Social Interaction
1.
Between individual and individual
2.
Between Individual and Group
3.
Between Group and Group
4.
Between Individual and Culture
Measurement
of Social Interaction
1.
Frequency
2.
Duration
3.
Intensity
4.
Focus
Difference
between Social Action and Social Interaction
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Social
Status
Horton and Hunt: Status is defined as
“the rank or position of a person in a group, or of a group in relation to
other groups.”
“Status is a social position a person
holds.” JJ Macionis
In everyday use
the word status generally means “prestige” as when we say that a collage
president has a more “status” than a newly hired assistant professor. But
sociologically speaking, both “president” and “professor” are statuses within
collegiate organization.
Status is part
of our social identity and helps define our relationship to others. As George
Simmel (1950, org.1902), one of the founders of sociology, once pointed out,
before we can deal with anyone, we need to know who the person is.
v
Status Set: “Each of us holds many
statuses at once. The term status set refers to all the statuses a person holds
at a given time.”
v
Master Status: “Some statuses matter more
than others. A master status is a status that has special importance for social
identity, often shaping persons entire life.”
Types of
Status (classification on how people attain status)
v
Ascribed Status (we have little or no choice)
“An Ascribed
status is a social position a person receives at birth or takes on voluntarily
later in life.”
Determinants
of Ascribed Status
a)
Ancestry
b)
Sex
c)
Caste
d)
Age
v
Achieved Status
“An achieved
status refers to a social position a person takes on voluntarily that reflects
personal ability and effort.”
Determinants of Achieved Status
a)
Economic Resources
b)
Occupation
c)
Education
d)
Power
Ø
Social
Role
“A role is the
function of a status.” Young and Mack
“A social role is the expected
behaviour associated with a social position.”
A second
important social structure is social role,
behavior expected of someone who holds a particular status. A person holds a status and performs a role.
v
Role Set: “Robert Merton (1968)
introduced the term role set to
identify a number of roles attached to a single status.”
Status: Professor; Roles: the
Teacher role , colleague role
v
Role Conflict: as a conflict among the
roles connected to two or more statuses.
v
Role Strain: refers to tension among the
roles connected to a single status.
v
Role Exit: The process by which people
disengage from important social roles. Ex-president, ex-captain etc…
v
Ascribed and Achieved Roles
v
Relationship of Status and Role
v
Social Action, Status and Role
v
Social System and Role-Status
One strategy
for minimizing role conflict is
separating parts of our lives so that we perform roles for one status at one
time and place and carry out roles connected to another status in a completely
different setting.
Role Conflict
Causes of Role Conflict
1.
Extra busy life
2.
Incomplete or Weak Socialization
3.
New Social Values
4.
Material Desire
5.
Violation of religious values
Consequences
of Role Conflict
1.
Tension and worry
2.
Poor decision performance
3.
Sleeplessness
4.
Short temperament
5.
Health
6.
Neurosis
7.
Social Problems
Solution of
Role Conflict
1.
Simple life
2.
Socialization
3.
Training of role performance
4.
Division of Labor
5.
Social Planning
